HISTORY 






OP 



RAY COUNTY, MO., 



CAREFULLY WRITTEN AND COMPILED 



FROM THB 



MOST AUTHENTIC OFFICIAL AND PRIVATE SOURCES, 



INCLTJDIKG A HIBTORT OF ITfi 



Townships, City, Towns and Villages, 



TOOHTHBR WITH 



A CONDENSED HISTOBY OF MISSOURI ; THB CONSTITUTION OP THB UNITED STATES, 

AND STATE OF MISSOURI; A MILITARY RECORD OF ITS VOLUNTEERS IN EITHER 

ARMY OF THE GREAT CIVIL WAR; GENERAL AND LOCAL STATISTICS; 

miscellany; reminiscences, grave, TRAGIC AND HUMOROUS; 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT MEN AND CITIZENS 

IDENTIFIED WITH THE INTERESTS OF THE COUNTY. 



ILLUSTRATED. 



St. LOUIS: 

MISSOURI HISTORICAL COMPANY. 

1881. 



PREFACE. 



The publishers of this work flatter themselves that it is worthy of 
public confidence, and that it will meet with the acceptance and approval 
of those for whom it is intended, namely: the people of Ray county, 
Missouri. It has been very carefully prepared from sources of informa- 
tion both ofRcial and private, and entirely authentic and reliable. No 
pains have been spared in making the history thorough, accurate and 
exhaustive ; and that it has reclaimed from oblivion much valuable data 
concerning the early history of the county, and is a faithful record of facts 
worthy of preservation in permanent and readable form, is earnestly 
believed. 

In prosecuting this work to completion, we received material assistance 
from citizens in various parts of the county; from old settlers, county 
officials and others, to all of whom we are profoundly grateful. Our 
acknowledgments, however, are especially due to Col. James W. Black, 
who is a contributor, to whatever merit the book may possess ; to George 
W. Trigg, county clerk; to John R. Green, circuit clerk, and to Lewis 
Slaughter, recorder, for kindly permitting us to examine the records of 
their respective offices, and for gentlemanly courtesies extended during 
that work ; to Wm. E. Ringo, deputy county clerk, for polite assistance ; 
to James A. Davis, county collector; to Capt. Thomas McGinnis, ex- 
sheriff, and to Frank G. Gibson, ex-prosecuting attorney; to Dr. G. W. 
Buchanan and George I. Wasson, Esq. ; to Judge Joseph E. Black, for loan 
of books and for files of the Richmond Herald; to Col. Jacob T. Child, 
editor JRtchmond Conservator^ for files of that paper, and to Col. Thomas 
D. Bogie, editor Richmond Democrat; to Thomas N. Deacy, school com- 
missioner; to Professor B. F. Duncan; and to Holland Vanderpool, 
William R. Blythe, R. L. McCoskrie, Edwin Odell and John Cleavenger, 
old settlers. 

We desire, also, to acknowledge our indebtedness to Prof. James M. 
Long, an obliging, scholarly gentleman, for valuable suggestions. 

The history of the county begins prior to its organization as such, and 
with the first settlements on lands which it afterwards embraced and now 
embraces, and is brought down to the present (June 1881). 

In point of age, as a state, the twenty-fourth in the American Union, 
and in the scale of greatness, the fifth, Missouri is the just pride of every 



2 PREFACE. 

honest man and true patriot within her borders. Inexhaustibly rich in 
natural resources; fortunate in geographical position; convenient and 
beautiful in surface configuration; finely situated for commercial inter- 
course with her sister states and with the world; of generous soil, 
salubrious air and intelligent population, every throb of the Missourian's 
heart is a pulsation of love for his state — then, would the " History of 
Ray County" be complete without at least a sketch of Missouri? A 
condensed view of the state is essential to an intelligent history of the 
county. 

A very brief abstract of the laws of Missouri will, it is believed, enhance 
the value of the work, by aflbrding to farmers and business men a con- 
venient and reliable reference for every day use. 

Part Second is devoted to brief biographical sketches of prominent 
citizens; of early settlers, and of those who, having the welfare of the 
county at heart, have contributed to its growth, wealth and development. 

All history is but a recital of past events, and the great aim of him who 
places a series of those events, affecting the day in which he lives, of 
record, to be read by future generations, should be, above all things, 
Truth. He who records faithfully, impartially, truthfully, the important 
passing events of his own time, as well as the yet unwritten history of 
former days, for the guidance, instruction or amusement of those who are 
to come after him, is indeed a benefactor. It has not been our ambition 
to achieve merely the distinction of being called a benefactor, but, if we 
have succeeded in making a book worthy its subject, we are satisfied, and 
shall regard the people's gratitude as our best reward. 

That it will fully meet the expectations of the public, and supply a 

needed demand is sincerely hoped, and with that hope it is submitted to 

the people of Ray county by 

The Publishers. 



CONTENTS. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 



PAGE. 

Historical and Political 9 

Prehistoric Missouri 10 

The White Race in Missouri 15 

Missouri as a State 35 

Summary of Events and Dates 25 

Counties and Population 26 

Census Report, 1880 27 

State Finances 29 

Presidential Votes from 1830 to 1880 . 30 

Governors from 1820 to 1880 31 

United States Senators 31 

Members of Congress 32 

Public School System 34 

Protectional Laws 40 

Homestead Exemption 40 

Exemption of Personal Property ... 42 

Rights of Married Women 43 

Taxation 43 

Public Debt Limitation 44 

Comparative Tax Rate 45 

Federal Officers in the State 40 

Missouri's Distingui.'^hed Men — 

Daniel Boone 47 

Thomas H. Benton 47 

James B. Eads 48 

Carl Schurz 49 

Prof. Charles V. Riley 49 

Missouri in the Civil War 50 



Geology and Minerals 66 

Geological Chart 67 

Mineral Resources 72 

Earths, Clays, Ochres, etc 77 

Geography of Missouri 78 

Rivers and Watercourses 81 

Notable Springs 82 

Soils and their Products 83 

Wild Game 85 

Climate 87 

Healthfulness of the State 89 

Agriculture 90 

Staple Crops , 91 

Horticulture 93 

The Grasshopper 96 

Navigation and Commerce 99 

The Levris & Clark Expedition 100 

First Steamboats in Missouri 101 

The Barge System 103 

Railroads in Missouri 104 

Manufacturing in Missouri 107 

Principal Cities in Missouri 108 

Constitution of the United States 113 

Constitution of Missouri 124 

Abstract of State Laws and Forms. . . 160 

Practical Rules for Every-day Use . . . 190 
Names of the States of tlae Union and 

their Significance 196 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY, 



Topography 199 

The Pioneer 302 

Early Settlements and Settlers 205 • 

Indians 212 

Organization 215 

First County Seat, etc 218 

Removal of the County Seat 326 

First Instruments Recorded 331 

Townships 338 

County Officers 348 

Ray County War Record 364 

The Great Civil War 381 

Confederate Soldiers 383 

Union Soldiers 397 



Religious 334 

Educational 347 

Societies 362 

Newspapers of Ray County 366 

Towns and Villages 383 

Terrible Cyclone 389 

Incorporation of Richmond 399 

Ordinances City of Richmond 413 

The sole surviving witness of the Au- 
thenticity of the Book of Mormon . . 456 

Geology 461 

Incidents 468 

Statistical 482 



CONTENTS 



BIOGRAPHICAL DIRECTORY. 



Akers, James R. . . .51 28 
Alspaugh, A. P. . . .54 27 

Allen, Abraham 51 29 

Anderson, Thornton 51 28 
Asbury, James S. . .53.29 

Artman, \Vm 50 28 

Austin, G. M 50 28 

Asburv, J. W... .53 29 
Allison, Wesley M. 53 29 



Banister, John T 

Ball, J. E 

Barr, Adam J 

B'ack, Joseph E 

Black, James W 

Bogie, Thomas D. . . . 

Brown, John C 

Brown, B. J 

Bolts, A. J.. .• 

Burgess, H. C 

Burgess. T. J 

Burgess, I. L 

Buchanan, Geo. W. . . 

Baum, Louis 

Babcock,B.B 52 

Boggess, H. C 51 

Brown, Chas. W...52 
Bohannon, L. C. . .52 
Boggess, Henry. . . .52 

Bush, George H 52 

Bell, Ross P 52 

Bates, James F . . .52 
Bankston, John T. .52 

Bryan, J. H 52 

Bowman, J. H 52 

Bal linger, Wm. R. .52 
Bowen, Chas. L...53 
Barham, John L. . .53 

Bowman, D. B 53 

Burgess, Wm.P. . . .54 

Bright, Wm. H 53 

Bates, Chas. F., Sr.53 
Brown, Alfred A... 51 
Brockman, Asa. . . .51 
Brown, Thomas A. .51 

Bates, R. W 52 

Blythe, Wm. R 51 

Bailey, Elijah B... 51 

Bogart, John 51 

Brock, F 53 

Bacon, C. B 54 

Brock, Wm. H . . .53 
Berten, John R. . . .53 

Buist, James 51 

Brown, Wm. T 51 

Brumfield, John F.52 



POST-OPFICE. PAGE. 

Camden 610 

Georgeville . . . .699 

Orrick 644 

Orrick 649 

Vibbard 650 

Orrick 626 

Camden 625 

Lawson 661 

Lawson 675 

Richmond 564 

Richmond 526 

Richmond 546 

Richmond 551 

Richmond 540 

Richmond 515 

Richmond 535 

Richmond 544 

Richmond 562 

Richmond 573 

Richmond 574 

Richmond 574 

Richmond 575 

Richmond 580 

Hardin 806 

Hardin 807 

Morton 801 

Morton 800 

Morton 799 

Morton 797 

Hardin 796 

Morton 795 

Hardin 789 

Norborne 785 

Morton 788 

Richmond 593 

Wilmot 734 

Fox 731 

Morton 739 

Knoxville 706 

Millville 760 

Miliville 763 

Camden 605 

Camden 609 

Richmond 622 

Vibbard 629 

Orrick 646 

Orrick 638 

Orrick 654 

Lawson 659 

Lawson 694 

Lawson 674 

Law.son 682 

Missouri City. ..655 

Richmond 614 

Hardin 808 



Child, Jacob T Richmond 513 

Crispin, S. R Richmond 516 



NAME. TP. R. 

Conrow, A. H 

Crain, Wm. A 

Conrow, Wm. S 

Creel, M.J 

Creer, Wm. B 52 26 

Clampitt, C. W..^.52 26 
Cunningham, O. . . .52 26 
Collier, James G. ..52 26 
Cunningham, J. F.52 26 

Chenault, A. R 51 27 

Campbell, James T.53 26 
Cato, E . W . , Rev . . 53 26 
Clemens, Geo. W..o3 26 
Craven, Joseph D. .54 27 
Coflman, Martin. . 54 27 

Clark, John 54 28 

Carter, J. M 53 27 

Cramer, J. F 53 27 

Craven, R. C 53 27 

Crispin, M. W 53 27 

Crithfield, M. M...53 27 
Cramer, Daniel. .. .53 27 
Cramer, John H . . .53 28 

Clark. A. D 53 28 

Clark, H. J 53 28 

Craven, Jacob T . . . 53 28 
Campbell, Jeremiah 53 28 

Calley, Samuel 53 28 

Craven, MB 53 28 

Crenshaw, Granville53 28 
Cummins, Jas T.. ..52 28 

Cooper, Thos M 51 28 

Cox, William 5128 

Collier, S W 53 29 

Creason, Rial 51 29 

Canada, Benj. F. . .51 28 

Cook, Isaac 53 29 

Gates, PH 53 29 

Crowley, James M. .53 29 
Crowley, William. .54 29. 
Cleavinger, John. . .53 29 

Crowley, Sam'l J 

Gates, S 1 54 29 

Crowley. S N 53 29 

Crowlev, John. . . .53 29 

Cummins, M B 53 29 

Crowley, Thomas.. 53 29 
Carpenter, Wm. B.53 26 

Dawson. Chas. VV..52 26 
Deacy, Thomas M . .52 26 

Davis, B F 52 26 

Davis, T J 52 26 

Davis, S C 52 27 

Degraftenreid iS H, 51 29 
Duvall, Leonidas. . .53 27 
Duval, James Rev 53 27 
Dorton, EllaS. . . .51 29 
Dorlon, ET 51 29 



PaiST-OPFICB. PAOB. 

Richmond 517 

Richmond 528 

Richmond 568 

Richmond 570 

Hardin 807 

Hardin 810 

Hardin 793 

Hardin 783 

Hardin 786 

Henry 596 

Fox 729 

Wilmot 734 

Fox 735 

Taitsville 699 

Georgeville 703 

Knoxville 712 

Millville 750 

Millville 749 

3Iillville 749 

Millville 762 

Millville 766 

Millville 771 

Knoxville 774 

Knoxville 781 

Knoxville ..'...782 

Knoxville 782 

Knoxville 783 

Rayville 716 

Vibbard 719 

Knoxville 720 

Rayville 604 

Camden 612 

Richmond 620 

Vibbard 649 

Orrick 653 

Camden 606 

Lawson 660 

Lawson 661 

Lawson 662 

Converse 665 

Vibbard 692 

Lisbonville 670 

Lisbon ville 670 

Vibbard 679 

La\N son 686 

Lawson 690 

Lawson 692 

Fox 737 

Hardin 816 

Morton 798 

Morton 814 

Morton 817 

Richmond 593 

Orrick 643 

Millville 755 

Millville 776 

Orrick 642 

Orrick 644 



CONTENTS. 



NAMK. TP. R. 

Donoveu, A C 53 29 

Doniphan, A W 

Dunn, George W 

Davis, Nathaniel M D . . 

Davis, James A 

Duval. Dan. T 

Devlin, Joseph H 

Duncan, B F 

Dickenson, Oliver T. .. 

Duvall, J F 53 27 

Duval, Isaac 53 27 



Esrey, Niles ...52 26 
Ewing, George S..52 27 

Edgar, 8 C 52 27 

Endsley. S V 53 26 

Evans, John H 53 26 

Ellis, RB 53 27 

Evans, Houston 51 28 

Elliott, Andrew. ...51 28 

Elliott, Arthur 51 28 

Endicott, James C. .51 28 

Erwin, W R 51 29 

Endsley, EM 51 28 

Estill, Win,G 53 29 

Earhart, Wm 53 29 

Esrey, Septer P 52 26 

Esteb, Elijah F 

Ewing. W W 

Elliott, Richard S..52 
Ellis, Robert H ... .53 

Frazier, George. . . .51 
Flournoy, Wm. H .52 

Ferree, Wm W 52 

Ferree, Ephraim ... 52 

Ferree, F M 53 

Flournoy, John S..53 
Frazer, John H. . . .51 

Frank, George 52 

Fowler, MR 54 

Finch, Robert H.. .53 

Farris, James L 

Fisher, Wra. D 

Francis, John W 

Ferree, Boyd W 53 26 



28 



POST-OPnCK. PAGE. 

Vibbard 673 

Richmond 498 

Richmond 502 

Richmond 521 

Richmond 522 

Richmond 569 

Richmond 569 

Richmond 576 

Richmond 568 

Millville 756 

Millville 777 

Hardin 811 

Richmond 592 

Richruond 594 

Fox 736 

Hardin 739 

Millville. 753 

Camden 604 

Camden 614 

Richmond 616 

Camden 617 

Orrick 638 

Orrick 628 

Vibbard 676 

Lawson 687 

Hardin 812 

Richmond 553 

Richmond 553 

Swannick 600 

Millville 755 

Hardin 813 

Morton 798 

Hardin 792 

Morton 784 

Fox 727 

Millville 769 

Orrick 645 

Swanwick .... 586 
Lisbon ville . . . .670 

Lawson 684 

Richmond 522 

Richmond 566 

St. Louis 580 

Fox 728 



Grandstaff, A 52 26 

Grove, John H 22 26 

Gasney, John R. . . . 52 56 
George, Reuben. . . .51 27 

Gentry, BB 53 26 

Grimes, John 54 28 

Gant, J D 54 28 

Gordon, Adrian. . . .54 28 
Grimes, John P. . . .53 27 

Guy, John 53 27 

Grimes, James M. .53 27 

Garner, John C 53 28 

Gibson, John 52 28 

Gaston, CG 51 28 

Gofesage, Joseph . . .51 28 
Garrett, Wm. C Rev 52 29 

Gant, Cyrus D 53 29 

Greene, James 53 29 

Gorton, TW 50 28 



Hardin 812 

Hardin 796 

Hardin 791 

Henry 790 

Wilmot 733 

Knoxville 705 

Knoxville 705 

Knoxville 707 

Millville 750 

Millville 759 

Millville 774 

Richmond 780 

Richmond 600 

Camden 607 

Richmond 713 

New Garden . . . 630 

Vibbard 657 

Vibbard 658 

Orrick 627 



NAME. TP. K. 

Greenawalt, A J... 54 29 
Gant, Thomas R. .53 29 
Gant, Joseph P.... 53 29 
Gordon, George A. .53 29 
Gant, Joshua B....53 29 
Goodman, John H.53 29 

Garner, H C 

Green, John R 

Garner, C T 

Grow, Henry P 

Garner, James W 

Hall, John W 52 26 

Henderson, Moses. .51 26 
Hinman, George B 52 26 

Hurst, James R 51 27 

Harbison, AD 52 27 

Haynes, James P. .52 27 
Huskisson Jacob. . .54 26 

Haynes, J H 53 27 

Hughes, Ami 53 27 

Hamil, H. E 5128 

Harrison, Jno. L. . .51 28 

Happv, Harvey 51 28 

Happy, Elijah 51 28 

Hamilton, H. B. . . .52 29 

Harris, LC 52 29 

Hannah, Jos. J 51 29 

Hauser, Adam 53 29 

Hewlett, Thos. B...52 28 

Hines, Joseph R 52 28 

Haligan,R. B 50 28 

Hattield, H.D 53 29 

Hunter, RobtM.... 54 29 
Huntsman, W. A. . .53 29 
Hightower, Elias...53 29 

Holman, L. A 53 29 

Holman, J.R 53 28 

Hurt, James T 53 29 

Hannas, Wm 54 29 

Hurt, Wm. J 53 29 

Hess, Moses 53 28 

Hughes, Joseph S 

Hughes, James 

Hughes, Chas. J 

Hamilton, Jno. R. . . . . 

Holman, W. A. 

Hughes, Burnett 

Hughes, Eli 

Hamacher, Jno. R 

Hubbell, Wm. P 

Hamacher, O. N 

Harper, Addison. . .53 26 

Johnson, James. . . .52 26 
Jackson, Andrew J.. 51 28 

Jones, Jno. R 52 29 

Johnson, Jno. V...52 28 

James, W. C 53 29 

James, G. W 53 29 

James, J. H 54 29 

Jackson, Wm. R 

Jacobs, M. C 

Johnson, Cii as 

Jacobs, R. L 



POST-OPPiCE. PAGE. 

Lawson 666 

Vibbard 672 

Vibbard 673 

Vibbard 678 

Vibbard 679 

Lawson 687 

Richmond .... 524 

Richmond 570 

Richmond 538 

Richmond 574 

Richmond 523 

Hardin 805 

Hardin 811 

Morton 797 

Morton 591 

Richmond 595 

Richmond 595 

Tinney's Grove 726 

Millville 757 

Millville 752 

Camden 607 

Richmond 616 

Camden 618 

Richmond 625 

Crab Orchard ..631 

Orrick 633 

Orrick 648 

Vibbard 651 

Richmond 587 

Richmond 588 

Orrick 627 

Lawson 658 

Lawson 663 

Lawson 693 

Vibbard 677 

Vibbard 678 

Vibbard 680 

Lawson 682 

Lawson 683 

Lawson 689 

Vibbard 691 

Richmond 508 

Richmond 510 

Richmond 511 

Richmond 518 

Richmond 525 

Richmond 558 

Richmond 558 

Richmond 561 

Richmond 563 

Richmond . . . .565 
Fox ...738 

Morton 784 

Camden 610 

Vibbard 652 

Swanwick 589 

Lawson 662 

Lawson 662 

Lisbonville 671 

Richmond 527 

Richmond 527 

Richmond 566 

Richmond 579 



CONTENTS. 



King, Jno. S 53 26 

Keyes, Thos. H. . . .53 26 

Kell, D. W 53 27 

Kavanaugh.Chas. B.54 36 

Kelmel, Wm 54 28 

Kincaid, James 53 37 

Kincaid, A. C 53 27 

Kincaid, Richie 53 37 

Kincaid, A.J 54 38 

King, Wm. G 5138 

King, Adriel 5138 

Kite, Martin V....51 38 
Killgrove, J. 0....52 29 
Kirkham. Wm. N .51 29 
Knight, William... 53 29 
Kice, R. P.(D.D.S.).. .. 

Lentz, James H. . . .53 26 
Lentz, Nathan A. . .52 26 
Lavelock, Geo. W. .52 26 
Lancaster, Wm. F. .52 27 
Linvill, Thomas... 54 28 
Linvill, John E.... 54 28 

Larkev, John 52 28 

Lillard, Stanton R. .51 28 
Leforgee, Milton S.51 29 
Loyd, Anderson D. .51 28 
Lile, Thomas H...53 29 
Lavelock, Thas. N 



Moore, John J 52 26 

Mapel, Elijah T. . . .52 26 
Mcintosh, Thomas. 53 26 

Metts, Isaiah 52 26 

MeGuire, Sam'i0..52 26 
Masou, Samuel O . .52 27 
McBee, Franklin. . .53 26 
Mason, Robert W.. 52 27 
McCuislion, J. H. .53 26 

Miller, Robert G 

Miller, Wintield.... 54 28 
McVey,Mrs. Harriet54 28 

Milstead. John 54 38 

, Morris, Levi 54 28 

Mathena, J. S 52 27 

Mansur, Isaiah 52 27 

Mai tland, Alex 53 27 

Magill, Lorenzo S. 53 38 
Mullin, Rev. Wm...53 28 
Maddux, Julius A. .53 28 
Magill, William... 52 28 
Magill, Thomas . . .52 28 
Merideth, Willis... 51 28 
McEnroe, James. . .51 28 

Miller, Joseph 51 28 

McGinnis, Capt. T.51 28 

McGinnis, James T 

McKissack. Wm. ..51 29 
Mitchell, Geo. W. .51 39 
McWharter, R. H..51 29 

Mason, John 51 29 

McGaugh, John J..5129 

Mason, Oscar 51 29 

Montgomery, G. W.53 29 

Miller, Wm. A 53 29 

M D.onald, R 54 29 



PO.ST-OFPICE. PAGE. 

Hardin 804 

Hardin 788 

Richmond 590 

MillviUe 724 

Knoxville 711 

Knoxville 773 

Knoxville 773 

Knoxville 773 

Knoxville 599 

Camden 606 

Richmond 615 

Camden 619 

New Garden. . .631 

Orrick 643 

Vibbard 681 

Richmond 557 

Hardin 803 

Morton 793 

Morton 793 

Richmond 589 

Knoxville 712 

Knoxville 695 

Richmond .599 

Orrick 621 

Orrick 636 

Orrick 644 

Vibbard 680 

Richmond 554 

Hardin 808 

Hardin 810 

Hardin 818 

Hardin 788 

Morton 785 

Richmond 590 

Fox 730 

Richmond 591 

Fox 737 

673 

Knoxville 708 

Knoxville 713 

Knoxville 697 

Knoxville 696 

Millville 758 

Millville 760 

Richmond 770 

Richmond 779 

Knoxville 715 

Richmond 753 

Richmond 603 

Richmond 606 

Camden 610 

Camden 613 

Camden 614 

Richmond 617 

Richmond .527 

Orrick 634 

Orrick 637 

Orrick 640 

Orrick 647 

Orrick 652 

Orrick 654 

Lawson 659 

Vibbard 668 

Lisbonville 669 



NAMB. TP. R. 

Moss, A. P 54 29 

McDonald, W.G 

McGaugh, Wm M..53 29 
Mellon, John H.... 53 29 

Mosby, W.W., M. D 

McCuistion, Alex. A. . .. 

Miller, Felix G 

Marshall. Wm 

McDonald, M. F 

Morton, John F 

Mosby, C. A., M. D 

Mansur, M., M. D..53 26 
Mayes, David T. .. .54 28 



POST-OFFICE. PAGE. 

Lisbonville 669 

Lisbonville 671 

Vibbard 691 

Lawson 691 

Richmond .... .549 

Richmond 520 

Richmond ....559 

Richmond 564 

Richmond.. ..567 

Richmond 569 

Richmond. ...579 

Fox 743 

Knoxville 707 



Noble, Lewis H. . . .52 26 Hardin 809 

Nelson, Wm. W....53 26 Morton 742 

Noel, James B 53 27 Millville 748 

Nation, Issa H 53 29 Crab Orchard. .632 

Norvell. Maj. J. P Richmond 560 

Ohphant, Ralph. . .52 27 Richmond 763 

Ogg, Thos. J 52 38 Crab Orchard . .597 

Ogg, N. B 53 28 Richmond 598 

Olipliant, Alexander. . . . (Deceased) 584 

Oster, Leonard G. . .54 26 Wilmot 744 



Paxton, S. A 

Proctor, James B. . . 

Porter, Jno. C 

Peeler, Rev. N. B. . 

Peters, AVm. S 

Poi)e, Abraham. . . . 
Pugh, James M . . . 

Post, Nelson 

Pettus, Joseph 

Pickering, Joseph. . 
Prichard, Robt. A. . 
Pinckne)^ William. 

Pigg. N. B 

Painter, Wm. D. . . . 

Page, Henry 

Palmer, C. N 

Piercey, Milton. . . 
Porterfield, Thos. J. 

Patton. Wm. C 

Patton, Jno. T 

Palmer, Randolph. 
Perry, Joseph B. . . 

Priest, Luke D 

Perdue, Henry C. 



51 29 
53 36 
53 26 

52 27 

52 27 

53 26 

53 26 

54 37 
53 27 
53 38 
51 38 
51 38 

51 39 

52 28 

52 28 

53 29 

54 29 
51 36 



54 26 

51 28 
51 29 



Orrick 656 

Hardin 804 

Morton 796 

Richmond 592 

Richmond 596 

Fox 729 

Morton 738 

Georgeville ....703 

Millville 774 

Richmond 601 

Camden 608 

Camden 617 

Orrick 639 

Swanwick 589 

Richmond 586 

Lawion (»63 

Lawson 667 

Hardin 806 

Richmond 563 

Richmcmd 565 

Richmond 575 

Tinney's Grove. 722 

Richmond 624 

Orrick 636 



Quarles, Wm. M. . .53 27 Millville 751 

Quesenberry, D. H Richmond 544 

Quesenberry, Jno. P. . . Richmond 572 



Roach, Wm. J .....53 36 

Reyburn, Jno. D 52 26 

Remelins, Frank. . .52 27 

Russell, Wm 53 26 

Robinson, Silas C..53 26 
Rhodes, David B...53 26 

Ross, Jno. A 54 26 

Ritter, Moses 54 27 

Renfro, Henry 53 27 

Robertson, Cleason.53 28 
Robinson, Geo. E..53 28 



Hardin 805 

Hardin 816 

Richmond 594 

Fox 726 

Fox 732 

Fox 740 

Tinney's Grove. 745 

Taits%'ille 704 

Millville 747 

Richmond 714 

Vibbard 719 



CONTENTS. 



NAME. TP. K. 

Russell, J. B 53 28 

Rowland, Jesse D. .52 29 
Ross, Franklin J... 51 29 
Rhodes, Dennis A. .51 29 
Rothrock,Tlios.A..51 29 

Riffe, Isaac M 51 29 

Rimmer, William. .51 29 

Riffe, A.J 5128 

Remley, Arthur B. .51 28 

Ralph, Z.D 51 28 

Roberts, Jesse T...54 29 

Robinett, E. M 54 29 

Raum, Joseph H. . .53 29 
Reyburn, Adam K 



POST-OPPICE. PAGE. 

Vibbard 720 

Orrick 634 

Ornck 635 

Orrick 637 

Orrick 642 

Orrick 647 

Orrick 649 

Orrick 628 

Orrick 626 

Camden 629 

Lawson 695 

Lawson 668 

Lawson 685 

Richmond 578 

Hardin 803 

Hardin 818 

Morton 794 

Hardin 790 

Hardin 791 

Henry 789 

Tinney's Grove 724 

Fox 737 

Fox 741 

Georgeville . . . .700 

Taitsville 700 

Georo-eville 702 

Knoxville 710 

Millville 758 

Millville 76() 

Millville 769 

Millville 775 

Richmond 777 

Rayvillf 717 

Vibbard 718 

Vibbard 732 

Richmond 585" 

Crab Orchard. .603 

Camden 009 

Camden 611 

Richmond 633 

Orrick 633 

Orrick 641 

New Garden... 651 

Lawson 66 

Vibbard 6: 

Lawson 694 

Vibbard 673 

Lisbonville 674 

Vibbard 676 

Vibbard 676 

Vibbard 678 

Vibbard 680 

Lawson 683 

(Deceased 688 

Lawson 688 

(Deceased) 506 

Richmond 519 

Richmond 519 

Richmond 554 

Richmond 557 

Richmond 560 

Richmond 571 

Richmond 579 

Trigg, Haden 52 26 Hardin 813 

Thompson, Austin. 52 26 Morton 793 



Seward, Riley V. . . 
Simmerman, R R. , 

Spurlock, MM 

Starr, Alexander. . 

Starr, John A 

Sittevman, Henr^ J 

Shrum, John C 

Stratton, Daniel H 
Shirkey, Samuel B. 
Stephenson, S H . . 

Switzer, John 

Sater, Henry W . . . 
Shimmiu, Thomas 

Smith, H C 

Schooler,Nathan H 
Stanley, Jacob. . . . 
Schooler, Wm. M . 

Settle, Hiram P 

Sloan, Henderson. . 
Sanderson, George. 

Smith, Wm. J 

Smith. Peyton T. . . 
Searcy, Orvllle H . . 
Suits, James M. . . . 

Sacrj', John 

Stout, Elijah 

Stevinson, John. . . . 
Shepard, David B . . 
Sisk, Allen, Rev. . . 
Sturgis, Benjamin. . 
Starkey, John R. . . 
Stockwell, J M. . . 
Scantlins;, Henry A 

Swickard, A P 

Spencer, Joel F. . . . 
Scantling, Wm. J. . 
Sloan, Thomas A 
Savage, Steplien . . . 
Smith, Joseph A . . . 
Smith, Jedediah. . . 
Smith, Wm. W.... 

Sevier, Robert 

Shot well, John W. . 
Shaw, Thomas L . . . 
Stone, George A. . . 
Smith, J W, MD.. 
Shoop, Joseph S. . . 

Sevier, Charles , 

Singleton, W T. . . . 



52 26 

52 26 

53 26 
52 36 

52 26 
51 37 

54 26 

53 26 

53 26 

54 37 
54 37 
54 27 
54 38 
.53 27 
53 37 
53 37 
53 37 
53 37 
53 38 
53 38 
53 28 
53 38 
53 39 
51 38 
51 28 
5138 
51 38 
5139 
53 39 
,54 29 

53 29 

54 29 

53 39 

54 29 
53 29 
53 29 
.53 39 
.53 29 

53 29 
53 39 
53 29 



POST-OFFICB. PAGE. 

Knoxville 701 

Knoxville 709 

Knoxville 697 

Knoxville 721 

Camden 611 

Orrick 641 

Orrick 654 

Missouri City . .655 

Orrick 656 

Lawson 667 

Lisbonville 674 

Vibbard 675 

Lawson 681 

Lawson 683 

Richmond 555 

Richmond 555 

Richmond 778 

Richmond 577 

Vanderpool, H 52 38 Richmond ... .583 

Vantrump, Reuben. 53 36 Fox 733 

Vantrurap, Jacob. .53 36 Fox 746 

Vaubebber, James. .53 27 Millville 772 

Vaughn, Thos. S. . .52 29 Crab Orchard. .632 
Vandeveer, James. .50 28 Orrick 626 



NAME. TP. 

Tait, John 54 

Tithn, Jno. C 54 

Tiffin, Clayton 54 

Teegarden, Aaron . . 53 
Thomas, Geo. W...51 
Taylor, M.G....'... 51 
Tucker, Dan'l H. Sr.51 
Tucker, James L. . .51 
Tarwater, Samuel . . 51 

Thomas, W. F 53 

Trout, James M. C.54 
Tiffin, Edward P... 53 

Turner, John W 

Thompson, J. B.... 53 
Taylor, James D . . . . 

Trigg, Geo. W 

Thompson, I). A. . .53 
Tompkins, Wm. S... 



39 



38 



Wall,Robt.V 

Walker, F. J 

Wright, L. B 

Williams, W. A. . . , 
Weekes, Mifflin B., 
Weekes, Jacob A. . , 
Wollard, Wm. S... 
Wollard, Thos. H. 
Wilson, Wm. T. . . , 
Walters, Jackson. . , 
Withers, Wm. P. . . 

Wells, Andrew 

Wall, Kedar .* 

Wood, Robert A. . 
Wilson, J WC, Sr 
Wilson, William. . 
Weigles, John P. . 
Woodroof, R,H. . . 

White, Wm. A 

Jljorley, Willis. . 

ells, William A. 
Weber, John E. . . 

Wood, L H 

Weakley, J C .... 
Winger, Griffin. . . 
Williams, G W S. 

Wright, C P 

Watkins, WL 

Whitmer, David P 
Woodson, Thos. D. 
Wasson, George I. 
Woodson, Philip J 
Wasson, John A. 
Yates, Wm.F, MD 
Yates, James T — 
Young, Ambrose. . 
Young Sebron S. . . 
Young, John T. . . 
Young, Warren. . . 
Zeiseness, Henry. . 
Zur Megede Louis . 



53 36 Morton 802 

,52 36 Morton 791 

53 26 Morion 787 

,51 27 Henry 789 

54 36 Tinney's Grove. 723 
54 30 Tinney's Grove. 723 

.53 26 Fox 730 

.53 26 Fox 741 

,53 26 Fox 747 

54 27 Taitsville 701 

54 28 Knoxville 710 

.53 27 Millville 757 

,53 27 Millville 764 

,53 37 Millville 767 

,53 28 Knoxville 779 

.52 28 Richmond .....598 

.51 28 Camden 619 

.51 28 Orrick 620 

.51 28 Richmond 621 

5128 Orrick 624 

,51 29 Orrick 639 

.52 39 Vibbard 652 

51 39 Orrick 653 

.53 39 Lawson 660 

.54 39 Converse 664 

.53 39 Lawson 666 

.53 29 Lawson 685 

.... Lawson 689 

Richmond 539 

Richmond 533 

Richmond 537 

, . . . . Richmond 535 

Richmond 529 

,52 26 Morton 802 

.51 26 Morton 794 

.53 27 Millville 764 

,53 27 Millville 765 

.53 27 Millville 765 

.53 27 Millville 767 

.54 27 Georgeville.. ..698 
Richmond 571 



^J-V^jI 



^^f ^^.'^ 







/": 



(^Icuno^oMjz. . cM-. ^synjjjd^ 



History of the State of Missouri. 



PART I.— HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL. 



INTRODUCTORY. 

When a book is written, it is presumed that the writer had some object 
in view and some end to achieve by his labor in collecting the material 
and writing the book; and it is right that he should put himself on good 
terms with his readers at the outset by making a brief, but frank and 
honest statement of his object, plan and purpose in the book which he 
offers to public patronage. The writer of this History of Missouri has 
aimed to embody in a brief space the greatest amount of solid and reliable 
information about things which directly hinge and center upon or within 
the territory of this State — this international commonwealth, which holds 
by right divine the royal prerogative of a destiny imperial and grand, if 
she can acquire or develop human brain and muscle adequate to utilize 
wisely, honorably and energetically her magnificent natural resources, 
both of commercial position and of agricultural and mineral wealth. The 
writer's desire and effort has been to present nothing which would not be 
read with deep interest by every intelligent citizen of Missouri at the 
present time; and also stand as a permanent body of information, at once 
useful and reliable for future reference. Discussion of theories, problems 
or doubtful matters has been avoided; solid facts have been diligently 
sought after; and the narrative has been made to embody as many facts 
and events as possible without falling into the dry-bones method of mere 
statistical tables. In fact, the limit of space allotted him has compelled the 
writer to condense, epitomize, shorten up — and therefore continually to 
repress his desire to embellish the narrative with the graces of rhetoric 
and the glow of an exuberant and fervid enthusiasm. This, however, 
secures to the reader more facts within the same space. 

In preparing this work more than a hundred volumes have been con- 
sulted, to collate incidents and authenticate dates and facts, besides much 
matter gathered from original sources and not before embraced in any 
1 



10 HISTOKy OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

book. It is not presumed that there are no mistakes or errors of state- 
ment herein made; but it is believed that there are fewer of such lapses 
than commonly occur with the same amount of data in similar works. 
The classification of topics is an attempt to give them a consecutive and 
consistent relative place and order in the book, for convenience of inci- 
dental reference or of selective reading. 



PRE-HISTORIC MISSOURI. 



THE MOUND-BUILDERS, Etc. 

Every State has a pre-historic history — that is, remains and relics are 
found which show that the land was inhabited by a race or races of men 
long before its discovery and occupation by a race sufficiently advanced 
in the arts of civilization to preserve a written record of their own 
observations and doings. It is now well established that every portion of 
the United States was inhabited by a race of men grouped under the 
general name of " Mound-builders," who preceded the modern hunter 
tribes called "Indians." It further appears, from all the evidence accumu- 
lated, that the Mound-builders were a race that made permanent settle- 
ments, and built earthworks of considerable extent for defense against 
enemies, both man and beast; also for sepulture, for religious rites, and 
for memorial art; it is also evident that they cultivated the soil to some 
extent, made rude textile fabrics and clay pottery, and wrought imple- 
ments of domestic use, ornaments, charms, toys, pipes, etc., and weapons 
of war and of the chase, from flint, porphyry, jasper, hornstone, granite, 
slate, and other varieties of rocks; also from horn, bone, shells, and other 
animal products; and from native copper. But they had no knowledge 
of iron, nor any art of smelting copper; they merely took small pieces of 
the native ore and hammered it cold with their stone tools until it took 
some rude shape of utilit}^ and then they scoured and polished it to its 
utmost brilliancy; and it is altogether probable that these articles were 
only possessed by the chieftains or ruling families. Plates of mica are 
also found among their remains, with holes for suspension on cords 
around the neck or bodv; and lumps of galena or lead ore sometimes 
occur, but these must have been valued merely as trinkets or charms, 
because of their lustre. Remains of this people are found frequently 
both on the bluffs and bottom lands of the Mississippi and Missouri 
rivers, and, in many States, far inland, also. 

The first mention of such remains in Missouri is made by a U. S. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 11 

exploring expedition under Major S. H. Long, in isl!>. This expedition 
went in the first steamboat that ever puffed and paddled its way against 
the switt, muddy current of the Missouri river; ■'^' the boat was named 
*' Western Engineer,"' but it had a double stern-wheel, or two wheels, one 
of them named in large letters, '-James Monroe," and the other "John 
C. Calhoun," in honor of the then President and Secretary of War. 
This steamer had to stop at St. Louis for some repairs; and two members 
of the expedition, Messrs. Thomas Say and T. R. Peale, improved the 
time by surveying a group of twenty-seven ancient mounds which occu- 
pied ground that is now all covered over by the modern city of St. Louis. 
This occurred in June, 1819; Mr. Say prepared a map of the mounds 
and a brief account of them, and this appears to be the first authentic 
record of such ancient works within the territory now constituting the 
State of Missouri; his notes on these mounds were published in 1S23, in 
the report of Major Long's expedidon, but his map of them was never 
published until 1862, when it appeared on page 387 of the " Smithsonian 
Report" for the ^-ear 1861. In his account Mr. Say says: 

"Tumuli and other remains of the labors of nations of Indians (?) that 
inhabited this region manv ages since are remarkably numerous about 
St. Louis. Those tumuli immediately northward of the town and within 
a short distance of it, are twenty-seven in number, of various forms and 
magnitudes, arranged nearly in a line from north to south. The common 
form is an oblong square, and they all stand on the second bank of the 
river. * ''■' It seems probable these piles of earth were raised 
as cemeteries, or they may have supported altars tor religious cer- 
emonies." 

It was from these mounds that St. Louis derived her pseudonym of the 
"Mound City"; but this name is now almost entirely obsolete, since the 
city has risen up to claim the prouder title of " Inter-Metropolis of North 
America". When the largest one of the mounds was leveled some 
skeletons were found, and some thick discs with holes through them; 
they had probably served as beads, and were wrought from shells of a spe- 
cies of fresh water clam or mussel. Numerous specimens of wrought flints 
were found between St. Louis and Carondelet, in 1860; and in 1861 an 
ancient flint shovel was dug up while building military earthworks. 

In Mississippi county, in the southeastern corner of the State, there is a 
group of mounds covering ten acres, in section 6, t. 24, r. 17, varying 
from ten to thirty feet in height. About 1855 these mounds were 
explored by two gentlemen from Chicago, and they found some pottery, 
with men represented upon its sides: one figure appeared to be a priest 
or some official personage, as shown by his head-dress, and the other 

* Campbell's History of Howard County says: " May 28th. 1819, the first steamboat— 
the 'Independence,' Capt. Nelson, time from St. Louis, including all stops, twelve days — 
landed at Franklin on her way up the [Missouri] river." Thus it seems that Major Long's 
boat was really the second one to go up, although in most histories it is mentioned as the 
first — and it was the first that went up any great distanee. 



12 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

represented a captive bound with thongs. Both figures showed the 
peculiar contour of head and features which marks the mound-builder 
race. 

In December, 1868, some laborers engaged in grading Sixth street, in 
East St. Louis, dug up a nest of unused flint hoes or shovels, and another 
deposit of shells with string-holes worked in them, and another deposit of 
boulders of flint and greenstone, ready to make more tools or weapons 
from. These deposits were on high ground, and about half-way between 
two ancient mounds. 

In 1876 or 1877 some ancient mounds were discovered on the banks of 
the Missouri river near Kansas City. They were in groups of three 
and five together, at different points for five miles up and down the river. 
Some were built entirely of earth, and some had a rude stone chamber or 
vault inside, but covered with earth so that all looked alike outside. They 
were of an irregular oval shape, from four to six feet high, and had 
heavy growths of timber on top. Mr. W. H. R. Lykins, of Kansas 
City, noticed a burr-oak tree five feet in diameter, growing on top of 
one of them, and the decayed stump of a black walnut of about the same 
size, on another. In describing the exploration of some of these mounds 
Mr. Lykins gives some points that will be of interest to every one. He 
says : 

" We did not notice an}^ very marked peculiarity as to these bones 
except their great size and thickness, and the great prominence of the 
supraciliary ridges. The teeth were worn down to a smooth and even 
surface. The next one we opened was a stone mound. On clearing oH 
the top of this we came upon a stone wall inclosing an area about eight 
feet square, with a narrow opening for a doorway or entrance on the 
south side. The wall of this inclosure was about two feet thick; the 
inside was as smootli and compactly built and the corners as correctly 
squared as if constructed by a practical workman. No mortar had been 
used. At a depth of about two feet from the top of the wall we found a 
layer of five skeletons lying with their feet toward the south." * 

None of the other walls examined were so skilfully laid as this one. 
The bones were crumbly, and only a few fragments were preserved by 
coating them well with varnish as quickly as possible after they were 
exposed to the air. One stone enclosure was found full of ashes, char- 
coal and burnt human bones, and the stones and earth of which the 
mound was composed all showed the effects of fire. Hence it is pre- 
sumed that this was either a cremation furnace or else an altar for human 
sacrifices — most probably the latter. Some fragments of pottery were 
found in the vicinity. 

L. C. Beck in 1823t reported some remains in the territory now con- 
stituting Crawford county, Missouri, which he thought showed that there 

* Smithsonian Report, 1877, p. 253. 

f Gazetteer of Illinois and Missouri, published by L. C. Beck, in 1832-23. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 13 

was in old time a town there, with streets, squares, and houses built with 
stone foundations and mud walls. He also mentions the ruins of an 
ancient stone building described to him. by Gen. Ashley, as situated on a 
high cliff on the west side of the Gasconade river. And another one said to 
be in Pike count}-, is thus described: "It presents the dilapidated remains 
of a building constructed of rough, unhewn stones, fifty-six feet long and 
twenty-two broad, embracing several divisions and chambers. The 
walls are from two to five feet high. Eighty rods eastward of this 
structure is found a smaller one of similar construction. The narrow 
apartments are said to be arched with stone, one course overlapping the 
other, after the manner of the edifices of Central America." 

I. Dille, Esq., of Newark, Ohio, reported that he had examined some 
of these pre-historic town ruins, in the vicinity of Mine-la-Motte and 
Fredericktown, in Madison county, Missouri. He speaks of them as 
groups of small tumuli, and says: "I have concluded they are the 
remains of mud houses. They are always arranged in straight lines, 
with broad streets intervening between them, crossing each other at right 
angles. The distance apart varies in different groups, but it is always 
uniform m the same group. '^ * I have counted upwards of 
two hundred of these mounds in a single group. Arrow heads of jasper 
and agate, and axes of sienitj and porphyry have been found in their 
vicinity." * 

Mounds or other pre-historic structures have been found on Spencer's 
creek in Ralls count}-; on Cedar creek in Boone county; on Crow's Fork 
and other places in Callaway county ; near Berger Station in Franklin 
county; near Miami in Saline county; on Blackwater river in John- 
son county; on Salt river in Pike county; on Prairie Fork in Mont- 
gomery county; near New Madrid; and in many other parts of the 
State. 

The class of ancient ruins, partly built of stone, said to exist in 
Clay, Crawford, Pike and Gasconade counties, Missouri, are not found 
further north, but are frequent enough further south, and are supposed 
to indicate a transitional period in the development of architectural 
knowledge and skill, from the grotesque earth-mounds of Wisconsin to 
the well-finished adobe structures of New Mexico, and the grander stone 
ruins of Yucatan. But, no matter what theory we adopt with regard to 
these pre-historic relics, the present citizens of Missouri can rest assured 
that a different race of human beings lived and flourished all over this 
region of country, hundreds — yes, thousands of years ago, and that they 
were markedly different in their modes of life from our modern Indians. 

* Many large and costly works have been published by scientists, devoted to the general 
subject of Pre-Historic Man; but of cheap and popular works for the general reader, the 
best are Foster's " Pre-Hisioric Races of the United States" ; and Baldwin's " Ancient 
America". 



14 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

And there are at least two discoveries known which show that these people 
were here before the extinction of the mastodon, or ^reat American 
elephant. In the "Transactions of the St. Louis Academy of Sciences," 
1857, Dr. Kock reports that in the year 1839 he dug up in Gasconade 
■county [as that county then was] the bones of a mastodon, near the 
Bourbeuse river. The skeleton of this gigantic creature was buried in 
such a position as to show that it had got its hind legs down in a bog so 
deeply that it could not climb out, although its fore feet were on dry 
ground. The natives had attacked it with their flint arrows and spears, 
most of which were found in a broken condition; but they had finally 
managed to build a big fire so close to its head as to burn it to death, the 
head-bones and tusks beincf found all burnt to coals. The account of 
this discovery was first printed in the Philadelphia Presbyterian^ Jan. 12, 
1839, and copied into the "American Journal of Science " the same year. 
The authenticity of the incident has been disputed, on the assumed 
ground that man did not exist as long ago as when the mastodon roamed 
•over these pre-historic plains; but science now has indisputable evidence 
that man existed even in the Tertiary age of the geological scale, (see 
note to chart in chapter on Geology) long before the glacial epoch; hence 
that objection has no force at present. 

Dr. Koch further reports that about a year after unearthing the Gas- 
conade county monster, he again found in the bottom land of the Pom- 
me-de-Terre river, in Benton county, a nearly complete skeleton of the 
^reat extinct beast called Missourium, with arrow-heads under it in such 
a way as to show beyond question that they were made and used while 
the animal was alive. This skeleton is now in the British Museum. ''■ 

Human footprints have been found in the rocks at De Soto in Jefferson 
county, also in Gasconade county, and at St. Louis. H. R. Schoolcraft, 
in his book of travels in the Mississippi river country in 1821, said of 
these footprints: "The impressions in the stone are, to all appearance, 
those of a man standing in an erect posture, with the left foot a little 
advanced, and the heels drawn in. The distance between the heels, by 
accurate measurement, is 6^ inches and between the extremities of the 
toes 13|- inches. The length of these tracks is 10^ inches; across the 
toes 4rl inches as spread out, and but 2^ at the heel." 

Our eminent U. S. Senator, Thomas H. Benton, wrote a letter April 
29th, 1822, in which he says: "The prints of the human feet which you 
mention, I have seen hundreds of times. They were on the uncovered 
hmeslone rock in front of the town of St. Louis. The prints were seen 
when the country was first settled, and had the same appearance then as 
now. No tradition can tell anything about them. They look as old 
as the rock. They have the same fine polish which the attrition of the 

* See F. ster's " Pro-Historic Races of the United States," pp. 62-3-4-5-6. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 15 

sand and water has made upon the rest of the rock which is exposed to 
their action. I have examined them often with great attention. They 
are not handsome, but exquisitely natural, both in the form and position. 
* * A block 6 or 8 feet long and 3 or 4 feet wide, containing the 
prints, was cut out by j\Ir. John Jones, in St. Louis, and sold to Mr. 
Rappe, of New Harmony, Indiana."* 

Prof. G. C. Broadhead, and some other writers, think these were not 
natural impression of human feet, but sculptures made by hand. This 
theory requires a belief that the pre-historic men of Missouri had tools 
with which thev could cut the most delicate lines in hard rocks; and that 
they studied the human form in its finest details ot muscular action and 
attitude, and had the art of sculpturing these things so as to look '"'■ exqui- 
sitely natural^'' as Col. Benton expresses it — thus rivalling, if not excelling 
the most famous sculptors of ancient Greece; all of which is wholly incon- 
sistent with the known facts. And besides this, there is no better geolog- 
ical reason for doubting their genuineness as natural footprints, than there 
is in the case of the famous bird and reptile tracks in the sandstones of 
Connecticut, or those found by Prof. Mudge in Kansas, in 1873. There 
is no valid reason, either of an aesthetic, historical, or scientific nature, for 
pronouncing them anything but just what they show themselves to be — 
fossil footprints of a man wno ^tood in the mud barefooted; and in course 
of time that mud became solid stone, preserving his footprints just as he 
left their exact impression in the plastic material. 



THE WHITE RACE IN MISSOURI. 



SPANISH AND FRENCH DISCOVERERS. 

In 1512 the Spanish adventurer Ponce de Leon discovered Florida; and 
at this time and for some years after the old countries of Europe were filled 
with the wildest and most extravagant stories about the inexhaustible mines 
of gold, silver and precious stones that existed in the country north of the 
Gulf of Mexico ; also of great and populous cities containing fabulous wealth, 
beyond what Pizarro and Cortes had found in Peru and Mexico. And 
besides all this, the "fountain of perpetual youth," which all Europe had gone 
crazy after, about this time, was supposed to be in that region. Indeed, 
it can hardl}- be doubted that the Spaniards in Mexico had gathered from 
the natives some inkling of the wonderful healing waters now known as 

* Sec Smithsonian Report, 1879, pp. 357-58. Also "American Antiquities," by Josiah, 
Priest, 1833, pp. 1850-51-52. 



16 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

Hot Springs, x\rkansas, and the brilliant quartz crystals found in that 
region, as well as the glittering ores of Missiouri. 

Ferdinand de Soto was a wealthy cavalier who had won fame as a 
leading commander in Pizarro's conquest of Peru; he imbibed deeply the 
current imaginings about the undiscovered wonders of the new worlds 
and was eager to immortalize his name by bringing to his king and coun- 
try the glory of still more important conquests and discoveries; and he 
especially desired to tind the supposed " fountain of perpetual youth."" 
Accordingly, in 1538 he received permission from the king of Spain to 
conquer Florida at his own cost — - " Florida '' then meaning all the 
unknown country from the Gulf of Mexico to the Northern ocean. He 
collected a band of more than six hundred young bloods who were able 
to equip themselves in. all the gorgeous trappings and splendor of a Span- 
ish cavalier dress parade, and with this plumed and tinselled troupe, very 
like the ^rand entree riders of a modern circus, he landed in Tampa Bay^ 
Florida, in 1539. From here he boldly struck out into the interior, wan- 
dering about and pushing forward with dogged perseverance, in spite of 
bogs and streams and bluffs; in spite of tangling thickets and dense for- 
ests; in spite of heats and rains; in spite of the determined hostility of 
the natives — until in May, 1541, he discovered the Great River, a few 
miles below where the cily of Memphis now stands; and ihus he made 
his name memorable for all lim<^. After some delay, to construct boats, 
they crossed the river and pushed on northward as far as where the city of 
New Madrid now stands; and this was the lirst time that the eyes of white 
men looked upon any portion of the soil now^ comprised within the State 
of Missouri.* But, so fruitless was this visit that no while man set foot 
within our present State boundary again until one hundred and thirty-twO' 
years afterward, when the French missionaries, IMarquette and Jolict, 
came from the great lakes down the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, to 
the mouth of the Missovu-i, in June, K573. This was the iirst time white 
men had beheld the waters of this great stream, and they named it Pcki- 
tonoui^ox "Muddy Water River". It was known by this name until 
about 1710 or 1712, when it began to be called " the river of the Mis- 
souris," referring to a tribe of Indians that dwelt at its mouth, chiefly on 
the lands now comprised in St. Louis county. Marquette and Joliet went 
on down the river as far south as the mouth of the Arkansas river, of course 
making several camping stops on Missouri soil, and discovering the Ohio 
river. From the Arkansas they returned northward the same way they 

* De Soio and his army came into Missoari Irom the south, twice crossing the Ozark 
mountains. He spent the winter of 1541-42 in Vernon county, in the extreme western 
part of the State. Ruins of their winter camp structures and smelting operations are still 
found there. They melted lead ore for silver, and the glittering, lustrous, yellow, zinc 
blende or Srailhsonite for gold; but were deeply disgusted to find at last that they had 
been handling only the basest metals. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF INHSSOURI. 17 

came down, and reached Green Bay, Wisconsin, acrain in September of 
that year — 1673. 

The next visit of white men to this State was in 1682. In 1678 the 
French had built a fort with a missionary station and trading post, near 
where the cit}^ of Peoria, Ills., now stands. During the winter of 1681 
-82, Robert de la Salle made preparations, first in Canada, and then at 
this Illinois fort, to explore the Mississippi river to its mouth. He left the 
fort with a company of twenty Frenchmen, eighteen Indian men and ten 
squaws, in such boats and canoes as he could provide. They rowed down 
the Illinois river and reached its mouth on the 6th of February; a few 
days were spent here making observations, repairing boats, preparing 
food, and establishing signals that they had been there and taken posses- 
sion of the land in the name of their great king. By February 13th La Salle 
was ready to push on, and started with his little fleet to solve the great 
mj^stery of a navigable waterway to the Gulf of Mexico. Of course this 
expedition passed along the eastern border of Missouri, but no points are 
mentioned to identify any landing which they may have made within our 
State. Early in April La Salle accomplished the grand object of his ven- 
ture by discovering the three principal mouths of the Mississippi; and on 
the nearest firm dry land he could find from the mouth he set up a col- 
umn bearing the cross and the royal arms of France, while the whole 
company performed the military and religious rites of lo3-alty to their 
king and country — and La Salle himself, acting as chief master of cere- 
monies, in a clear, loud voice proclaimed that he took possession of all 
the country between the great gulf and the frozen ocean, "in the name of 
the most high, mighty and victorious prince, Louis the Great, by the 
grace of God king of France and Navarre, lith of the name, this 9th day 
of April, 1682." In honor of his sovereign he named the whole vast 
region Louisiana — that is, Louis' land, and named the river itself St. 
Louis. And thus it was that our State of Missouri first became a part 
of historic Louisiana, and passed under the nominal ownership and 
authority of France. 

The next historic appearance of white men within our State was in 
1705. The French settlers in this vast new country had kept themselves 
entirely on the east side of the Mississippi river; but during this year 
they sent an exploring party up the Missouri river in search of gold; it 
prospected as far as the mouth of the Kansas river, jvhere Kansas City 
now stands, without finding anj^thing valuable, and returned disheartened 
and disgusted. On September 14, 1712, the king of France, Louis XIV, 
gave to a wealthy French merchant named Anthon}^ Crozat, a royal patent 
of " all the country drained by the waters emptying directly or indirectly 
into the Mississippi, which is all included in the boundaries of Louisiana." 
Crozat appointed his business partner, M. de la Motte, governor, and he 



18 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

arrived in 1713; Kaskaskia, Illinois, was then the provincial headquarters, 
and source of supplies for Upper Louisiana, which was also sometimes 
called Illinois; but New Orleans was the nominal seat of government for 
the whole Louisiana territory. The old town of Mine-la-Motte, in Mad- 
ison county, commemorates this first governor. Crozat expected to find 
inexhaustible mines of gold and silver in this territory, and spent immense 
sums of money in vain efforts to attain his object. Practical miners were 
sent everywhere that the natives reported any glittering substance to exist. 
The explorers found iron, zinc, copper, lead, mica, pyrites, quartz crystals, 
etc., in great abundance, but no gold, silver or diamonds; and after five 
years of disastrous failure and disappointment, in 1717, Crozat returned his 
luckless charter to the king. 

Next, in 1716 an adventurous Scotchman named John Law, got up a 
grand scheme for making everybody rich without work, and induced the 
French king and court and people to engage in it. This wild financial 
venture is known in history as the " Mississippi bubble," the " South Sea 
bubble," etc. The charter of Louisiana and monopoly of all its trade was 
given to a corporation, called the " Company of the West," whose cap- 
ital stock was to be 100,000,000 francs, with power to issue stock in small 
shares, and establish a bank, etc. Shares rose to twenty times their 
original value, and the bank's notes, though essentially worthless, were 
in circulation to the amount of more than $200,000,000. Law himself 
sunk $500,000 in the scheme; but it bursted, as bodiless as a bag of wind; 
while he, the originator and manager of it, had to escape from Paris for 
his life, and died poor at Venice in 1729. In 1731 the charter of Louis- 
iana was again returned to the crown. However, the excitement over 
this great scheme for making fabulous wealth out of nothing, had 
brought many adventurous Frenchmen into the territor}^ as gold-hunters, 
who failing in that, worked some of the lead mines, and sent their pro- 
ducts back to Europe. 

In 1720 or 1721, an enterprising Frenchman named Renault took 
charge of a large lead mining enterprise. He brought M. La Motte, 
who was a professional mineralogist, with about two hundred expert 
miners and metallurgists, and five hundred negroes, to develop the mineral 
wealth that actuall}^ did exist. He made his headquarters at Fort de Char- 
tres, on the Illinois side, ten miles above St. Genevieve, and sent out explor- 
ing and working parties to locate mining camps west of the Great River. 
Mine-la-Motte, in Madison county, was one of the first of these loca- 
tions; also Potosi and Old Mine in Washington county; and many 
others. In 1765 a few families located at Potosi. Much of the mining 
was surface work — hence, scattered and transitory; and their smelting 
operations were merely to melt the ore in a wood fire and then clear away 
the ashes and gather up the lumps of lead. This was carried to 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 19 

the river on pack-horses or on rude ox-carts, and thence shipped to New 
Orleans by fleets of drifting keel-boats, which returned laden with for- 
eign goods. Many of the immigrants of this period also engaged in 
agriculture, especially in Illinois, so that there really began to be a settled 
occupation of the country, as a final outcome of the greatest speculative 
delusion known to history. Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World says: 
" Fort Orleans, near where Jefferson City now stands, was built by the 
French in 1T19"; this was a temporary safeguard for John Law's crazy 
gold-hunters, but did not make a permanent settlement. Kaskaskia, now 
in Randolph county. Ills., was settled by the French in 1673, and was 
for about a century the metropolis of the vast territory sometimes called 
"Upper Louisiana," sometimes "Illinois," and sometimes the "Northwestern 
Territory." And in 1735 some emigrants from Kaskaskia, moved across 
the Great River and made a settlement at what is now St. Genevieve, 
Missouri, which was the first permanent white settlement made and 
maintained within the State; the previous adventurers in search of min- 
eral wealth had located mining camps at several points, but had not 
established any permanent town or trading post. 

The next settlement that can be historically traced to its origin was 
that of St. Louis. A Frenchman named Pierre Liguest Laclede,* who 
lived in New Orleans in 17G2, organized the " Louisiana Fur Company," 
under a charter from the director-general of the province of Louisiana ; 
this charter gave them the exclusive right to carry on the fur trade with 
the Indians bordering on the Missouri river, and west of the Mississippi, 
" as far north as the river St. Peter" (the same that is now called the Min- 
nesota river, and empties into the Mississippi at Fort Snelling). Laclede 
seems to have formed a definite plan and purpose to estabhsh a permanent 
trading post at some point in Upper Louisiana, for he made up a company 
of professional trappers, hunters, mechanics, laborers, and boatmen, and 
with a supply of goods suitable for the Indian trade, they left New 
Orleans in August, 1763, bound for the mouth of the Missouri river. 
The manner of navigating these boats against the current of the Missis- 
sippi for a distance of 1,19-1 miles, was of the most rude, primitive and 
laborious sort. Sometimes when the wind was favorable they could sail 
a little; but the main dependence was by means of push-poles and tow- 
ropes. The boats were long and narrow, with a plank projecting six or 
eight inches on each side. The boat would of course keep near the shore; 
a man at each side, near the bow of the boat, would set his pole on the 
river bottom, then brace his shoulder against the top of the pole with 

* Campbell's Gazetteer of Missouri says this man's family name was Liguest ; B. 
Gratz Brown gives it in Johnson's Cyclopedia as Lingueste; but the man himself appears 
to have written his name Laclede, of the firm of Laclede, Moxan & Co., who constituted 
the historic "Louisiana Fur Company." 



20 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

all his might, and as the boat moved under him he would walk along 
the narrow plank until he reached the stern, and the boat had thus been 
propelled forward the distance of its length ; then he would walk back 
to the bow, dragging his pole along in the water, set it on the bottom 
and push again as before. And thus it was that the rugged pioneers of 
civilization in the new world for more that a hundred years navigated 
the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, and some other rivers, 
with what were in later years called keel-boats. But sometimes, for a 
rest, or when the beach was favorable, a gang of men would go ashore 
with a long rope attached to the boat, and thus tow it along against the 
current, or they would tie the forward end to a tree or snag and let those 
on the boat pull in the rope and thus draw the boat along — meanwhile 
those on shore going ahead with another rope, making another tie — and 
so on; this was called "warping"; but when it was necessary to cross 
the stream they had recourse to oars or paddles. It took Laclede three 
months in this way to get from New Orleans up to St. Genevieve, or 
Fort de Chartres, the military post on the east side a few miles further up 
the river, where he arrived on the third of November. Here he left his 
goods and part of his company, but taking a few picked men, he himself 
pushed on to the mouth of the Missouri. He seems to have had a sort of 
prophetic forecast that this was the right spot to locate the future trading 
post for all that vast region of country which was drained by the twoprin-' 
cipal great rivers of the new world. At the mouth of the Missouri he 
found no site that suited him for a town, and he turned back' down the 
Mississippi, carefully exploring the west bank until he reached the high, 
well protected and well drained location where the city of St. Louis now 
stands. This was the nearest spot to the mouth of the Missouri which 
at all met his idea, and he began at once to mark the place by chopping 
notches in some of the principal trees. This was in December, 1763. 
He then returned to the fort and pushed on his preparations for the new' 
settlement, saying enthusiastically to the officers of the fort that he had 
"found a situation where he was going to plant his colony; and the site 
was so fine, and had so man}^ advantages of position for trade with all 
this region of country, that it might in time become one of the finest cities 
in America^ 

Early in February, 1764, a company of thirty men, in charge of 
Aucruste Chouteau, set out from Fort de Chartres and arrived at the 
chosen spot on the 14th. The next day all hands went to work clearing 
the ground and building a storehouse for the goods and tools, and cabins 
for their own habitation. In April Laclede himself joined them and pro- 
ceeded to lay out the village plat, select a site for his own residence, and 
name the town Saint Louis, in honor of his supposed sovereign, Louis XV. 
This very territory had been yielded up to Spain in 1762, but these loyal 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 21 

Frenchmen in naming their new town after the French king never 
dreamed that they were then and for nearly two years had been Spanish 
subjects, instead of French; the unwelcome news had reached New 
Orleans in the same month, April, but did not arrive at §t. Louis until late 
in the year; and when it came the inhabitants were appropriately wroth 
and indignant, for they hated Spain with a fighting hatred. However, the 
change made very little practical ditlerence to the town or its people. In 
1763 all the French possessions on the east side of the Mississippi river, 
and also Canada, had been ceded to England, but it was late in 1764 
before the English authorities arrived to take possession of Kaskaskia, or 
Fort de Chartres, and other military posts ; and when they did come, 
many of the French settlers moved over to St. Louis, giving it a consid- 
erable start, both in population and business. The Indians, too, being 
generally more friendly toward the French than the English, came over 
to St. Louis to trade their peltries, instead of going to Kaskaskia, as they 
had formerly done; and this fact gave the new town a powerful impulse. 

From this time forward new settlements began to spring up within our 
present boundaries. New Bourbon was settled in 17S9. In 1762 a 
hunter named Blanchette built a cabin where the city of St. Charles now 
stands, and lived there many y fears; but just when the place began to be 
a town or village does not appear to be known. However, in 1803, St. 
Charles county was organized, and then comprised all the territory lying 
north of the Missouri and west of the Mississippi; thus taking in all of 
north Missouri, and the entire States of Iowa, Minnesota, Dakota, and on 
west to the Pacific ocean. This was the largest single " county " ever 
known in the world, and St. Charles city was the county seat. 

In 1781 the Delaware Indians had a considerable town where New 
Madrid now stands ; and that year Mr. Curre, a fur trader of St. Louis, 
established a branch house here. In 1788 a colony from New Jersey 
settled here, and laid out a plat for a large city, giving it the name of New 
Madrid, in honor of the capital of Spain. But they never reahzed their 
high hopes of building up a splendid city there. 

Among the historic incidents of early settlement worthy of mention at 
this point, is the case of Daniel Boone, whose hunter life in Kentucky 
forms a staple part of American pioneer history. Boone came to this 
territory in 1797, renounced his citizenship in the United States, and took 
the oath of allegiance to the Spanish crown. Delassus was then the 
Spanish governor; and he appointed Boone commander of a fort at 
Femme Osage, now in the west part of St. Charles county. He roamed 
and hunted over the central regions of Missouri the rest of his life, and it 
was for a long period called the " Boone's Lick country," from some salt 
licks or springs which he discovered and his sons worked, and which 
were choice hunting grounds because deer and other animals came there 



22 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

to lick salt. Col. Boone died Sept. 26, 1820, in St. Charles county, but 
was buried in Marthasville in Warren county, as was his wife also. 
Their bones were subsequently removed to Frankfort, Kentucky. 

THE AMERICAN PERIOD. 

In 1801 the territory west of the Mississippi was ceded back to France 
by Spain; in 1803 President Jefferson purchased from the French 
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, the entire territory of Louisiana, for $15,- 
000,000; the formal transfer was made at New Orleans, December 20, 
1803. On the 26th of March, 1804, Congress passed an act dividing this 
vast accession into two parts, the lower one being named the "Terri- 
tory of Orleans," with its capital at New Orleans; the upper division 
was called the " District of Louisiana," with its capital at St. Louis. 
This latter district comprised the present State of Arkansas and all from 
that north to nearly the north line of Minnesota, and west trom the Mis- 
sissippi river to the Rocky Mountains. Don Carlos Dehault Delassus 
had been the last Spanish governor at St. Louis, and no change was 
made after its re-cession to France, until in March, 1804, when he delivered 
the keys and the public documents of his governorship to Capt. Amos 
Stoddard, of the United States arm}-, who immediately raised the first 
American flag that ever floated west of the Mississippi river, over the 
government buildings at St. Louis. There it has floated proudly and 
uninterruptedly ever since, and there it will float until St. Louis becomes 
the central metropolis and seat of empire of the entire North American 
continent. 

It should be mentioned here that the war of the American Revolution 
did not involve any military operations as far west as the Mississippi river; 
hence the little French fur-trading village of St. Louis was not affected 
by the clash of arms which was raging so desperately through all the 
States east of the Ohio river. But the success of the colonies in this 
unequal conflict gave them control of all south of the river St. Lawrence 
and the great lakes, as far west as the Mississippi river; and when Napo- 
leon had sold to the new republic the extensive French possessions west 
of the Mississippi, he remarked that this accession of territory and con- 
trol of both banks of the Mississippi river would forever strengthen the 
power of the United States; and said he, with keen satisfaction, "I have 
given England a maritime rival that will sooner or later humble her 
pride." 

On the 3d of March, 1805, Congress passed at act to organize the 
Territory of Louisiana; and President Jefferson then appointed as territo- 
rial governor, Gen. James Wilkinson; secretary, Frederick Bates; judges. 
Return J. Meigs and John B. Lucas. Thus civil matters went on, 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 23 

and business increased rapidly. When the United States took pos- 
session of this district or territory it was reputed to contain nine thous- 
and white inhabitants and about three thousand nef:froes. The first cen- 
sus of 5r. Louis was taken in 1799, and it then had 897 inhabitants. 
This is presumed to have included the village of Carondelet also, which 
was started as a rival town soon after the founding of St. Louis. 

In June, 1812, Congress passed another act with regard to this new 
country, and this time it was named the Territory of Missouri, instead of 
Louisiana. The President was to appoint a governor; the people were 
to elect representatives in the ratio of one for every five hundred white 
male inhabitants; this legislative body or lower house, was to nominate 
to the President eighteen of their own citizens, and from those he was to 
select and commission nine to form a senate or legislative council. The 
house of representatives was to consist of thirteen members at first; they 
were to hold their office two years, and must hold at least one legislative 
session at Saint Louis each year. The territory was also authorized to 
send one delegate to Congress. 

In October, 1812, the first territorial election was held, and these peo- 
ple experienced for the first time in their lives the American privilege of 
choosing their own law-makers. There were four candidates for Con- 
gress, and Edward Hempstead was elected. He served two years from 
December 7th, 1812; then Rufus Easton served two years; then John 
Scott two years; Mr. Easton was one of the four candidates at the first 
election ; and Mr. Scott was one of the members from St. Genevieve of 
the first legislative council. The first body of representatives met at the 
house of Joseph Robidoux, in St. Louis, on December 7th, and consisted 
of the following members: 

From St. Charles — John Pitman, Robert Spencer. 

St. Louis — David Musick, B. J. Farrar, Wm, C. Carr, Richard Caulk. 

St. Genevieve — George Bullet, R. S. Thomas, Isaac McGready. 

Ca-pe Girardeau — G. F. Ballinger, Spencer Byrd. 

New Madrid — John Shrader, Samuel Phillips. 

They were sworn into office by Judge Lucas. Wm. C. Carr of St. 
Louis, was elected speaker. The principal business of this assembly was 
to nominate the eighteen men from whom the President and U. S. Sen- 
ate should select nine to constitute the legislative council; they made their 
nominations and sent them on to Washington, but it was not known until 
the next June who were selected. June 3d, 1813, the secretary and acting 
governor, Frederick Bates, issued a proclamation declaring who had been 
chosen by the President as the council of nine, and the}^ were — 

From St. Charles — James Flaugherty, Benj. Emmons. 

St. Louis — Auguste Chouteau, Sr., Samuel Hammond. 

St. Genevieve — John Scott, James Maxwell. 



24 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

Cafe Girardeau — Wm. Neely, Joseph Cavener. 

JVezv Madrid — Joseph Hunter. 

In July of this year the newly appointed governor, Wm. Clarke, took 
his seat, and held it until Missouri became a State in 1820.'^ 

December, 1813, the second session of the territorial legislature was 
convened in St. Louis, and continued until January- 19, 181-1. This vear 
the second territorial election occurred, and the new general assembly 
met December 5, this being the third sitting of the territorial legisla- 
ture. The fourth commenced in November, 1815, and continued until 
about the last of Januarv, 1S16. And it was during this session that the 
common law of England, and her general statutes passed prior to the 
fourth year of James I, were adopted as the laws of Missouri, except 
such changes as were necessary to phrase them for the United States 
and its system of government, instead of England. 

April 29, 1816, Congress again legislated for this territory, and pro- 
vided that the legislative council or senate should be elected by the peo- 
ple instead of being appointed by the President; that the legislature 
should meet biennially instead of annually; and that the U. S. judges 
should be requil-ed to hold regular terms of circuit court in each county. 
The fifth legislative session (being the first under this act) met the first 
week in December of this year, and continued until February 1, 1817. 
Then there was no further legislation until the regular biennial session 
which met about December first, 1818. But during 1817, Henry S. 
Gayer, Esq., compiled a digest of all the laws, including those of French, 
Spanish, English and American origin, which were still in force in this 
territory. This was a very important work, in view of the fact that 
there were land titles and instances of property inheritance deriving 
their legal verity from these different sources; and it was now desirable 
to get all titles and vestitures clearly set upon an American basis of law 
and* equity. The next or sixth session of the legislature continued 
through December, 1818, and January, 1819; and the most important thing 
done was applying to Congress for Missouri to be admitted as a State. 
John Scott, of St. Genevieve county, was then the territorial delegate in 
Congress, and presented the application. A bill was introduced to 
authorize the people of Missouri to elect delegates to a convention which 
should frame a State constitution. The population of Missouri territory 
at this time (or when the first census was taken, in 1821,) consisted 
of 59,393 free white inhabitants and 11,254 slaves. A member of 
Congress from New York, Mr. Talmadge, offered an amendment to the 
proposed bill, providing that slavery should be excluded from the proposed 
new State. This gave rise to hot and angry debate for nearly two 



* Gov. Clarke died Sept. 31, 1838, at St. Louis. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 25 

years, and which at times seemed to threaten an immediate dissolution of 
the- National Union. But the strife was finally quieted by the adoption in 
Congress on March 6, 1820, of what is famous in histor}^ as the " Mis- 
souri Compromise," by which it was agreed that Missouri might come 
into the Union as a slave-holding State; but that slavery should never be 
established in any State which might thereafter be formed from lands 
lying north of latitude 36 deg. 30 min. The elections were held for dele- 
gates, the constitutional convention met at St. Louis, accepted the terms 
of admission prescribed by Congress, and on July 19th, 1820, Missouri 
took her place as one of the sovereign States of the National Union. 



MISSOURI AS A STATE. 



July 19, 1820, Missouri laid oiT the vestments of territorial tutelage and 
put on the matronly robes of mature statehood, as the constitutional conven- 
tion was authorized to frame the organic law and give it immediate force 
without submitting it to a vote of the people, and this constitution stood 
in force without any material change until the free State constitution of 
1865 was adopted. The first general election under the constitution was 
held in August, 1820, at which time Alexander McNair was chosed gov- 
ernor and John Scott representative in Congress. Members of legisla- 
ture had been chosen at the same time, comprising fourteen senators and 
forty three representatives; and this first general assembly of the State 
convened in St. Louis in the latter part of September. The principal 
thing of historic interest done by this assembly was the election to the 
United States Senate of Thomas H. Benton, who continued there unin- 
terruptedly until 1851, a period of thirty years, and was then elected in 
1852 as representative in Congress from the St. Louis district. The 
other senator elected at this time was David Barton, who drew the "short 
term," and was re-elected in 1824. 

EPITOMIZED SUMMARY OF EVENTS AND DaTES. 

Application made to Congress for a state government March 16, 
1818, and ^December 18, 1818. — A bill to admit was defeated in Congress, 
which was introduced February 15, 1819. — Application made to Congress 
for an enabling act, December 29, 1819. — Enabling act (known as the 
Missouri Compromise) passed by Congress March 6, 1820. — First state 
constitution formed July 19, 1820. — Resolution to admit as a state passed 
Senate December 12, 1820; rejected by the House February 14, 1821. — 
2 



26 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 



Conditional resolution to admit approved March 2, 1821. — Condition 
accepted by the legislature of Missouri and approved by governor, June 
26, 1821. — By proclamation of the President, admitted as a state August 
10, 1821. 

The State capital was first at St. Louis; then at St. Charles about five 
years; but on October 1st, 1826, it was moved to Jefferson City, and 
has remained there ever smce. 

COUNTIES AND POPULATION. 

The first census of the State was taken in September, 1821, and showed 
the population by counties as follows: 






Boone county 3,692 

Calloway 1,797 

Cape Girardeau 7,852 

Chariton 1,426 

Cole 1,028 

Cooper 3,483 

Franklin 1,928 

Gasconade 1,174 

Howard 7,321 

Jefferson 1,838 

Lillard (afterward called La- 
fayette) 1,340 

Lincoln 1,674 



Marion 1,907 

Montgomery 2,032 

New Madrid 2,444r 

Perry 1,599 

Pike 2,677 

Ralls 1,684 

Ray 1,789 

Saline 1,176 

St. Charles 4,058 

St. Genevieve 3,181 

St. Louis 8,190 

Washington 3,741 

Wayne 1,614 



The total was 70,647, of which mumber 11,254 were negi«D slaves. 
The area of the State at this time comprised 62,182 square miles; but in 
1837 the western boundary was extended by authority of Congress, to 
include what was called the " Platte Purchase," an additional area of 
3,168 square miles, which is now divided into the counties of Platte, 
Buchanan, Andrew, Holt, Nodaway and Atchison. This territory was 
an Indian reservation until 1836. 

The last census was taken in June, 1880, when the state had an area of 
65,350 square miles, divided into one hundred and fourteen counties, with 
populations as follows: 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 27 

CENSUS REPORT OF THE STATE FOR THE YEAR 1880. 

Counties. Total. Male. Female. Native. Foreign. WhUe. Col'd. 

Adair 15,190 

Andrew 16,318 

Atchison 14,565 

Audrain 19,739 

Barry 14,424 

Barton 10,332 

Bates 25,382 

Benton 12,398 

Bollinger 11,132 

Boone 25,424 

Buchanan 49,824 

Butler 6,011 

Coldwell 13,654 

Calloway 23,670 

Camden 7,267 

Cape Girardeau 20,998 

Carrroll 23,300 

Carter 2,168 

Cass 22.431 

Cedar 10,747 

Chariton 25,224 

Christian 9,632 

Clark 15,031 

^Clay 15.579 

Clinton 16.073 

Cole 15,519 

Cooper 21,622 

Crawford 10,763 

Dade 12,557 

Dallas 9,272 

Daviess 1 9,174 

De Kalb 13,343 

Dent 10,647 

Doufflass 7,753 

Dunklin 9,604 

Franklin 26,536 

Gasconade 11,153 

Gentry 17,188 

Greene 28,817 

Grundy 15,201 

Harrison 20.318 

Henry 23,914 

Hickory 7.388 

Holt 15,510 

Howard 18,428 

Howell 8,814 

Iron 8.183 

Jackson 82,328 

Jasper 32,021 

Jefferson 18,736 

Johnson 28 177 

Knox 13,047 

Laclede 11,524 

Lafayette 25,731 

Lawrence 17,585 

Lewis 15,925 

Lincoln 17,443 

Linn 20 016 

Livingston 20,205 

McDonald 7,816 

Macon 26,223 

Madison 8,860 

Maries 7.304 

Marion 24,837 



7,915 


7,275 


14,719 


471 


14,964 


226 


8,387 


7,931 


15,432 


880 


15,950 


368 


7,936 


6.629 


13,538 


1,027 


14.524 


41 


10,417 


9,322 


18,982 


757 


17,896 


1,843 


7,311 


7,113 


13,975 


449 


14,413 


11 


5,425 


4.907 


10,086 


240 


10.316 


16 


13,630 


11,752 


24,674 


708 


25,135 


247 


6,357 


6,041 


11,438 


960 


12,127 


271 


5,698 


5,434 


10,766 


366 


11,108 


24 


12,928 


12,496 


25,084 


340 


20,397 


5,027 


27,045 


22,779 


42,920 


6,904 


46,093 


3,731 


3.221 


2,790 


5,848 


163 


5,871 


140 


7,060 


6,594 


13,023 


631 


13,241 


413 


12,280 


11,390 


23,064 


600 


19,268 


4,402 


3,756 


3,511 


7,166 


101 


7,152 


115 


10,812 


10.186 


18,612 


2,386 


19.004 


1,994 


12,298 


11,002 


22,359 


941 


21.827 


1,473 


1,138 


1,030 


2,154 


14 


2.157 


11 


11,884 


10,547 


21,830 


601 


21,681 


750 


5,479 


5.268 


10,659 


88 


10.601 


146 


13,145 


12,079 


23,916 


1,308 


21,266 


3,958 


4,871 


4,761 


9,425 


207 


9,435 


197 


7,717 


7,314 


14,283 


748 


14,723 


308 


8,138 


7,441 


15,136 


443 


14.066 


1,513 


8,310 


7 763 


15,375 


098 


15,098 


975 


8,437 


7,082 


13,369 


2.150 


13.648 


1,871 


11,085 


10,537 


20.057 


1,565 


18,120 


3,502 


5.586 


5.177 


10,197 


566 


10,640 


123 


6,415 


6.142 


12,463 


94 


12,310 


247 


4,671 


4,601 


9,189 


83 


9,184 


88 


9 983 


9.191 


18,794 


380 


18,723 


451 


7,008 


6,335 


12,723 


620 


13.216 


127 


5.635 


5,0] 2 


10365 


282 


10,580 


61 


3,891 


3.862 


7,732 


21 


7,727 


26 


5,161 


4,443 


9,569 


35 


9,436 


168 


13,885 


12,651 


22,101 


4,435 


24,469 


2,067 


5,824 


5,329 


8,435 


2,718 


10,988 


165 


8,947 


8,241 


16,712 


476 


17,160 


28 


14.649 


14,168 


28,010 


807 


26,009 


2,808 


7,762 


7,439 


14,662 


539 


14,997 


204 


10,518 


9,800 


19,824 


494 


20,245 


73 


12,301 


11,613 


23,096 


818 


22.925 


989 


3,775 


3,613 


7,169 


219 


7,338 


50 


8,291 


7,219 


14,621 


889 


15.285 


225 


9,554 


8,874 


17,955 


473 


13,195 


5,233 


4.495 


4.319 


8,736 


78 


8,723 


91 


4.232 


3,951 


7,592 


591 


7,783 


400 


45,891 


36,437 


71,653 


10,675 


72,445 


9,883 


16,763 


15.258 


30,686 


1,335 


31.249 


772 


9,873 


8,863 


15,755 


2,981 


17,731 


1,005 


14,797 


13,380 


27,231 


946 


26,164 


2,018 


6,774 


6.273 


12,341 


706 


12,819 


228 


5,889 


5,635 


11,145 


" 379 


11,048 


476 


13,370 


12,361 


23,679 


2,052 


21,313 


4,418 


8,990 


8,595 


16.835 


750 


17,284 


301 


8,157 


7.768 


15,080 


845 


14,520 


1,405 


9,010 


8,433 


16.606 


837 


15,299 


2.144 


10,349 


9,667 


18.823 


1,193 


19.184 


832 


10,365 


9,840 


18,952 


1,253 


19,062 


1,143 


4,101 


3,715 


7,777 


39 


7,804 


12 


13,449 


12,774 


24,383 


1,840 


24,726 


1,497 


4.463 


4,397 


8,506 


354 


8,552 


308 


3,806 


3,498 


6,974 


330 


7.292 


12 


12,622 


12,215 


22,828 


2,009 


21,123 


3,714 



28 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

CENSUS REPORT OF THE STATE FOR THE YEAR ISQQ.—Continiued. 

Counties. Total. Male. Female. Native. Foreign. White. Col'd. 

Mercer 14,074 7,510 7,164 14,486 188 14,573 101 

Miller 9 807 5,070 4,737 9,561 246 9,577 230 

Mississippi 0,370 5,131 4,139 9.020 250 7,139 2,141 

Moniteau 14,349 7,257 7,093 13,177 1,173 13,376 973 

Monroe '. . . 19,075 9,943 9,133 18,739 336 10,925 2,150 

Montgomery 16,250 8,383 7,867 15,304 946 14,334 1,916 

Morgan . . .' 10,134 5,182 4,952 7.399 735 9,719 415 

New Madrid 7,694 4,145 3,549 7,587 107 5,813 1,881 

Newton 18,948 9,767 9,181 18,324 624 18,345 603 

Nodaway 29,560 15,669 13,891 27,936 1,624 29,447 113 

Oregon 5,791 2,995 2,796 5.773 19 5,773 19 

Osage 11,834 6,301 5,633 9,848 1,976 11,433 403 

Ozark 5,618 2,920 2,698 5,602 16 5,604 14 

Pemiscot 4,299 2,300 1,999 4,267 32 4,033 266 

Perry 11,895 6,120 5,775 10,588 1,307 11,424 471 

Peitis 27,285 14,150 13,135 25,428 1,857 24,278 3,007 

Phelps 12,565 6,478 6,087 11,729 836 12,059 506 

Pike 26,716 13,645 ' 13,071 25,888 828 21,340 5,376 

Platte 17,372 9,055 8,317 16,645 737 15,754 1,618 

Polk 15,745 7,886 7,859 15,649 96 15,459 286 

Pulaski 7,250 3,719 3,531 6,987 263 7,190 60 

Putnam 13,556 6,953 6,603 13,333 223 13,536 20 

Ralls 11,838 6,162 5,676 11,452 886 10,625 1,313 

Randolph 33,751 11,830 10,931 21,303 1,449 19,937 2,814 

Ray 20,193 10,637 9,556 19,765 428 18,472 1,721 

Reynolds 5,722 2,901 2,821 5,679 43 5,708 14 

Ripley 5,377 2,803 2,574 5,277 100 5,367 10 

St. Charles 23,060 12,097 10,963 18,774 4,286 20,650 2,410 

St. Clair 14,126 7,243 6,883 13,839 287 13.817 309 

St. Francois 13,822 7,246 6,576 12,739 1,083 13,169 653 

St. Genevieve 10,390 5,338 5,052 9,296 1,094 9,833 557 

St. Louis 31,888 16,988 14,900 25,299 6,589 28,009 3,879 

Saint Louis (City) 850,522 179,484 171,038 245,538 104,994 838,333 33,390 

Saline 29,912 15,619 14,293 28,657 1,255 24,987 4,925 

Schuyler 10,470 5,334 5,136 10,133 338 10,461 9 

Scotland 13,507 6,398 6,109 13,338 269 13,378 129 

Scott 8,587 4.631 3,950 7,972 615 8,036 551 

Shannon 3,441 1,742 1699 3,430 11 3,441 — 

Shelby 14,024 7,126 6,898 13,320 567 13,087 937 

Stoddard....: 13,432 6,924 6,508 13.320 112 13,399 33 

Stone 4,405 2,327 2,078 4,395 10 4,377 28 

Sullivan 16,569 8,589 7,980 16,202 367 16,487 82 

Taney : 5,605 2,900 2,705 5,586 19 5,601 4 

Texas 12,207 6,223 5,984 12,013 194 12,178 29 

Vernon 19,370 10,184 9,186 18,900 470 19,208 102 

Warren 10,806 5,743 5,003 8,917 1,889 9,853 954 

Washington 13,895 6,457 6,438 13,478 417 11,857 1,038 

Wayne 9,097 4,764 4,333 8,935 173 8,990 107 

Webster 13,175 6.301 5,974 13,044 131 11,938 247 

Worth 8,208 4,220 3,988 8,031 177 8,207 1 

Wright 9,733 4,903 4.830 9,559 174 9,471 263 

The classification footings of the census of 1880 show: 



Males.... •• 1,127,424 

Native born 1,957,564 

White 2,023,568 



Females 1,041,380 

Foreign born 211,240 

Colored* 145,236 



Total population in June, 1880, 2,168,804. 



* This includes 93 Chinese, 2 half-Chinese, and 96 Indians and half-breeds. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 29 

The following table shows the population of Missouri at each Federal 
census from 1810 to 1880: 

Tears. 'White. 

1810 17,237 

1830 55,988 

1830 114,795 

1840 '. 333,888 

1850 593,004 

1860 1,063,489 

1870 1,603,146 

1880 2,033,568 



Free 




Total Popu- 


Colored. 


Slaves. 


lation. 


607 


3,011 


30,845 


376 


10,333 


66,586 


569 


35,091 


140,455 


1,574 


58,340 


383,702 


3,618 


87,433 


683,044 


3,573 


114,931 


1,183,012 


118,071 




1,731,395 


145,336 




3,168,804 



STATE FINANCES. 



THE STATE DEBT. 

The bonded indebtedness of Missouri has various periods to run. The 
following table is compiled from the State Auditor's report for 1879- 
1880, and embodies all state bonds that will become payable from 1882 
to 1897, at 6 per cent interest. 

St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railroad series $1,361,000 

Cairo & Fulton Railroad 267,000 

North Missouri Railroad -. 1,694,000 

State Debt proper 439,000 

Pacific Railroad 2,971,000 

Consolidation 2,727,000 

Platte County Railroad 504,000 

State University 201,000 

Northwestern Lunatic Asylum 200,000 

State Bank Stock, refunding 104,000 

State Funding 1,000,000 

Penitentiary Indemnity ' • • • 41,000 

Renewal Funding 3,850,000 

School Fund Certificates 900,000 



Total $16,259,000 

In addition to this there are $250,000 of revenue bonds, issued June 1, 
1879; and $3,000,000 bonds issued to the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad 
Company. 

THE STATE INCOME. 

The receipts of the State from all sources during the years 1879 and 
1880 were as follows: 



30 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 



State Revenue Fund $3,024,084.39 

State Interest Fund 2,429,040.71 

State School Fund 335.55 

Swamp Land Indemnity Fund 15,408.05 

Insurance Department Fund 31,096.40 

Executors' and Administrators' Fund 6,790.07 

State School Moneys 241,080.00 

State Seminary Moneys 3,660.00 

Earnings Missouri Penitentiary 214,358.97 

Militia Fund 82.25 

Total $5,965,936.39 

The total balance of all moneys in the State treasury January 1, 1881, 
was $517,517.21. 

During the year 1879, the state paid a total of $6,458.00 as bounty on 
wolf scalps; but in 1880 the amount was only $1,428.50. 



WHO MISSOURI VOTED FOR. 



PRESIDENTIAL VOTES OF MISSOURI FROM 1820 TO 1880. 



v^„_ Presidential Candidates Pniuirai Partipa 

^ «'^'^- Voted for in Missouri. Political Parties. 

1820 James Monroe Democratic 

1824 John Q.Adams Coalition 

Andrew Jackson Democratic 

Henry Clay Democratic 

1828 Andrew Jackson Democratic 

John Q. Adams National Republican. 

1832 Andrew Jackson* Democratic 

1836 Martin Van Buren Democratic 

W. H.Harrison Whig 

Hugh L. White Independent 

1840 W. H. Harrison Whig 

Martin Van Btiren Democratic 

1844 Jas. K. Polk Democratic 

Henry Clay Whig 

1848 Zachary Taylor Whig 

Lewis Cass Democratic 

1852 Franklin Pierce Democratic 

Winfield Scott Whig 

1856 Jas. Buchanan Democratic 

Millard Fillmore American 

1860 Abraham Lincoln Republican 

J. C. Breckenridge State Rights Dem'cr't 

John Bell Old Line Whig 

Stephen A. Douglas . . .Union Democrat 

1864 Abraham Lincoln Republican 

Geo. B. McClellan Democratic 



0.^ 



311 

987 
1,401 
8,232 
3,422 

10,995 

7,401 

936 

22,972 

29,760 
41,369 
31,251 
32,671 
40,077 
38,353 
29,984 
58,164 
48,524 
17,028 
31,317 
58,372 
58,801 
72,750 
31,678 



s^ 



11 



Vice-President 
Candidates. 

D. D. Tompkins. 
Nathan Sanford. 
John C. Calhoun. 
Andrew Jackson. 
John C. Calhoun. 
Richard Rush. 
Martin Van Buren. 
R. M. Johnson 
Francis Granger. 
John Tyler. 
John Tyler. 
R. M. Johnson. 
Geo. M. Dallas. 
Th. Frelinghuysen. 
Millard Fillmore. 
Wm. O. Butler. 
Wm. R. King. 
Wm. A. Graham. 
J. C. Breckenridge. 
A. J. Donelson. 
Hannibal Hamlin. 
Joseph Lane. 
Edward Everett. 
H. V. Johnson. 
Andrew .Johnson. 
George H. Pendleton. 



*Thi8 year Gen. Jaclison received 5,192 majority; but the popular vote of Missouri for this year does 
not appear in any of tlie statistical tables. The otlier presidential candidates this year were: Henry 
Clay, National Republican; John Floyd, Independent; Wm. Wirt, Anti-Mason. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 31 

PRESIDENTIAL VOTES OF MISSOURI FROM 1820 TO ISSO.— Continued. 



Tear. 
1868 
1872 



1876 



1880 



Presidential Candidates Political Parties ©.a 6^ 

Voted for in Missouri. pLS ;;^P 

Ulysses 8. Grant Republican 86,860 11 

Horatio Seymour Democratic 65,638 

Ulysses S Grant Republican 119,196 

Horace Greeley Dem. and Liberal 151,434 

Chas. O'Connor Democratic 2,429 

Thos. A. Hendricks 6 

B. Gratz Brown 8 

David Davis 1 

Rutherford B. Hayes. . .Republican 145,029 

Samuel J. Tilden Democratic 203,077 15 

Peter Cooper Greenback er 3,498 

G. C. Smith Prohibitionist 64 

Scattering 97 

James A. Gartield Republican 153,567 

W. S, Hancock Democratic 208,609 13 

James B. Weaver Greenback 35,135 



Vice President 
Candidates. 

Schuyler Colfax. 

F. P. Blair, Jr. 
Henry Wilson. 
B. Gratz Brown. 
Geo. W. Julien. 
John M. Palmer. 
T. E. Bramlette. 
Willis B. Machem. 
William. A Wheeler. 
Thomas A. Hendricks. 
Samuel F. Carey. 

G. T. Stewart. 

Chester A Arthur. 
W. H. English. 
B.J. Chambers. 



LIST OF GOVERNORS FROM 1820 TO 1880. 

YEAR. NAME. REMARKS. 

1820 AlexanderMcNair 

1834 Frederick Bates died in office. 

1825 Abraham J. Williams vice Bates. 

1826 John Miller 

1828 John Miller 

1832 Daniel Dunklin resigned; appointed Serv, Gen. U. S. 

1836 Lilburn W. Boggs vice Dunklin. 

1840 Thos. Reynolds died 1844. 

1844 M. M. Marmaduke vice Reynolds. 

1844 John C. Edwards 

1848 Austin A. King 

1852 Sterlinor Price 

1856 Trusten Polk resigned. 

1857 Hancock Jackson vice Polk. 

1857 Robert M, Stewart " " [State Convention. 

1860 C. F. Jackson office declared vacant by Unionist 

1861 Hamilton R. Gamble appointed governor by State Conven- 

1864 Willard P. Hall vice Gamble. [tion; died in office. 

1864 Thos. Fletcher 

1868 Joseph W. McClurg 

1870 B. Gratz Brown 

1872 STlas Woodson 

1874 Charles H. Hardin 

1876 John S. Phelps term now 4 years instead of 2. 

1880 Thos. T. Crittenden 

* 

LIST OF UNITED STAES SENATORS FROM 1820 TO 1880. 



Year. Names. 

1820 Thomas Hart Benton 

1824 David Barton 

1826 Thomas Hart Benton 

1830 Alexander Buckner died in 1833 

1832 Thomas Hart Benton 

1883 Lewis Field Linn vice Buckner 



Year. Names. 

1857 Trusten Polk 

1861 Waldo Porter Johnson 

1862 Robert Wilson 

1863 B. Gratz Brown 

1863 John B. Henderson 

1867 Chas. D. Drake resigned 1870 



32 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 



LIST OF UNITED STATES SENATORS FROM 1820 TO 1880.— Continued. 



Tear. Names. 

1836 Lewis Field Linn 

1838 Thomas Hart Benton 

1843 Lewis Field Linn died 1843 

1843 David R. Atchison vice Linn 

1844 David R. Atchison 

1844 Thomas Hart Benton 

1849 David R. Atchison 

1851 Henry S. Geyer 

1857 Jas. S. Green 



Tear. Names. 

1869 Carl Schurz 

1870 Daniel F. Jewett vice Drake 

1871 Francis P. Blair, Jr 

1873 Lewis V. Bogy 

1875 Francis M. Cockrell 

1879 Daniel H. Armstrong 

1880 James Shields vice Bogy 

1881 George G. Vest 



MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FROM 1820 TO 1881. 



1820 17 

1822 18 

1824 19 

1826 20 

1828 21 

1830 22 

1831 22 

1832 23 

1834 24 

1836 25 

1838 26 



1838 26 
1840 27 

1842 28 



1844 29 



1846 29 
1846 30 



1848 31 



1850 32 



1852 33 



NAMES. 

John Scott 

John Scott 

John Scott 

Edward Bates 

Spencer Pettis 

Spencer Pettis, died 1831 . . . 
Wm. H. Ashle}^, vice Pettis. 

Wm. H. Ashley 

John Bull 

Wm. H.Ashley 

Albert G. Harrison 

Albert G. Harrison 

John Miller 

Albert G. Harrison, died in 

1839 

John Miller 

J.Jamison, vice Harrison.. 

John Miller 

John C. Edwards 

James M. Hughes 

James H. Relfe 

John Jamisom 

John B. Bowlin 

Gustavus M. Brown 

James B. Bowlin 

James H. Relfe 

Sterling Price, resigned 

John S. Phelps 

Leonard H. Sims 

Wm. AIcDaniels, vice Price. 

James B. Bowlin 

John Jameson 

James S. Green 

Willard P. Hall 

John S Phelps 

James B. Bowlin 

William V. N.Bay 

James S. Green 

Willard P Hall 

John S.Phelps 

John F. Darby 

Gilchrist Porter 

John G. Miller 

Willard P Hall 

John S. Phelps 

ThosH. Benton 

Alfred W. Lamb 



5 6 

■*< SB 

S o 

1852 33 



1854 34 

1855 34 

1856 34 



1857 35 

1858 36 



1860 36 
1860 37 



1862 37 
1862 38 



g NAMES. 

3 John G.Miller 

4 Mordecai Oliver 

5 John S.Phelps.... 

James I. Lindley, at large. . 
Samuel Carruthers, at large. 

1 L. M. Kennett 

2 Gilchrist Porter 

3 John I. Lirulley 

4 Mordecai Oliver 

5 JohnG. Miller, died 1855... 

6 John S. Phelps 

7 Samuel Carruthers 

5 Thos. P. Aiken, vice Miller. 

1 Francts P. Blair 

2 T.L.Anderson [1857 

3 Jas. S. Green, elec. U. S. Sen. 

4 James Craig 

5 James H. Woodson 

6 John S. Phelps 

7 Sam'l Carruthers 

3 John B. Clark, vice Green. . 

1 J. Richard Barrett, declared 

not elected 

2 Thos. L. Anderson 

3 John B. Clark 

4 Jas Craig 

5 Jas. H. Woodson 

6 John S. Phelps 

7 John W. Noell 

1 FrancisP. Blair, Jr., resigned 

1 J. Richard Barrett, vice Blair 

1 Francis P. Blair, *r 

2 Jas. S. Rollins 

3 John B. Clark, expelled 

4 E. H. Norton 

5 John W. Reid, expelled. .. . 

6 John S.Phelps 

7 John W. Noell 

3 Wm. A. Hall, vice Clark .... 

5 Thos. L. Price, vice Reid . . . 

1 Francis P. Blair 

2 Henry T. Blow 

3 John W. Noell, died 1863. . . 

4 Sempronius S. Boyd 

5 Joseph W. McClurg 

6 Austin A. King 

7 Benjamin F. Loan 



HISTORY OF THE .STATE OF MISSOURI. 



33 



MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FROM 1820 TO 1880.— Continued. 



9 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 



W. A. Hall 

John S. Rollins 

John G. Scott, vice Noell . . . 

John Hogan 

Henry T. Blow 

Thos. E. Noell 

Joh<n R. Kelsoe 

Joseph W. McClurg 

Robert T. Van Horn 

Benjamin F. Loan 

John F. Benjamin 

George W. Anderson 

William A. Pile 

C. A. Newcombe 

Thomas E. Noell. deceased. . 

J. J. Gravely 

Jos. W. McClurg, resigned 

Robert T. Van Horn 

Benjamin F. Loan 

John F. Benjamin 

George W. Anderson 

J. R. McCormack, vice Noell 
John H. Stover,vice McClurg 

Erastus Wells 

G. A, Finkelnburg 

J. R. McCormack 

S. H. Boyd 

Samuel S. Burdett 

Robert T. Van Horn 

Joel F. Asper 

John F. Benjamin 

David P. Dyer 

Erastus Wells 

G. A. Finkelnburg 

J. R. McCormack 

H. E. Havens 

Samuel S. Burdett. . .'. 

A. Comingo 

Isaac C. Parker 

J ames G. Blair 

Andrew King 

E. O. Stanard 

Erastus Wells 

W. H. Stone 

Robert A. Hatcher 

Richard P.Bland 

Harrison E. Havens 

Thomas F. Crittenden 

Abram Comingo 

Isaac C. Parker 

Ira B. Hyde 

John B.Clark, Jr 

John M. Glover 

A. H. Buckner 



1874 44 



1876 45 



1878 46 



1879 46 



1880 47 



22 NAMES. 

a 

1 Edward C. Kerr 

2 Erastus Wells 

3 William H. Stone 

4 Robert A. Hatcher 

5 Richard P. Bland 

6 Charles H. Morgan 

7 John F. Philips 

8 Benjamin J. Franklin 

9 David Rea 

10 Rezin A. DeBolt 

11 John B. Clark, Jr 

12 John M. Glover 

13 Aylett H. Buckner 

1 Anthony Ittner 

2 Nathan Cole 

3 Lyne S. Metcalfe 

4 Robert H. Hatcher 

5 Richard P. Bland 

6 Charles H. Morgan 

7 Thos. T. Crittenden 

8 Benjamin J. Franklin 

9 David Rea 

10 Henry M. Pollard 

11 John B. Clark, Jr 

12 John M. Glover 

13 Aylett H. Buckner 

1 Martin L. Clardy 

2 Erastus Wells 

3 Richard G. Frost 

4 Lowndes H. Davis 

5 Richard P. Bland 

6 James R. Waddill 

7 Alfred M. Lay, died 

7 John F. Philips, vice Lay. 

8 Samuel L. SaT\^'er. . ...... 

9 Nicholas Ford 

10 Gideon F. Rothwell 

11 John B. Clark, Jr 

12 Wm. H- Hatch 

13 Aylett H Buckner 

1 Martin L. Clardy .. 

2 Thomas Allen 

3 Richard G. Frost 

4 Lowndes H.Davis 

5 Richard P. Bland 

6 Ira S. Hazeltine 

7 Theron M. Rice 

8 Robert T. Van Horn 

9 Nicholas Ford 

10 J. H. Burroughs 

11 John B. Clark, Jr 

12 Wm.H. Hatch 

13 Aylett H. Buckner 



The election for members of the legislature and members of Congress 
occurs biennially on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of 
3 



34: HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

the even numbered years — as 1880, 1882, etc.; and the legislature meets 
on the first Wednesday after January 1st, in the odd numbered years — 
as 1881, 1883, etc. The governor is elected every four years, at the same 
time with the presidential election. 



EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS. 



THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. 

The State of Missouri has made liberal provision for the support of 
public schools, equal to any other state in the Union.^ The main fea- 
tures of our school system are well epitomized in a report made by the 
state superintendent in 1879, as follows: 

School Revenue — Is derived from invested state funds, bearing inter- 
est at the rate of six per cent per annum, and one-fourth of the state reve- 
nue collections, annually, equal to a tax of five cents on the $100 of valu- 
ation; from the invested county funds at rates from 6 to 10 per centum 
annually, secured by real estate mortgages ; from the sixteenth section or 
township fund invested and producing income in the same manner as the 
county funds. 

The state and township permanent funds arise principally from the sale 
of lands donated by the general government. The income is used only 
for teachers' wages, and is apportioned upon the number of children to 
districts having maintained the minimum term of school. 

The deficiency is supplied by local taxation, limited in amount, and con- 
trolled in the first instance by boards of directors, and second, by the 
tax-payers in annual meeting assembled. 

State Boards. — State Board of Education consists of the super- 
intendent of public schools, the governor, secretary of state, and attorney- 
general. The duties, practically, are simply the investment and care of 
the state permanent fund. 

Board of Curators of the State University — Consists of nine 
members, appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate, lor 
a term of six years, three being appointed every two years. They con- 
trol and manage the university, agricultural college and school of mines 
and metallurgy. 

Boards of Regents — Of normal schools consist of six members 

* The first free day school ever opened in Missouri was by the Church of the Messiah, 
in St. Louis. This church was organized in 1834, by Rev. Wm. G. Elliott, D. D., who was 
the founder, and is now Chancellor of Washington University. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 35 

to each school, appointed by the governor, with consent of the senate, 
from the locality. The state superintendent of public schools is ex 
oficio member of each board. 

Boards of Control — Of other institutions vary in name and num- 
ber of members. They are usually appointed by the governor. 

Superintendent of Public Schools — Has general supervision of 
the public schools; collects and tabulates the school statistics of the state; 
apportions the state school funds to the counties; gives information to 
school officers upon construction of school law ; prepares and furnishes 
blanks for use of school officers; spends five days in each congressional dis- 
trict of the state, yearly, consulting and advising teachers and other school 
officers, and delivering lectures; is a member of the board of regents of 
the normal schools, and president of state board of education; receives 
reports from the county commissioners and state institutions of learn- 
ing; makes annual reports to the governor and general assembly alter- 
nately; and is the executive manager of the state school fund under the 
direction of state board of education. 

County School Commissioners — Elected at the annual school meet- 
ings of the various school districts for the term of two years; compen- 
sation varies according to population of county, from twenty to forty 
dollars per annum and a fee, additional, of one and one-half dollars from 
each teacher undergoing examination; examines teachers, grants and 
revokes certificates; has final jurisdiction over appealed cases of changes 
of district boundaries, appealed from the annual meetings; condenses 
and reports to state superintendent of public schools the educational 
statistics of the county, as received by him from the district boards of 
directors; supplies the districts with copies of the law, and all blanks 
needed; performs any and all duties required by the State Superintend- 
ent, and in counties where the people have voted in favor of it, employs 
his whole time in supervision and school work. 

Miscellaneous. — To draw public money, districts must maintain at 
least three months public school in each year, but the' law requires and 
provides that four months shall be taught, x^ny person between the 
ages of six and twenty years may attend the public schools. In cities, 
towns and villages, the boards are authorized to hold from five to ten 
months term of school each year, and in the country districts the people 
may vote an extension of term over four months. The rate' of taxation 
for school purposes, in addition to the distributed state, county and town- 
ship, or sixteenth section funds, is limited to forty cents on the $100 valu- 
ation, except that the people, at the annual school meeting, may vote an 
increase not to exeed sixty-five cents on the $100, by a majority vote of 
tax-payers. To raise funds by taxation for building purposes, requires 



36 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

that the increased rate be voted by two-thirds of the qualified voters 
voting at the annual or special meeting. 

Annual, School Meeting — Meets at the district school house annu- 
ally, and elects a director for a full term, and fills vacancies in the board; 
determines the length of time in excess of four months, that the schools 
shall be kept open, and orders the proper levies within the limitations to 
be made therefor; votes a sum not exceeding $20 per annum for pur- 
chase of books for district library; decides for or against proposed changes 
of district boundary lines; -directs the sale of property no longer required, 
and determines the applications of proceeds; designates their choice for 
county school commissioner every second year; directs the loan of 
money to aid in erecting school houses; directs the levy of tax for the 
erection of school houses; determines the location of the school house or 
houses; by a two-thirds vote changes location of school house; receives 
the reports of school district board as to financial condition, and itemized 
receipts and disbursements for the year ending. 

District Boards — Consist of three members in the country districts, 
and six members in the city, town and village districts ; each elected for 
a term of three years ; one, annually, in the country, and two in the city, 
town and village districts; they elect one of their number president, and 
appoint a clerk who may not be a member of the board, if it so chooses; 
they are the executive officers of the school corporation, which each dis- 
trict is, being created by law; they serve without compensation; have 
custodv of school property; execute the orders of the annual meeting; 
take the school census; make and file the estimates for tax levies; con- 
trol the disbursements of all school money; keep the district records; 
visit the schools; employ teachers; provide for a four months term of 
school without consulting the people ; make rules for organization, gra- 
ding and government of the schools, suspend or expel pupils ; admit and 
prescribe fees for non-resident pupils, and in general do all things neces- 
sary to carry on the schools. 

In city, town and village districts the board has power to establish 
higher grades of schools, but are subject to the same tax restrictions. 

Some cities have special charters giving other privileges than those 
enumerated, but subject to the same tax restrictions, they being constitu- 
tional provisions. 

Educational Directory. — University of Missouri, located at Colum- 
bia; number of students, 577; legislative appropriation for 1879 and 1880, 
$39,000. State Agricultural College constitutes a department of the 
University. Three State Normal Schools, located respectively at Kirks- 
ville, Warrensburg and Cape Girardeau.* The appropriation to each of 

*St. Louis supports its own normal school, for the preparation and training of its 
teachers, the greater number of whom are graduates of this normal school. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 37 

normal schools is $7,500 per annum. Deaf and Dumb Asylum, located 
at Fulton; legislative appropriation for 1879 and 1880, $91,000. Blind 
Asylum, located at St. Louis; legislative appropriation for 1879 and 1880, 
$46,000. Lincoln Institute,* located at Jefterson City; legislative appro- 
priation, $10,000 for 1879 and 1880; devoted to training colored teachers 
for colored public schools of the state. School of Mines and Metallurgy, 
located at Rolla; legislative appropriation, $15,000 for 1879 and 1880; 
constitutes a department of the state university. State teachers' associ- 
ation, meets annually at places selected at each session, during the last 
week in June. 

Statistics of 1878. — School population, 688,248; school enrollment, 
448,033; No. of ungraded school districts, 8,142; No. of graded school 
districts, 279. No. of school houses, 8,092; estimated value of school 
houses and sites, $8,321,399; average school year in months, 5; average 
school year in months, in graded school districts, 9; total number of 
teachers employed, 11,268; total wages of teachers, $2,320,430.20; aver- 
age wages of teachers per month, males, $36.36, females, $28.09; aver- 
age wages of teachers per month, in grades schools, estimated, males, 
$87.81, females, $40.73. 

Revenue. — From interest on state permanent fund, $174,030.15; 
from one-fourth state revenue collections, $363,276.32; from county and 
township permanent funds, $440,191.37; from district taxes, $2,446,- 
910.71. Total, $3,424,408.55. 

Permanent Funds.— State fund, $2,909,457.11; county fund, $2,388,- 
368.29; township or sixteenth section fund, $1,980,678.51. Total $7,278,- 
046.80. 

The state auditor's report for 1879 and 1880 furnishes the following 
school items; and they make a very favorable showing for the public 
school interests of Missouri: 

1879. 1880. 

Amount distributed to the counties $502,795.18 $515,286.09 

Maintenance of State University 19,50f).00 19,500.00 

Support of Lincoln Institute 5,000.00 5,000.00 

Support School of Mines and Metallurgy 7,500.00 7,500.00 

JNormal School, 1st district 7,500.00 7,500 00 

" 2d " 7,500.00 7,500.00 

" " South Missouri district 7,500,00 7,500.00 

Distribution of school laws 308.58 . 43G.50 

* Lincoln InstUute was first projected by the 62d Regiment U. >S. Colored Infantry, 
while on duty in Texas, in 1865, and was designed for the higher education of colored 
people. In January, 1866, the state attached a state normal department to it, to provide 
suitable teachers for the public schools for colored children. The school was opened 
Sept. 17, 1876, but was not finally provided for by law as a state normal school until Feb. 
14, 1870, since which time it has gone steadily forward and done a good wdrk for the 
negro population. 



38 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

MASSACHUSETTS AND MISSOURI SCHOOL RATES. 

Massachusetts is taken almost universally as the standard of measure- 
ment for other states. The state reports of Massachusetts and Missouri, 
for 1879, show that in the former there was applied to the educa- 
tion of every child of school age the sum of $13.71 — in the latter, 
$4.37. But it must be remembered that school age in Massachusetts is 
between five and fifteen years; in Missouri between six and twenty; a 
difference of four years in school. 

The report of the secretary of the Massachusetts board of education, 
for 1879, states the "per centage of valuation appropriated for public 
schools," as two and seventy-two one hundredths mills. In Missouri it 
was over five mills. That is, every tax-paying Missourian paid nearly 
twice as much for the maintenance of public schools on the same amount 
(of value) of property as the tax-payer of Massachusetts. 

DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOLS. 

DATE 

T^T3^» t:.t^ name of institution. where located. denomination. 

ORCr ZED* 

1871 Central College Fayette M. E. Church South. 

1856 Christian College Canton Christian. 

1859 College Christian Brothers . St. Louis Roman Catholic. 

1873 Drury College Springfield Congregational. 

1868 Hannibal College Hannibal M. E. Church South. 

1865 Lewis College Glasgow Methodist Episcopal. 

1870 Lincoln College Greenwood United Presbyterian. 

1853 McGee College College Mound.. ,Cumb. Pi-esbyterian. 

1867 St. Joseph College St. Joe Roman Catholic. 

1832 St. Louis University St. Louis Roman Catholic. 

1844 St. Paul College Palmyra Protestant Episcopal. 

1844 St. Vincent College Cape Girardeau. .Roman Catholic. 

1857 Washington University. . .St. Louis Non-Sectarian. 

1852 Westminster College Fulton Presbyterian. 

1853 Wm. Jewell College Liberty Baptist. 

1869 Woodland College Independence . . . .Christian. 

1835 St. Charles College St. Charles M. E. Church South. 

1852 Central College Fayette " " " 

1843 Arcadia College Arcadia " " " 

THEOLOGICAL SCHOOLS. 

1839 Concordia College St. Louis Evangelical Luth'ran 

1844 St. Vincent College Cape Girardeau. .Roman Catholic. 

Theological School of West- 
minster College Fulton Presbyterian. 

1869 Vanderman School of The- 
ology Liberty Baptist. 

In addition to the above, the Baptists have: Stephens College, Columbia* 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 39 

Mt. Pleasant College, Huntsville; Baptist Female College, Lexington; La 
Grange College, La Grange; Baptist College, Louisiana ; Liberty Female 
College, Liberty ; St. Louis Seminary for Young Ladies, Jennings Sta- 
tion; Fairview Female Seminary, Jackson; Booneville Seminary for 
Young Ladies, Booneville; North Grand River College, Edinburg; 
Ingleside Academy, Palmyra. 

The Christian connection has Christian University, at Canton, in Lewis 
county. 

The Congregationahsts have Thayer College, at Kidder, in Caldwell 
county. 

The German Evangelicals have Missouri College, in Warren county. 

The Methodist Episcopals (North) have Johnson College at Macon 
City. 

The Presbyterians have Lindenwood Female College, at St. Charles. 

A good feeling prevails amongst these different schools. Each attends 
to its own work in its own way, caring for the patronage of its own peo- 
ple and the community at large, as a good neighbor of every other 
worker. A most liberal and impartial legislative policy is pursued, by 
dealing with all alike before the law, whether in the maintenance of 
vested rights or in the matter of taxation. B}^ constitutional provision 
all property actually used for school and religious purposes may be 
exempted from taxes, and the same constitution most explicitly interdicts 
all discrimination, and also all favor or partiality. 

LAW SCHOOLS. 

FOUNDED. NAME LOCATION. 

1872 Law College of State University Columbia. 

1867 Law Department of Washington University St. Louis. 

MEDICAL SCHOOLS. 

POUNDED. NAME. LOCATION. 

1869 Kansas City College of Phvsicians and Surgeons. .Kansas City. 

1873 Medical College of State University Columbia. 

1840 Missouri Medical College " St. Louis. 

1841 St. Louis Medical College 

1858 Homeopathic Medical College of Missouri " 

1865 Missouri Dental College « 

1864 St. Louis College of Pharmacy « 

SCIENTIFIC SCHOOLS. 

1870 Agricultural and Mechanical College ( State Uni- 

versity) Columbia. 

1871 Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy (State 

University) Rolla. 

1857 Polytechnic Department of Washington University.St. Louis. 



40 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 



o-g Ss sis 

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS-1S79-80. .| '^5 g^-S 

Catholic 21G 2G4 200,000 

Protestant Episcopal 65 50 25,000 

Lutheran Independent Evangelical 25 20 1,000 

Ensclish Evanfrelicai C 6 1,000 

" GeiTOan " ^Q 68 3,633 

Presbyterian, O. S. North 210 151 11,143 

" " South 135 73 7,6G2 

Cumberland 361 169 15,823 

United 10 12 700 

^formed ^3 4 165 

Con2;re2;ational '^1 47 3,747 

Bamist 1-385 823 86,999 

Christian," about 500 500 70,000 

Methodist Episcopal, South 509 648 53,383 

« ^ '' North 359 420 42,888 

African 58 59 4.954 

African Methodist Episcopal, Zion ) . 

Colored '> " V about 116 118 9,908 

Methodist, Protestant and Free Methodist Episcopal Church ) 

Unitarian 5 5 

Total 4,160 3,437 539,004 

IS OTE.— Church members of the Catholic and Protestant Episcopal Churches include all persons bap- 
tized into the church. The others count only communicants in good standing. 



PROTECTIONAL LAWS. 

Our state legislature has made ample and discreet provision for the 
protection of a home-place from sale on execution. The home and property 
rights of married women, widows and orphans, are guaranteed by 
statute as far as is practicable. A limit has also been fixed to the amount 
of indebtedness which may be incurred by the people in voting bonds to 
railroads, or other enterprises in which they may feel a friendly interest, 
but in aiding which, too generally, so many western communities have 
burdened themselves and their posterity with debts and taxation that are 
grevious to be borne. 

HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. 

The laws of Missouri reserve from execution, in the hands of every 
head of a family living in the country, a homestead, consisting of one 
hundred and sixty (160) acres of land, not exceeding $1,500 in value; to 
every head of a family, in cities of over 40,000 inhabitants, a homestead 
consisting of not more than eighteen square rods of ground, and of a 
valuation not exceeding $3,000 ; and in cities and towns of less than 40,- 
000 inhabitants, a homestead, consisting of not more than thirty square 
rods of ground, and of the value of not more than $1,500. Thus it is 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 41 

seen that a farmer's homestead in Missouri consists of one hundred and 
sixty acres of land and the improvements thereon, not exceeding in value 
$1,500; the homestead of the residents of the smaller towns is of the 
same value; while that allowed to the inhabitants of St. Louis, St. 
Joseph and Kansas City, where land is more valuable, and the cost of 
living greater, is fixed at $3,000. 

The homestead is in the nature of a lien or charge, in favor of the 
wife and children, upon certain property of the husband, defined in 
extent, and limited in value. A declaration of what this property is may 
be recorded in the office of the recorder of deeds, and notice is thus 
imparted to all persons having dealings with the owner, that this particu- 
lar property is not subject to execution, and that they ought not to give 
credit on the faith of it. The state, under this head, provides that: "Any 
married woman may file her claim to the tract or lot of land occupied or 
claimed by her and her husband, or by her, if abandoned by her husband, 
as a homestead. Said claim shall set forth the tract or lot claimed, that 
she is the wife of the person in whose name the said tract or lot appears 
of record, and said claim shall be acknowledged by her before some 
officer authorized to take proof or acknowledgment of instruments of 
writing affecting real estate, and be filed in the recorder's office, and it 
shall be the duty of the recorder to receive and record the same. After 
the filing of such claims, duly acknowledged, the husband shall be de- 
barred from, and incapable of selling, mortgaging and alienating the 
homestead in an}^ manner whatever, and such sale, mortgage or alienation 
is hereby declared null and void; and the filing of any such claims as 
aforesaid with the recorder shall impart notice to all persons of the con- 
tents thereof, and all subsequent purchasers and mortagors shall be 
deemed, in law and equity, to purchase with notice; provided, however, 
that nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to prevent the hus- 
band and wife from jointly conveying, mortgaging, alienating, and, in 
any other manner, disposing of such homestead, or any part thereof." 

Such a law, while securing the benefits of a homestead to the debtor, 
works no injustice to the creditor. He sees that the debtor has certain 
propert}- recorded as his homestead. He never gives credit on the faith that 
this property will be subject to his execution; but he looks simply to the 
other property of the debtor, or to the state of his business and his char- 
acter for honesty. 

It may be added that the supreme court of this state has construed the 
homestead laws liberally, with the view of carrying out the benevolent 
purposes of the legislature. If the debtor is ignorant or timid, when the 
sheriff' comes with an execution to levy, and fails to claim his right of 
homestead, his family are not, therefore, to be turned out of doors. The 
3 



42 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

sheriff' must summon appraisers and set the homestead apart, whether the 
debtor claims it or not; and if he does not do this, his sale will pass no title 
to the purchaser so far as the debtor's homestead is concerned. If the 
debtor makes a conveyance of property embracing his family homestead, 
for the purpose of hindering or defrauding his creditors, this does not 
work a forfeiture of his homestead right; his wrongful act is not thus to 
be appealed to in prejudice of his wife and children. If the cruelty of 
the husband drives the wife from the homestead, this does not put an end 
to her interest in the homestead. She may return and claim it after his 
death, and his administrator must set it apart for her. 

EXEMPTIONS OF PERSONAL PROPERTY. 

Pursuing the same wise and benevolent policy, the statutes provide 
that the following personal property shall be exempt from attachment and 
execution when owned by the head of a family: "1. Ten head of choice 
hogs, ten head of choice sheep, and the product thereof in wool, yarn or 
cloth; two cows and calves, two plows, one axe, one hoe, and one set of 
plow gears, and all the necessary farm implements for the use of one man. 
2. Two work animals of the value of one hundred and fifty dollars. 3. 
The spinning-wheel and cards, one loom and apparatus, necessar}?^ for 
manufacturing cloth in a private family. 4. All the spun yarn, thread 
and cloth manufactured for family use. 5. Any quantity of hemp, flax 
and wool, not exceeding twenty-five pounds each. 6. All wearing apparel 
of the family, four beds, with usual bedding, and such other household and 
kitchen furniture, not exceeding the value of one hundred dollars, as may 
be necessary for the family, agreeably to an inventory thereof, to be re- 
turned, on oath, with the execution, by the officer whose duty it may be 
to levy the same. 7. The necessary tools and imolements of trade of 
any mechanic while carrying on his trade. 8. Any and all arms and 
military equipments required by law to be kept. 9. All such provisions 
as may be on hand for family use, not exceeding one hundred dollars in 
value. 10. The bibles and other books used in a family, lettered grave- 
stones, and one pew in a house of worship. 11. All lawyers, physicians, 
ministers of the gospel and teachers, in the actual prosecution of their 
calling, shall have the privilege of selecting such books as shall be neces- 
sary to their profession, in the place of other property herein allowed, at 
their option; and doctors of medicine, in lieu of other property exempt 
from execution, mav be allowed to select their medicines." In lieu of this 
property, each head of a family ma}^ at his election, select and hold 
exempt from execution any other property, real, personal, or mixed, or 
debts or wages not exceeding in value the amount of three hundred dol- 
lars. 

The legislature of the state has wisely considered that the debtor ought 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 43 

not to be permitted to plead poverty as against the claims of creditors 
equally necessitous. It is accordingly provided that the foregoing 
exemption cannot be claimed when the debt is for wages due to a house 
servant or common laborer to the extent of $90, and when the action to 
recover the same is brought wi'Aiin six months after the last services were 
rendered. Nor can the purchaser of goods make this law an instrument 
of fraud by claiming goods which he has purchased on credit against an 
execution for the purchase money. 

RIGHTS OF MARRIED WOMEN. 

State legislation is extremely careful of the rights of married women. 
If a wife is unjustly abandoned by her husband, the circuit court will 
sequester his property for the purpose of maintaining her and the children 
of the marriage. If he abandons her, or from worthlessness or drunken- 
ness fails to support her, the court will not only allow her to sell her own 
real estate without his joining in the deed, but will require any person 
holding money or property to which he may be entitled in her right, to 
pay the money over to her. 1. Under such circumstances she is entitled 
to the proceeds of her own earnings and those of her minor children. 2. 
If her real estate is damaged for railroads, or other public w^orks, the 
damages accrue exclusively to her. .3. If her husband gets into the peni- 
tentiary, she becomes to all intents and purposes a femme sole . 4. And if he, 
by ill usage, compels her to live separate and apart from him, she may 
claim the sole and exclusive enjoyment of her property as if she were un- 
married. Rents, issues and profits of her real estate cannot be taken in 
execution for his debts, except when contracted for family necessaries. 
Moreover, by a very broad statute lately enacted, a wife may hold all her 
personal property free from her husband's control and exempt from liabil- 
ity for his debts. If he becomes incompetent to lead in the marital part- 
nership, she may take the reins in her hands, engage in trade, accumulate 
property, and no act of his will create a charge upon it. Finally, at his 
death, the family homestead descends to her and the children, if any there 
be, to be held by her for life; if there be any children, in common with 
them; if not, by herself alone. She also takes dower in one-third of all 
the real estate of which her husband may have been seized at any time 
during marriage, in which she has not conveyed her right of dower, 
diminished, however, by the homestead which is set apart to her. She 
takes also a child's share of his personal estate; and, in addition to all 
this, she is allowed to retain as her absolute property a large amount of 
personalty. 

TAXATION. 

The constitution places it beyond the power of reckless or dishonest 



44 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

public agents to burden the people with excessive taxation. Taxes for 
state purposes, exclusive of the taxes necessary to pay the bonded debt 
of the state, cannot exceed twenty cents on the hundred dollars valuation; 
and whenever the taxable property of the state shall amount to $900,000,- 
000 the rate shall not exceed fifteen cents. The rate of taxation for 
county, city, town and school purposes, is likewise strictly limited. 
Counties, cities, towns, townships and school districts cannot become 
indebted beyond the revenue provided for each year without a two-thirds 
vote of all voters therein, nor, in any event, to an amount exceeding five 
per cent on the value of the taxable property. 

The statutes of Hmitation in Missouri provide that an open account can- 
not be collected after it has run five j-ears; a note is uncollectible if held for 
ten years after due; and a judgment expires by limitation in ten years. 

The standard legal rate of interest in this state is six per cent; but a 
higher rate not exceeding ten per cent may be contracted for. 

PUBLIC DEBT LIMITATION. 

The state debt, according to the State Auditor's last report, [1878], is 
$16,758,000. This mostly grew out of the various issues of bonds given 
in aid of railroads, and bears interest at the rate of six per cent per annum. 
To liquidate this debt the constitution provides for the annual levy of 
taxes, now fixed by law at twenty cents on the $100 of the valuation. 
With the sum thus raised the interest of the debt is first to be paid, and of 
the remainder not less than $250,000 is to be set apart as a sinking fund 
for the purchase and retirement of the bonds themselves. Hence, in a 
few years, with the vast increase in the taxable wealth, which is sure to 
come, the whole of the debt will be extinguished. There is an additional 
state tax of twenty cents on the $100 for current expenditures, a large 
share of which is devoted to the support of the common schools. This 
tax is ample for the purposes for which it is intended, and there is a con- 
stitutional provision that it shall be reduced to fifteen cents on the $100 as 
soon as the taxable property of the state shall aggregate a total valuation 
of $900,000,000. 

The state, and all its municipal subdivisions, whether counties, cities or 
towns, are forbidden by the constitution to loan their credit to any corpora- 
tion, so that there is no method by which the public indebtedness can be 
increased in the usual way. Owing to the great zeal of the people to for- 
ward public improvements of all kinds, a municipal indebtedness, aggre- 
gating, according to the auditor's last report, $35,727,566.49, has been 
contracted. Of this amount the debt of the city of St. Louis is shown to 
constitute $22,712,000, leaving for the agricultural portion of the state and 
the other cities, towns, townships and school districts only a little over 
$13,000,000. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 45 

The present organic law prevents any municipality from contracting 
liabilities, in any one fiscal year, beyond the amount of the levy made for 
that year, and in no county can the rate of taxation for local purposes, 
aside from the school tax, exceed fifty cents on the $100 valuation, unless 
two-thirds of the voters shall assent to the levy of a larger sum. Neither 
can the school tax in country districts exceed forty cents on the $100 
without the consent of the tax-payers, to be obtained by a vote of the ma- 
jority of the residents. 

COMPARATIVE TAX RATE. 

It will be interesting to note how the tax rate of our own state com- 
pares with that of adjoining states. 

The average tax levy for all purposes in Missouri is about $1.30 on the 
$100; adding to this 70 cents on the $100 for the payment of bonded 
indebtedness where it exists, there is an average of $2 on the $100 as 
the rate, and a certainty of its steady decrease. This is given as an average, 
and while in a few counties the tax rate is higher, in the majority it is 
much lower. 

By the report of the state auditor of Kansas, for the year ending June 
30, 1878, the tax levy for state purposes is shown to be 55 cents on the 
$100, and the average levy for local debts and expenses $3.82 on the $100, 
making a total average tax of $4.37 on the $100. The taxable property 
of Kansas in 1878 aggregated the sum of $138,698,810.98, and the local 
indebtedness was reported by the state auditor at $13,473,197.51. In 
Nebraska the tax levy for state purposes alone is 62^^ cents on the $100, 
exclusive of taxes to pay local debts and expenses. 

In Iowa, the average rate of taxation for the year 1878 was $2.67 on the 
$100. In Illinois the tax levy for 1877, the last given in the auditor's 
report, was v$3.24 on the $100, and the local indebtedness of that state 
was then the sum of $51,811,691. 

Thus, it is clear that Missouri has a lower rate of taxation than any of 
the neighboring states above mentioned; and, in addition to this, under 
her wise constitutional provision, the rate of taxation must continually 
decrease every year, until only a sufficient amount of taxes to liquidate 
current expenses will be collected. 

There are twenty counties that have no indebtedness whatever, and 
forty more the debt of which is merely nominal; so that their burden of 
taxation will be lighter than in any other portion of the United States. 



46 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 



FEDERAL AFFAIRS IN THE STATE. 



FEDERAL COURTS. 

The United States is divided into nine supreme court circuits, to each of 
which one of the supreme court judges is assigned. Missouri is now in 
the eighth circuit, which includes Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, 
Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado; and George W. McCrary, of Iowa, 
who was secretary of war, in President Hayes' cabinet, is now the 
judge of this circuit. Missouri is divided into an east and west United 
States judicial district; and Samuel Treat, of St. Louis, is United States 
judge of the east district, Vv^hile Arnold Krekel, of Jefferson City, presides 
over the west district. 

FEDERAL REVENUE. 

Missouri paid the following amounts of internal revenue to the United 
States during the year ending June 30, 1880: On distilled spirits, $2,151,- 
643.98; on tobacco, $2,391,989.93; on fermented liquors, $711,654.53; on 
banking, $182,929.25; on other items, $1,360.27. Total, $5,448,344.83. 
Illinois, Kentucky, New York and Ohio were the only states which paid 
a larger sum of revenue on spirits; Illinois, New Jersey, New York, 
Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia paid larger on tobacco; Illinois, New 
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin paid larger on fermented 
liquors (chiefly lager beer); California, New York and Pennsylvania are 
the only states which paid larger on banking transactions. 

In 1878, Missouri paid $115,729.64 as penalties for violation of U. 
S. internal revenue laws, which was the highest amount on this item paid 
by any state — the next highest being Pennsylvania, which was " caught 
at it" to the amount of $27,867.20. 

U. S. LANDS AND LAND OFFICES. 

There are now three U. S. land offices in Missouri, to-wit: at Boon- 
ville, Ironton and Springfield. The report of the general land office for 
1879 showed 41,836,931 acres of government land still open to home- 
stead entry in Missouri. 

LEGAL TENDER IN MISSOURI. 

Gold coins of the United States (unmutilated), and the " greenback" 
paper currency are legal tender for the payment of any possible amount 
of indebtedness. Silver coins are legal tender for any amount not exceed- 
ing $10 at one payment — but the standard silver dollar is legal tender for 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 47 

any amount, unless the contract specially provides otherwise. The baser 
coins of nickel, copper and alloy (3 cent pieces), are legal tender for any 
sum not exceeding 25 cents. The "trade dollar," and national bank 
notes are 7iot legal tender; neither is any foreign coin, either of gold or 
silver, nor the " stamped bullion " gold pieces of California. 

U. S. CUSTOM HOUSE. 

St. Louis is a port of entry for foreign goods; and the imports received 
here during the year 1880, amounted to (foreign value), $1,401,180; on 
which the import duties paid was $537,257.83. A fine custom house 
building is in process of erection, and will be completed in 1881. 

MILITARY. 

In the south part of St. Louis, on the river, there is a United States 
arsenal, and six miles below the city, Jefferson Barracks are situated, a sta- 
tion for a small part of the regular army. A few squares from the 
arsenal there is a United States marine hospital. 



MISSOURI'S DISTINGUISHED MEN. 

Within our allotted space we can only give a brief sketch of those citi- 
zens of Missouri who have so pre-eminently distinguished themselves as 
to have achieved a solid national, and in some cases a world-wide fame. 
First among these is — 

Daniel Boone. The adventures of this famous hunter and Indian 
fighter have become a staple part of the world's perennial stock of daring 
exploits and hair-breadth escapes. He was born in Bucks county, Penn- 
sylvania, February 11, 1735; emigrated to North Carolina and there mar- 
ried. In 1773 he emigrated with his own and five other families to Ken- 
tucky, and founded the present town of Boonesborough. In 1795 he 
removed to the Missouri river country, and settled in St. Charles county, 
about forty-five miles west of St. Louis, where he died in 1820, aged 85. 
His remains, together with those of his v^ife, were many years after- 
ward removed to Boonesborough, Kentucky, and a monument reared 
over them. 

Thomas H. Benton. Col. Benton was, in his lifetime, recognized as 
one of the foremost statesmen of the nation, and the hearts of all good 
Missourians kindle with pride at the mention of his name. He was a 
specimen type of the best sort of Democrat; he always stood with Gen. 



48 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

Jackson and opposed the state-rights doctrines of John C. Calhoun; in 
congress he opposed the repeal of the "Missouri Compromise;" and during 
Gen. Jackson's presidency Col. Benton was so vigorous a champion of 
hard money, as against the old U. S. bank swindle, that he came to be 
familiarly known all over the United States as "Old Bullion." Col. Benton 
was born near Hillsborough, North Carolina, March 14, 1782 ; studied law 
at Nashville, Tennessee, in 1810. In the war of 1812 he served as a Colonel 
under Gen. Jackson ; settled at St. Louis in 1815. In 1820 he was elected as 
the first U. S. Senator from Missouri, and continued to be re-elected every 
term for thirty years; the longest period that any man in the nation has 
filled a senatorial seat. In 1852-3 he served one term as member of con- 
gress from the first district. In 1856 he was defeated in his candidacy for 
governor by the state-rights party, to whose doctrines he was strongly 
opposed, fi-om the time of the nullification acts of South Carolina m 1832, 
up to the day of his death. In 1854 he published his great Vv^ork, "Thirty 
Years in the United States Senate," in two large volumes, and these are 
held in high esteem as standard authority by politicians and statesmen of 
every class. Col. Benton died April 10, 1858, mourned by the whole 
nation as one of her worthiest sons. 

James B. Eads, a citizen of St. Louis. His marvelous achievements as 
a civil engineer have made his name familiar in all civilized countries on 
the face of the earth; and his last great work, the jetties at the mouth of 
the Mississippi river, has revolutionized the commerce of three continents. 
Mr. Eads was born at Lawrenceburg, Indiana, May 28, 1820; emigrated 
with his parents to Louisville, Kentucky, in 1829; and in 1833 settled at 
St. Louis. In July, 1861, the government advertised for seven gun-boats 
of about 600 tons burden, drawing not over six feet of water, plated with 
iron 2^ inches thick, to steam nine miles an hour, and carry thirteen guns.* 
Mr. Eads contracted to build those seven vessels in sixty-five days. At 
this time the timber for them stood uncut in the forest; the iron for their 
plating was still in the mines, and no machine j^et in existence of capacity 
to roll such enormous plates; and not a pound of iron or steel yet wrought 
or cast for the construction of the twenty-one steam engines and thirty- 
five boilers required to propel the fleet. But within twenty-four hours 
from the signing of the contract at Washington, he had all the- iron works, 
foundries and machine shops of St. Louis, started on the work ; and inside 
of two weeks he had more than 4,000 men working in alternate gangs by 
night and day, Sundays included, so that not an hour should be lost. The 
boats were built at St. Louis, but the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, 
Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota and Missouri were all drawn upon for material, 
while large works in Cincinnati and Pittsburg were also whirling every 

*See Major Boynton's "History of the United States Navy." 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF 3IISSOURI. 49 

wheel to hasten forward the great undertaking, all being under the direc- 
tion and control by telegraph or in person of this one man ; and he filled 
the contract. The world's history shows no parallel to the wonderful 
mastery of resources and the tremendous vigor of executive and super- 
visory talent which this achievement involved. He projected, planned 
and built the magnificent railroad bridge across the Mississippi river at 
St Louis, which ranks among the greatest works of its kind on this round 
globe. He projected and built the jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi, 
which enable the largest sea-going vessels to pass in and out freely, thus 
making possible the barge system of shipping grain and other products 
from St. Louis and Kansas City direct to foreign countries, and which 
has within two years revolutionized the entire international commerce of 
the Mississippi and Missouri valley states. He is now engaged in devel- 
oping a ship railway across the Isthmus of Panama, which will take the 
heaviest loaded ships into a. dry-dock on wheels and trundle them from 
ocean to ocean as easily and safely as they are now towed through the 
ship canal at Suez. 

Carl Schurz. Born near Cologne, Prussia, March 2, 1S29; educated 
at the University of Bonn; took part in the revolutionary agitations of 
Europe in 1848 and following years, involving Germany, Austria, Italy, 
Hungary, etc.; and in which Kossuth in Hungary, and Garibaldi in Italy 
were prominent leaders, whose names are familiar to and honored by all 
Americans. Mr. Schurz came to the United States in 1852; settled as a 
law3^er at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1859; in 1861 was appointed minister 
to Spain; resigned and came home, and in 1862-3-4, was a major-gen- 
eral of volunteers in the Union army. In 1867 he settled at St. Louis as 
editor of the Westliche Post; was United States senator from Mis- 
souri from 1869 to 1875, and was secretary of the interior in President 
Hayes' cabinet. Mr. Schurz has thus won the highest positions ever held 
in the United States by any foreign-born citizen, and has reflected honor 
upon Missouri, his adopted state, by his masterful ability as a public 
speaker, and his strong, earnest, humanitarian efforts as an executive offi- 
cer. 

Prof. Charles V. Riley, was born in London, England, September 
12, 1843; came to the United States in 1860a In 1868 estabhshed in St. 
Louis, in company with Benjamin D. Walsh, a scientific journal called the 
American Entomologist^ and was the same year appointed state entomol- 
ogist of Missouri; this position he filled to the great benefit and honor of 
the state for eight years; then he was called to come up higher, and took 
position as entomologist of the national department of agriculture at 
Washington. Prof. Riley's valuable investigations and discoveries with 
regard to the Colorado beetle (potato bug), the Rocky Mountain locust 
4 



50 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

(grasshoppers), the cotton worm, and the phylloxera, or grape insect, have 
placed his name in the foremost ranks in the world of science, and among 
the greatest of benefactors to the agricultural and horticultural industries 
of the world. This he achieved while serving Missouri as state entomol- 
ogist, and through the publication by the state of his annual reports. 
Hence, the name and good repute of our noble commonwealth is insepar- 
ably associated with his honor and fame, which has reached the farthest 
confines of every land where potatoes, cotton or grapes are cultivated. 



MISSOURI IN THE CIVIL WAR. 

Missouri was powerfully agitated by the controversy on the slavery 
question in 1818-19-20, which resulted in the "Missouri Compromise." 
This was a compact, mainly carried through congress by the eloquence 
and influence of the great senator, Henry Clay, of Kentucky, by which 
it was agreed that Missouri should be admitted to the Union as a slave- 
holding state ; but that slavery should be forever excluded from any states 
which might thereafter be formed out of new territory west of the western 
boundary of Missouri, and north of the parallel of 36 degrees, 30 minutes 
of north latitude. This line practically corresponds with the southern 
boundary of Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Utah, 
as they now stand. 

In May, 1854, congress passed a bill organizing the territories of 
Kansas and Nebraska, in which it was declared that the Missouri Com- 
promise of 1820 did not apply to them. This was an indirect way of 
repealing or rendering nugatory the bargain made between the northern 
and the southern states in that compromise ; and the floodgates of angry 
debate, contention and strife were at once opened. This became the issue 
upon which all elections turned. Instead of slavery being prohibited, as the 
compromise "of 1820 had declared it should be, it was thrown open for the 
territorial legislature to decide whether it should be free or slave territory. 
In view of this, there was a rush and race of settlers from the free states 
and the slave states into Kansas, to see which party should get control of 
the first territorial legislature; and in this m.ovement Missouri, as a slave 
state, took a prominent part. It was a border country conflict, and there 
was illegality and violence on both sides, making a chapter in our state 
history the details of which might profitably be dropped out and forgotten. 
Sufllice to say, the free state party carried the election; and this conflict 
was a precursor of the great civil war. 



i 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 51 

In 1860 C. F. Jackson was elected governor of Missouri. Abraham 
Lincoln had been elected President of the United States at the same time. 
Governor Jackson took his seat January 4, 1S61; the question of secession 
was then already in warm discussion in some of the southern states, and 
Governor Jackson in his inaugural address maintained that " Missouri 
must stand by the other slave-holding states, whatever course they may 
pursue." The general assembly ordered an election to be held February 
18th, for members of a state convention; the proposed object of this con- 
vention was " to consider the then existing relations between the United 
States, the people and government of the different states, and the govern- 
ment and people of the state of Missouri; and to adopt such measures for 
vindicating the sovereignty of the state and the protection of its institutions 
as shall appear to them to be demanded." This convention met, tirst at 
Jefferson City, and afterward at St. Loiiis, and had a decided majority of 
Unionists — that is, of men opposed to secession; some because they 
beheved in the doctrine of "Federal Nationality," as against the doctrine 
called "State Rights;" others because, like A. H. Stevens, of Georgia, 
they saw with a clear eye that secession must inevitably result in the 
overthrow of slavery. And thus the Union men themselves were strongly 
divided into northern and southern sympathizers. The convention sat at 
St. Louis, without any important results, from March 9th to 22d, when it 
adjourned, subject to the call of its committee on federal relations. 

National events rushed on rapidly to a crisis which would admit of no 
temporizing. In April, Fort Sumter was fired upon; President Lincoln 
called for 75,000 troops ; and men must now take sides for or against the 
national sovereignty of the lawfully constituted Federal authorities. Our 
legislature was in session; its measures and discussions were almost 
entirely of the " State Rights " type ; and in a message to the legislature 
on May 3, 1861, Governor Jackson said the President's call for troops "is 
unconstitutional and illegal, tending toward a consolidated despotism. * * 
Our interest and sympathies are identical with those of the slave-holding 
states, and necessarily unite our destiny with theirs." While these 
influences were working in the central and western parts of the state, and 
organizations of " state guards " were being rapidly formed to resist the 
federal authority. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon and Col. F. P. Blair were actively 
enlisting men and organizing regiments in St. Louis and vicinity, to main- 
tain the federal authority. The most intense alarm and consternation 
prevailed throughout the state. Several minor conflicts occurred between 
state militia or " guards " and Union troops, all hinging upon the question 
of which power had the right of paramount sovereignty. The state 
troops were mostly under command of General Sterling Price, subordinate 
only to the governor of the state; while the federal troops were under 



52 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

command of General Lyon, by authority of the President of the United 
States.^ 

Governor Jackson finally tried to make terms with Gen. Lyon, that no 
federal troops should be stationed in or allowed to pass through the 
state. This was refused; and the governor then immediately issued a 
formal call, June 12, for 50,000 state militia. About April 20th, nearly 
two months before this, the " state guards " had seized the United States 
arsenal at Liberty, in Clay county, and taken its stores and arms for 
their own use. This was several weeks before the celebrated "Camp 
Jackson" affair. The wager of battle was now fairly joined in Missouri 
between different parties of her own citizens, although volunteers from 
other states soon began to pour in. The following is a chronological list 
of the more important actions and events: 

Afril 12, i86i. — Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter, which was 
yielded up and evacuated on the 14th. 

April Jj. — President Lincoln's proclamation, calling for 75,000 volun- 
teers to sustain the government, and calling a special session of congress. 

SUCCEEDING EVENTS IN MISSOURI.f 

Afril /p.— Gov. Jackson wrote to David Walker, President of the 
Arkansas Convention, thus: "I have been from the beginning in favor of 
decided and prompt action on the part of the southern states, but the 
majority of the people of Missouri, up to the present time, have differed 
with me. " 

April 20. — The U. S. arsenal,- at Liberty, in Clay county, was seized 
and garrisoned by about a hundred "state guards," and the arms and 
cannon were distributed to their friends throughout the county, with the 
concurrence of the governor.;}: 

April 22. — Governor Jackson officially resented the president's call for 
troops, and called an extra session of the legislature, to arm and equip 
state troops. State militia ordered to go into encampment on May 3, for 
one week. 

* It is not the purpose of this history to give a detailed narrative of events of the war 
time; neither to discuss the right or the wrong of the views of either party in the conflict. 
We only give a briefs^ention of some of the most important incidents and leading actors, 
to show how and wherein the people of Missouri were themselves divided in opinion, 
what motives moved them, and what events stand out as of chief historic celebrity. 
Indeed, we would gladly skip this period of our state history entirely, if it were permissible 
in such a work. 

fThe events here given, in their chronological order, have been collated from more 
than thirty diflerent volumes containing diflerent items or parts of Missouri's war history. 
The narratives, dates and statistics were found often conflicting; and we have endeavored 
to use those only which seemed to be the best authenticated, or the most probable under 
the circumstances— and to localize events as closely as possible by naming the towns, 
streams, counties, etc., where they occurred. 

|The governor had already (April 20th) seized the United States arsenal at Liberty, and 
had disfributed among his friends the arms it contained. ''—Draper's History of the Civil 
War, Vol. II, p. 228. 



HISTORY OF-^ THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 53 

April 2^, Night. — Capt. Lyon secretly removed the war stores in U. 
S. arsenal at St. Louis, by steamboat, over to Alton, Illinois. 

April 28. — Gov. Jackson wrote secretly to J. W. Tucker, Esq., of St. 
Louis: "I want a little time to arm the state, and I am assuming every 
responsibility to do it with all possible dispatch. * * ^ We should 
keep our own counsels. * * * Nothing should be said about the time 
or the manner in which Missouri should g-o out. That she ouofht to o-o, 
and will go at the proper time, I have no doubt. She ought to have 
gone last winter, when she could have seized the public arms and public 
property and defended herself. " * 

May J. — Legislature met. Governor Jackson denounced the presi- 
dent's call for troops as '■'' unconstitiUional and illegal.'''' Meanwhile Col. 
F. P. Blair, Jr., member of congress from the 1st district, of St. Louis, 
had enlisted one full regiment, and had four others in course of organiza- 
tion, within ten days from the issue of the president's call. 

Afay 10. — A body of "state guards," under command of Gen. D. M. 
Frost, acting under Governor Jackson's authority, had established a camp 
near St. Louis, called "Camp Jackson." Capt. Lyon, who had been 
since February in charge of the U. S. arsenal at St. Louis, with a few 
soldiers of the regular army (less than 500), discovered that the Camp 
Jackson men were receiving arms and ammunition by steamboats from 
the south, in boxes marked " marble. " Accordingly, on the morning of 
May 10th, he with his regulars, and Col. Blair with his Missouri volun- 
teers, surrounded, surprised and captured the camp, taking as prisoners 
of war 639 privates and 50 officers. The arms captured consisted of 20 
cannon, 1200 new rifles, several chests of muskets, and large quantities of 
shot, shell, cartridges, etc. 

May 12. — Gen. Wm. S. Harney took command of the Union forces in 
Missouri. Meanwhile the legislature had passed an act making every 
able-bodied man subject to military duty. All public revenues for 1860-61 
(about $3,000,000) were authorized to be used by the governor for military 
purposes. 

May 21. — Gen. Harney made a truce or compromise of peace with 
Gen. Price, commander of the state troops. 

yime I. — The president repudiated Gen. Harney's truce with Price; 
also removed him from his command and gave it to Gen. Lvon, who had 
on May ITth been appointed a brigadier-general of volunteers. 

yiine 4-. — Governor Jackson issued a circular claiming the Harney- 
Price compact to be still in force. 

yimc II. — Gen. Price and Gov. Jackson sought a "peace conference" 
with Gen. Lyon and Col. Blair. The governor stipulated as a vital con- 

*See official address of the state convention, issued to tlie people July 31, 1861. 



54 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

dition of peace, that no Federal troops should be stationed in or pass 
through Missouri. The proposition was rejected. 

yunc 12. — Gasconade railroad bridge burnt; also, Osage river bridge; 
and telegraph lines cut that connected with St. Louis. 

yune I J. — Governor Jackson issued a call for 50,000 state militia, to repel 
federal invasion; referred to the president as " the military despotism which 
has introduced itself at Washington;" and said to the people, " your first 
allegiance is due to your own state." He appointed ex-Governor Ster- 
ling Price as major general; and M. L. Clark, John B. Clark, Parsons^ 
Slack, Harris, Rains, McBride, Stein and Jeff. Thomson, as brigadier- 
generals. The state militia were called to rendezvous at Boonville and 
Lexington. The governor and other officers left Jefferson City for Boon- 
ville this day,* while at the same time General Lyon was embarking with 
1,500 men at St. Louis, to take and hold the state capital. 

Jtme 75. — General Lyon arrived at Jefferson City. 

yune 16. — Re-embarked his troops for Boonville. 

yune 17. — Battle of Boonville. Colonel Marmaduke defeated. State 
troops retreated to Warsaw, with loss of fifty killed. Federal loss, two 
killed. 

yune i8-ig. — Colonel O'Kane, with 350 state militia, surprised in the 
night, a half-formed Union regiment at Cole Camp, in Benton county, under 
Capt. Cook. Pollard's " Southern History " says, in this affair the Union- 
ists lost 206 killed, a large number wounded, and over 100 taken prison- 
ers, beside 362 muskets captured; O'Kane lost 15 killed and 20 wounded. 

yuly J. — Governor Jackson and General Price were at Montevallo, in 
Vernon county, with (Pollard says) 3,600 state troops. 

yuly 5-d.— Battle of Carthage (or Dry Fork), in Jasper county; union 
loss, 13 killed and 31 wounded; state troops, under Price and Jackson, 
lost about 300 killed and wounded. Gen. Seigel, the union commander, 
fell back sixty miles, to Springfield and joined Gen. Lyon. 

yuly S.—A small fight occurred at Bird's Point, in Mississippi county. 
Confederates lost 3 killed and 8 wounded. Federal loss, if any, not reported. 

yuly 22. — The state convention, which had adjourned subject to the 
call of its committee on federal relations, re-convened at Jefferson City. 

yuly 25. — Maj. Gen. Fremont arrived at St. Louis, as commander of 
the western department, which comprised Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, 
Kansas, and the territories westward. 

yuly JO.— State convention, by a vote of 56 to 25, declared the state 
offices and seats in legislature vacant, by reason of their occupants being 
engaged in treasonable and armed hostilities against the lawfully consti- 

" *The capture of Camp Jackson and the flight of the chief executive from the capital, 
was the occasion of a partial destruction of the Osage and Gasconade bridges [railroad], as 
well as those over Gray's creek, west of Jefferson City."— Aiinual report of state commig- 
sioner of statistics, 1866, p. 255. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 55 

tuted federal authorities, and that all legislative and executive acts in pur 
suance of such treason or armed hostilit}^ pretended to be done in the 
name and by authority of the state of Missouri, ivcre mill and void. 
They elected to fill the state office vacancies, H. R. Gamble, governor; 
W. P. Hall, lieutenant governor; Mordecai Oliver, secretary of state; 
and appointed the first Monday of November as a day of general election. 

yuly 31. — Lieut. Governor Reynolds, whose office had been declared 
vacant by the state convention, issued a proclamation, dated at New Mad- 
rid, July 3], in which he said: "I return to the state, to accompany in 
my official capacity, one of the armies which the warrior statesman [Jef- 
ferson Davis], whose genius now presides over the affairs of our half of 
the Union, has prepared to advance against the common foe. * * -st 
You behold the most warlike population on the globe, the people of the 
lower Mississippi valley, about to rush with their gleaming bowie-knives 
and unerring rifles, to aid us in driving out the abolitionists and their Hes- 
sion allies. * * The road to peace and internal security is only 
through union with the south. * * Rally to the stars and bars, 

in union with the glorious ensign of the grizzly bear."* 

August 2. — Battle of Dug Springs, in Lawrence county. General 
McCulloch, of Arkansas, in command of Confederates, marching to 
attack Springfield, was checked, and fell back to Sarcoxie; loss, 40 killed, 
44 wounded. General Lyon fell back to Springfield; loss, 8 killed, 30 
wounded. 

August 5, — Confederate troops under Col. Martin E. Green, attacked 
Missouri state militia, under Col. Moore, at Athens, in Clark county, and 
were defeated with a loss of 43 killed. 

August 6. — Governor Jackson, being now at Carthage, and just hear- 
ing of the action of the state convention, also issued a proclamation, de- 
claring the union between Missouri and the other states totally dissolved, 
and proclaiming the state of Missouri to be " a sovereign^ f^cc and inde- 
pendent re^id>licP 

August 10. — Battle of Wilson's Creek. Gen. Lyon, Federal, had 
5,500 infantry, 400 cavalry, and 18 cannon. Gen. McCulloch, Confeder- 
ate, says that his "effective force was 5,300 infantry, 15 pieces of artillery, 
and 6,000 horsemen." (The Union officers imagined and reported more 
than double this number against them; one said 23,000, and another 
24,000.) The Confederates lost 421 killed, 1,317 wounded and 30 mis- 
sing. The Federals reported 223 killed, 721 wounded and 292 missing, 
and 5 cannon lost. Gen. Lyon was killed in this engagement. 

August i^. — Federals evacuated Springfield and retreated to Rolla, but 

*Early in March the confederate congress had adopted the "stars and bars" as the flag 
of their confederacy. The state seal of Missouri has two grizzly bears among its emblems. 



56 HISTORY 01 THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

were not ptirsued. Earthwork fortifications were this day commenced 
around St. Louis. 

August ji. — Gen. Fremont issued a general order proclaiming martial 
law in Missouri; the property of all persons who had taken up arms 
against the United States was declared to be confiscated, and '■'■ their 
slaves to be free men.'''' (President Lincoln at once annulled this last 
clause.) 

September ij. — Siege of Lexington commenced by Gen. Price. His 
force has been variously estimated from 22,000 to 28,000, with 13 cannon. 
Col. Mulligan, Federal, had 2,780 troops, with six brass cannon, 
two howitzers, and forty rounds of ammunition. The same day, at 
Boonville, the Confederates, led by Col. Brown, attacked the Federal gar- 
rison in command of Col. Eppstein, and were repulsed with a loss of 12 
killed and 30 wounded; Federal loss, 1 killed and 4 wounded. 

Se;pte7iiber ij. — Battle of Blue Mills Landing, or Missouri Bottom, in 
Clay county. A body of Confederates, variously estimated at 600 to 1,000 
men, were on their way to join Gen. Price, at Lexington; and being pur- 
sued by a body of TOO Iowa and Missouri Unionist volunteers, they laid 
in ambush, and were attacked. The Federals lost 16 killed and 80 
wounded ; the Confederates lost 10 killed and 60 wounded, repulsed their 
assailants, and then crossed over to Blue Mills, in Jackson county, on the 
south side of the Missouri, and marched on to Lexington. 

September i8-ig. — Main battle of Lexington. 

September 20. — Col. Mulligan surrendered. Gen. Price honorably rec- 
ognized the pluck and splendid heroism of his opponents, who were out 
of both provisions and ammunition, and for two days had had no water 
except the night dews which settled in their blankets and was wrung out 
into camp dishes in the morning. He released the privates on parole, but 
retained the officers as prisoners. Of the Federals there were 42 killed 
and 108 wounded. Gen. Price reported 25 killed and 72 wounded, from 
his regular muster rolls. But nearly half the men there with him were 
not formally enrolled as soldiers, and the losses among them could never 
be ascertained with any certainty, though known to be pretty large. 

September 21. — A fight occurred at Papinsville, in Bates county, in 
which, as reported, 17 Unionists were killed, and 40 Confederates killed 
and 100 captured. 

September -?/. — Gen. Fremont left St. Louis for Jefferson City, in pur- 
suit of Price, with an army of 15,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 86 
pieces of artillery; his chief officers were Generals Hunter, Pope, Siegel, 
McKinstry and Asboth. But Price was too good a general to be caught 
at a disadvantage ; he however skillfully managed to lead the Federals on 
wild goose chases after him all over southern Missouri. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 57 

October ij. — Secretary of War Cameron, and Adj't. Gen. Thomas, 

visited Fremont at Tipton. 

On the same day the Federal garrison at Lebanon, in LaClede county, 

was attacked unsuccessfully by Confederates, who lost 27 killed, 12 

Avounded, and 36 taken prisoners. Federal loss, 1 killed and sev'eral 

wounded. 

October i^. — On this day Fremont's army reported thus: 

1st division. Gen. Hunter, at Tipton 9,750 men 

2d " Gen Pope, at Georgetown 9,220 men 

3d " Gen. Siegel, at Sedalia 7,980 men 

4th " Gen. Asboth, at Tipton 6,451 men 

5th " Gen. McKinstry, at Syracuse 5,388 men 

Total 38,789 men 

They were all hunting for Gen. Price, to give him battle ; he was not 
yet ready for a pitched battle, but he worried the Federals a great deal by 
decoying them into many a long and fruitless march. 

About this time several small fights occurred in different parts of the 
state, but of which few particulars can be obtained. The " American 
Annual Cyclopedia," for 1861, gives the following statistics: Oct. 15, 
Big River bridge. Federal loss, 1 killed, 7 wounded, 52 missing; Confed- 
erate loss, 20 killed, 4 wounded. October 16, Bolivar Heights [in Polk 
county]. Federal loss, 7 killed; Confederate loss, 150 killed. Oct. 17, 
Pilot Knob, Federal loss, 1 killed, 10 wounded; Confederate loss, 36 
killed. Oct. 19, Big Harrison Creek, Federal loss, 2 killed, 14 wounded; 
Confederate loss, 14 killed, 8 missing. Oct. 23, West Liberty [in Putnam 
•county]. Federal loss, 2 wounded; Confederate loss, 15 killed, 30 wounded.* 

October i6. — Recapture of Lexington by Major White, releasing Union 
prisoners, including two colonels of Mulligan's brigade. 

October 21. — Battle of Fredericktown, in Madison county. Confeder- 
ate Col. Jetf Thompson was defeated with loss of 200 killed, and made a 
hasty retreat, leaving 60 of his dead behind him. Federal loss, 30 killed. 

October 24., — Battle of Springfield. Major Zagonyi, with 300 cavalry, 
known as " Fremont's Body Guard, " attacked an irregular force estima- 
ted at 1,200 foot and 400 horsemen, and defeated them, losing 84 of his 
men killed or wounded; 100 of his troops were Kentuckians. The Con- 
federate loss was known to be considerable, but could never be fully ascer- 
tained; their dead w^ere buried the next day, under a flag of truce. 

October 27. — Gen. Siegel reached Springfield with his division. Fre- 
mont was concentrating his army at Springfield, to fortify and hold it as 

*Ia the greater number of battles iu this state the Federals had the advantage of more 
artillery thau the Confederates, and men better skilled in its use ; and this is why the 
losses on the Confederate side so often seem out of proportion. 

3 * 



58 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

the key to southwestern Missouri and northern Arkansas, where Price 
and McCulloch were operating. 

November 2. — Fremont was removed from command and Gen. Hunter 
placed in his stead. 

November 2. — A sharp fight occurred on Bee Creek, between Weston 
and Platte City, in Platte county; the Confederate loss is given as 13 killed 
and 30 missing; Federal loss not known. 

November 7. — Gen. Hunter evacuated Springfield and fell back to Rolla. 
This same da}'^ the battle of Belmont occurred; Federal loss, 84 killed, 
388 wounded, and 285 taken prisoners. Pollard's "Southern History" 
says the Confederate loss in this battle was 632. But the National Hand- 
Book reports the Confederate losses as 261 killed, 427 wounded, and 278 
missing. 

November 18. — Gen. H. W. Halleck arrived at St. Louis and took com- 
mand, in place of Gen. Hunter. 

November 21. — Gen. Halleck issued an order that no fugitive slaves should 
be permitted to enter the lines of any camp, nor of an}^ forces on the march. 
(President Lincoln had some time before this annulled Gen. Fremont's 
order declaring certain slaves free.) 

November 27. — Gen. J. M. Schofield placed in command of Missouri 
Federal troops. 

November and December. — During these months there occurred several 
irregular conflicts of no great importance, but still deemed worthy of cas- 
ual mention in Horace Greely's History of the War, because they served 
to show how the Missouri people were divided among themselves, and 
thereby suffered the more. The village of Warsaw was burned Nov. 19, 
and Platte City, Dec. 16, by guerillas; a small fight occurred at Salem 
Dec. 3, at Rogers' mill Dec. 7, and at or near Glasgow, Potosi, Lexing- 
ton, Mount Zion, and Sturgeon, on Dec. 28th. 

December 3. — Col. Freeman with a regiment of Confederate cavalry, 
made a night attack on Federal troops under Col. Bowen, near Salem, in 
Dent county, and was defeated, with a loss of 10 killed, 2<J wounded and 
10 prisoners. Federal loss, 3 killed, 8 wounded, 2 missing. Col. Free- 
man had suffered a sore defeat near Springer's mill, in the east part of 
the county, in August ; but no further particulars could be obtained. 

December /j. — Gen. Pope captured 300 recruits and 70 wagons loaded 
with supplies, going from Lexington to join Gen. Price, who was then at 
Osceola with 8,000 men. 

December 18. — Col. J. C. Davis, of Pope's army, surprised a Confeder- 
ate camp at Milford, and captured 3 colonels, 17 captains, 1,300 soldiers, 
1,000 stand of arms, 1,000 horses, besides all their tents, baggage and 
supplies. Federal loss, 2 killed, 17 wounded. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 59 

December 20. — By a concerted night attack, the Hannibal & St. Joe 
railroad was broken, and bridges destroyed ior about a hundred miles.* 

OPERATIONS IN 1862. 

March j. — Price and McCuiloch, at Boston Mountain, Arkansas, were 
joined by Maj. Gen. Van Dorn, Confederate commander of the Trans- 
Mississippi department, and by Gen. Pike, with a brigade of Indians from 
the Indian Territory. This army now numbered about 20,000, all under 
Gen. Van Dorn. 

March y-8. — Battle of Pea Ridge. Although Pea Ridge is really in 
Arkansas (just over the line), the battle was fought by the Confederates 
to regain a foothold in Missouri, and it properly belongs to the history of 
Missouri military operations. The Federal forces under Gen. Curtis 
engaged in this battle were 10,.500 men and 49 cannon. Gen. Van Dorn's 
army is variously given by different southern authorities, all the way 
from 16,000 to 30,000. The Federal loss was 203 killed, 972 wounded, 176 
missing. Count Paris' history^ states that the Confederates "left more 
than one thousand men in killed and wounded upon that long-contested 
battle-field." The Confederate Generals McCuiloch and Mcintosh were 
mortally wounded in this battle, and Gen. Buckner was captured. The 
Confederates lost 1,100 killed, 2,500 wounded, and 1,600 taken prisoners. 

August (5.— Battle of Kirksville. Col. Porter, with 2,000 or 3,000 Con- 
federates, mostly raw recruits who had been destroying bridges, was 
attacked by Col. McNeil with 1,000 cavalry and 6 cannon. Battle lasted 
four hours. Confederates retreated, with loss of 180 killed and 500 
wounded, and some wagon loads of arms and other supplies. Federal 
loss, 28 killed and 60 wounded. 

August 10. — Federals attacked 1,20(> Confederates under Col. Poindex- 
ter while crossing the Chariton river. After a running light 'of three or 
four da3'S, Col. Poindexter's troops were all killed, captured or dispersed, 
and himself taken prisoner. 

August II. — Col. Hughes captured the Federal garrison of 312 men of 
the 7th Missouri cavalry, stationed at Independence. 

Augtist i§. — Battle of Lone Jack, in Jackson county. Col. Coffey and 
Col. Hughes, with 4,500 men, attacked the Federals under Major Foster, 
wounding him, capturing his two cannon, and compelling him to retreat 
to Lexington. The victorious Confederates were in turn pursued by 

"*By order of Gen. Sterling Price, it [the North Missouri Railroad] was partially 
destroyed in June and July, 1861 ; and on the 20th of December, 1861, for a hundred miles, 
every bridge and culvert was broken down, and a perfect wreck made of everything that 
could be destroyed. In September and October, 1864, two trains of cars and seven depots 
were burned, and several engines iojured." — Annual Report Slate Commissioner of Statis- 
tics, 1866 ; p. 258. 



60 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

Stronger bodies of the National troops, and rapidly retreated toward 
Arkansas. 

September 2^. — Gen. Curtis placed in command of all Union troops in 
Missouri. 

Octoher i. — Battle of Newtonia, in Newton county. Gen. Salomon, of 
Wisconsin, was defeated by Confederate cavalry. Losses not known. 
Gen. Hindman was advancing from Arkansas with 18,000 to 20,000 Con- 
federates, poorly armed. Gen. Schofield came up with 10,000 troops to 
attack him at Newtonia, but he retreated back into Arkansas, closel}" 
pursued by the Federals. 

December 7. — Battle of Prairie Grove, Ark. This, being just over the 
line, was practically a Missouri battle ; it was fought between the same 
armies which had been so long contending for the mastery in this state. 
Our own state Generals, Marmaduke, Parsons and Frost, were in com- 
mand, under Gen. Hindman. The Federal commanders were Generals 
Blunt and Herron. Federal loss, 495 killed, 600 wounded; the Confeder- 
ates lost 1,500 in killed and wounded, and suffered a defeat. 

EVENTS IN 1863. 

'January 8. — Battle of Springfield. General Brown with 1,200 Mis- 
souri State militia, was attacked by Gen. Marmaduke with 1,870 Confed- 
erate troops. The battle lasted eight hours. Federal loss, 14 killed, 145 
wounded, 5 missing. Confederates lost, 41 killed and 160 wounded, 80 
of the latter being left as prisoners. 

January 11. — Battle of Hartsville. Finng commenced at 11 a. m., and 
continued until 4:30 p. m. Confederates under Generals Marmaduke and 
Porter lost 300 killed and wounded, and 29 taken prisoners. Among the 
killed were Gen. McDonald and Col. Porter, besides six other officers. The 
Federals were under Col. Samuel Merrill, (afterward Governor of Iowa), 
and lost 7 killed, 64 wounded and 7 missing. The Confederates retreated 
back into Arkansas. 

March 28. — Steamboat " Sam. Gaty " captured by Confederates at 
Sibley's landing, near Independence. 

April 26. — The Federal garrison at Cape Girardeau under Gen. Mc- 
Neil w-as attacked by Gen. Marmaduke with 10,000 men, and a battle of 
five hours ensued, in which the assailants lost 60 killed and over 300 
wounded. They retreated back into Arkansas, being pursued to the state 
line by Missouri militia, and a few more were killed or captured. 

Alay I J. — Gen, Schofield was placed in command in Missouri, succeed- 
ing Gen. Curtis. 

August I J. — Col. Coffey, Confederate, attacked the 6 th Missouri cav- 
alry under Col. Catherwood, at Pineville, in McDonald count}^, and was 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 61 

repulsed, with loss of 200 killed, wounded and prisoners, besides his 
wagons, munitions and cattle. 

October I J. — Battle near Arrow Rock, Saline county. Confederates 
reported 2,500 in number, under Cols. Shelby and CofTe}^, were attacked 
by Missouri state militia under Gen. E. B. Brown, and defeated with a 
loss of 300 in killed, wounded and prisoners, besides all their artillery and 
baggage. Fight lasted five hours. Federal loss not known, though 
reported as " also large." 

EVENTS IN 1864. 

yanuary 28. — Gen. Rosecrans arrived at St. Louis and took command 
of the Department of Missouri. 

'June — .The Belgian Consul, who was state commander of the secret 
order of "American Knights, " or " Sons of Liberty, " was arrested, with 
forty of the most prominent members, and held as hostages, because proof 
had been discovered that they were plotting against the Federal authori- 
ties. 

September 26. — Gen. Price, with 10,000 men, attacked the Federal gar- 
rison at Ironton (near Pilot Knob\ in command of Gen. Thomas Ewing, 
jr., with 1,200 men. After a day's hard fighting the Federals spiked their 
fort guns and retreated in the night to Rolla, having lost 200 killed and 
wounded. The Confederates lost 1,500. 

October 7. — Battle or skirmish of Moreau creek, in Cole county, which 
Gen. Price crossed, and formed his army in line of battle about four miles 
long around Jefferson City. But finding the Federal garrison intrenched, 
he marched on west without attacking them. (The Federals had 6,700 
men there). 

October 22. — Gen. Pleasanton's Federal cavalry defeated Col. Fagan at 
Independence, capturing two cannon. 

October 23. — Battle on the Big Blue creek, in Jackson county, lasting 
from 7 A. M., till 1 p. m. Confederates retreated southward. 

October 25. — Battle on little Osage Creek in Vernon county. Gen. 
Price was defeated, the Federals under Gen. Pleasonton capturing eight 
cannon, and Generals Marmaduke and Cabell, besides five colonels and 
1,000 men, with all equipments, supplies, etc. The fighting had been 
almost continuous by some part of the troops, all along the march from 
Independence to the Little Osage; and reports at this point give the Fed- 
eral loss at 1,000 killed and wounded, and about 2,000 taken prisoners; 
Confederate loss, 900 killed, 3,800 wounded and prisoners, and ten cannon 
captured from them. 

October 28. — Gen. Price again made a stand at Newtonia, in Newton 
county, and had a sharp fight with the Federals under Gens. Blunt and San- 
born, but was defeated and escaped into Arkansas. And this was the 



62 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

last encounter that can be called a "battle" within the bounds of our state. 
The numbers engaged on either side, and their losses in this last fight are 
not reported. 

MEN AND MONEY FOR THE WAR 

Under President Lincoln's first call, April 15, 18G1, for 75,000 volun- 
teers, Missouri furnished 10,501 men; and she furnished a total of 108,773 
Federal or Union soldiers during the war. The total number of citizens 
of Missouri who took up arms on the Confederate side cannot be ascer- 
tained. 

During the war the state issued its indebtedness called "Defense War- 
rants" and "Union Military Bonds," for equipping and maintaining the 
militia organizations of the state; the total amount was $7,876,575. All 
of the defense warrants and one-half of the Union military bonds were 
made receivable for state taxes; and a special fund was created for the 
redemption of the balance. The United States paid to the state of Mis- 
souri a total of $6,440,323.95, to reimburse her for military expenses 
incurred. 

ST. LOUIS IN THE WAR-TIME. 

Notwithstanding the strenuous competition of other cities, the superior 
advantages of St. Louis for distribution, and a due regard for its own 
interests, compelled the government to make St. Louis the western base 
of supplies and transportation. During the war the transactions of the 
government at this point were very large. Gen. Parsons, chief of trans- 
portation in the Mississippi Valley, submits the following as an approxi- 
mate summary of the operations in his department from 1860 to 1865: 

AMOUNT OF TRANSPORTATION. 

Cannons and caissons '. 800 

Wagons 13,000 

Cattle 80,000 

Horses and mules 25»),000 

Troops 1,000,000 

Pounds of military stores 1,050,000,000 

Gen. Parsons thinks that full one-half of all the transportation employed 
by the government on the Mississippi and its tributaries was furnished by 
St. Louis. From September, 1861, to December 31, 1865, Gen. Haines, 
chief commissary of this department, expended at St. Louis for the pur- 
chase of subsistence stores, $50,700,000. And Gen. Myers, chief quar- 
termaster of the department, disbursed for supplies, transportation, and 
incidental expenses, $180,000,000. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 63 

HOSPITAL SERVICE. 

As a part of the war history of Missouri, the military hospitals of St. 
Louis claim at least a brief mention. After the battle of Wilson's Creek 
it became apparent that the government provision for hospitals was 
entirely inadequate to the emergency. A voluntary organization, called 
the Western Sanitary Commission, was formed, consisting of James E. 
Yeatman (now of the Merchant's National Bank), Rev. Wm. G. Eliot, D. 
D., (now Chancellor of Washington University), George Partridge, 
(recently Vice President of Trustees of State Blind Asylum), Carlos S. 
Greeley and John B. Johnson. Their purpose was to receive and distrib- 
ute hospital supplies furnished by the people, and in every practicable way 
aid and co-operate with the military authorities in the care of the sick and 
wounded. The first woman regularly mustered into the United States 
service as a hospital nurse, in Missouri, was Mrs. F. R. H. Reid, M. D., 
from Wisconsin, (now resides at Des Moines, Iowa). She was the 
woman coadjutor of U. S. Surgeon, Dr. Mills, in opening and starting the 
first large volunteer hospital, which was known as the Chestnut street 
hospital; and afterward she took the same part in the Fourth street hos- 
pital; and also with Dr. Melchior in the Marine hospital; also in a tem- 
porary post hospital at Sulphur Springs. 

To give an idea of the largeness of the hospital work, we quote from a 
circular printed at St. Louis, Nov. 22, 1S61,* which sa3's: "There are 
ten military hospitals in St. Louis alone, with a maximum capacity for 
3,500 patients. The number of patients varies every day, but on Wednes- 
da}', November 20th, they reported patients under treatment as follows: 

House of Refuge hospital, [Sisters of Charity nurses] 475 

Fifth and Chestnut streets hospital, 464 

Good Samaritan hospital, [for measles,] 173 

Fourth street hospital, 328 

Jefterson barracks hospital 72 

Arsenal hospital, ' 16 

Camp Benton hospital, 106 

Pacific hospital, [depot for the hospital cars] 30 

Duncan's Island hospital, [for small-pox: cases all convalescent,] .... 4 

Convalescent barracks, [known as Camp Benton,] 800 

Total, 2,468 

" ( This does not include the company, regiment and brigade hospitals, 
of which there are several.) The average mortality has been about four 
per cent. A hospital car, properly fitted up and manned, passes daily 
over the railroad to the interior, to bring in the sick and wounded. The 
arrangements for decent burial, registration of deaths, identification, etc., 

* Prepared and published by H. A. Reid, Associate Member for Wiscoasin of the U. S. 
Sanitary Commission. 



64: HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

are very complete. The body of any soldier who may die in any of the 
hospitals may be identified, and removed for other obsequies or burial by 
relatives or friends. There are no hospital chaplains; but nurses are in- 
structed by the sanitary commission, that every patient who asks for it, 
will be visited by a clergyman of his own choice, at any hour." 

There were hospitals also at Jefferson City, Rolla and Ironton at this 
time. This circular contained a classified list, prepared by Mrs. Reid, of 
over a hundred different articles needed for the care, comfort and welfare 
of the soldiers in hospital, beyond what the general government could 
furnish; the whole document was reprinted by state authority at Madison, 
Wisconsin, and widely circulated. In a letter dated St. Louis, Jan. 14, 
1862, Mr. Yeatman said: "Wisconsin has contributed most largely to- 
wards supplying comforts for the sick in camps and hospitals in this 
department, second to but one other state — Massachusetts. " 

There was a prison hospital for sick Confederate prisoners, to whom 
supplies were furnished from the stores of the sanitary commission, the 
same as to the Union soldiers; and wounded Confederates were cared for 
in the general hospitals the same as those of the Federal troops. The 
writer hereof was an eye-witness to this fact; and is glad td record it as a 
testimony of the true Christian spirit of the sanitary commission and the 
magnanimity of the Federal authorities. 

THE AVAR-TIME STATE GOVERNMENT. 

The civil authority of the state remained vested in the state conven- 
tion from July, 1861, until July, 1863. This provisional body held the 
following sessions: 

1861— Jefferson City, February 28 to March 4. 
St. Louis, March 6 to March 22. 
Jefferson City, July 22 to July 31. 
St. Louis, October 10 to October 18. 

1862— Jefferson City, June 2 to June 14. 

1863 — Jefferson City, June 1.5 to July 1, when it adjourned sine die. 

The course of affairs had now become so far settled and pacified that 
civil proceedings were again possible, and the regular fall elections were 
held this year, 1863. On the 13th of February, 1864, the general assem- 
bly convened, and passed an act to authorize the election of sixty-six 
members to a state convention, "to consider such amendments to the con- 
stitution of the state as might by it be deemed necessary for the emanci- 
pation of slaves;* to preserve in purity the elective franchise to loyal 
citizens, and for the promotion of the public good." 

This convention met in St. Louis, January 6, 1865; and on the 11th of 

* President Lincoln's emancipation proclamation, January 1, 18G3, only applied to slaves 
within such states or parts of states as were then contr(>lk'd by the Confederate power. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 65 

the same month it passed, by a vote of sixty aA^es to four noes, an ordi- 
nance emancipating- all slaves within the state, and providing that it 
should take effect immediately. The convention also Iramed a new con- 
stitution, in many respects quite different from the old one. The final 
vote in conv^ention on the new instrument stood thirty-eight for, to thirteen 
against it. The (invention adjourned April 10, sine die. In June the 
people voted on the new constitution, and the vote stood 43,670 for, to 
41,808 against it. 

The following are some of the most notable new features embodied in 
the organic law of the state, and will readily explain why there was such 
a large vote against its adoption : It established an oath of loyalty to the 
United States ; and those who would not take the oath it excluded from 
the right to vote or hold any civil office whatever, or act as a teacher in 
any public school, or to solemnize marriage as a clergyman, or to practice 
law in any of the courts. It limited the amount of land which any church 
or religious society might hold to live acres of land in the country, or one 
acre in town or city; provided for taxing church property; and declared 
void any will bequeathing property to any clergj^man, religious teacher 
or religious sodety as such. There was a section designed to prevent 
the state from giving public property, lands or bonds, to railroad compa- 
nies. It provided that after January 1, 1876, no one could become a law- 
ful voter who was not sutRciently educated to be able to read and write. 

July 1, 1865, the governor, Thomas C. Fletcher, made proclamation 
that the new constitution had been duly ratified by a lawful majority of 
the people, and was thenceforth the organic law of the state. A few 
amendments have been since adopted; but in all important points it 
remains the same to this day. 




66 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 



TART II.— PHYSICAL AND INDUSTRIAL. 

t 



GEOLOGY AND MINERALS. 

The geological history of Missouri commences at the very bottom of 
the scale, or, in what may be termed the fire-crust period of geologic 
time. (See chart on page 67). Dana's "Manual of Geology" is the 
great standard work all over the United States on this subject. In his 
chapter on Archasan Time he gives a map and baef sketch of our North 
American continent as it existed at that remote period, which was, 
according to a calculation made for the Royal Society of London in 1879,* 
about 600,000,000 years ago. And as this is where Missouri first comes 
to light, we quote Prof. Dana's account of the very meagre areas and 
points of our continent which stood alone above the primeval ocean that 
then enveloped the entire globe with its bubbling, seething, sputtering 
wavelets — an enormous caldron of boiling, steaming silicious lye, rather 
than water. Dana says: 

" The principal of the areas is 77/1? Great Northern^ nucleal to the con- 
tinent, lying mostly in British America, and having the shaj>e of the letter 
V, one arm reaching northeastward to Labrador, and the other north- 
westward from Lake Superior to the Arctic. The region appears to 
have been for the most part out of water ever since the Archasan era.f 
To this area properly belong the Adirondack area, covering the larger 
part of northern New York, and a Michigan area south of Lake Supe- 
rior, each of which was probably an island in the continental sea before 
the Silurian age began. 

" Beside this nucleal area, there are border-mountain lines of Archaean 
rocks: a long Appalachian line, including the Highland Ridge of Dutch- 
ess county. New York, and New Jersey, and the Blue Ridge of Penn- 
sylvania and Virginia; a long Rocky Mountain series, embracing the 
Wind River mountains, the Laramie range and other summit ridges of 
the Rocky Mountains. In addition, in the eastern border region, there is 
an Atlantic coast range, consisting of areas in New Foundland, Nova 
Scotia and eastern New England. In the western border region, a 
Pacific coast range in Mexico; and several more or less isolated areas in 
the Mississippi basin, west of the Mississippi, as in Missouri, Arkansas, 
Texas, and the Black Hills of Dakota." — Danah Manual, p. 150. 

*See Popular Science Monthly, May, 1879, p. 137. 

fThe "Archaean era," as used by Prof. Dana, in 1874, (the date of his latest revision) 
included both the "Azoic Age," and "Age of Zooliths," as shown on the charts p. 67. When 
Prof. Dana wrote, it was still an open question whether the "cozoon" was of animal or 
mineral origin ; but the highest authorities are now agreed that it was animal ; aud Prof. 
Reid has, therefore, very properly given it a distinct place in his " Zoic Calendar." 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 



67 



GHOI«OGICAI< CSART; 

Including the Rock Scale of Geological Periods and the "Zoic Calendar of Creation."' Compiled 
ftom the works of Agaesiz, Lyell, Huxley, Haeckel, Dana, LeConte, and other first rank authorities in 
Science at the present time. By Hiram A. Reid, Secretary State Academy of Sciences at Dcs Moines, 
Iowa. [Published by permission of the Author.] 



Explanation. — The side line 
at the left shows what portions of 
geological time are comprehended 
in the terms "eozoic," " paleo- 
zoic," etc . The first column 
shows the periods or "Ages" of 
geological time during which the 
different successive types of ani- 
mal life predominated, or were the 
highest types then in existence. 
And these two divisions form the 
"Zoic Calendar of Creation." 

The second column shows the 
great general groupings of rock 
strata.in which are found the fossil 
remains of the corresponding ani- 
mal types named in the first col- 
umn. But, at tne "Age of Reji- 
tiles" occurs a grand divergement, 
for it was during this age that an- 
imal life pushed out into its most 
wonderful developments ; and 
there came into existence strange 
and marvelous forms of swimming 
reptiles, four-footed and two-foot- 
ed walking reptiles, and two-foot- 
ed and four-footed flying reptiles. 
Here also the true birds began to 
appear, though with reptilian pe- 
culiarities; and likewise the mar- 
supial animals, which are a tran- 
sitional type, between reptiles 
that produce theiryoung by laying 
eggs and the true mammals, "that 
bring forth their young well ma- 
tured and then suckle them. 

The third column shows the les- 
ser groupings of rock beds as clas- 
sified by our American geologists; 
but many minor subdivisions and 
local groups are omitted for want 
of space. At the top of this col- 
umn are shown the geological pe- 
riods of first appearance oi races 
of man, so far as now authentica- 
ted by competent scientific au- 
thorities.* 

The fourth column shows the 
number of feet in thickness of the 
difi'erent groups of rock layers as 
indicated by the braces. 

This Chart is the most compre- 
hensive and thorough in its de- 
tails, and yet the most systemati- 
cally and graphically presented to 
the eye, of anything in its line 
that has ever yet been published. 
Here is the whole story of geol- 
ogy and the ascent of life con- 
densed into the space of a few 
inches, yet so plainly set forth as 
to readily fix itself in the memory 
like an outline map. Scientific 
terms in newspapers and maga- 
zines often catch the reader at a 
disadvantage; but a reference to 
this chart will at once show the 
relative place or period in crea- 
tional progress to which the best 
authorized geological terms apply. 
It reaches, like a Jacob's ladder, 
from the lowest inklings to the 
highest ideals of life on the earth, 
as tanglit by modern science and 
the Christian Bible. 



THIS CALENDAR IS TO BE READ FROM THE BOTTOM UPWARD. 



AGE OF ANGELS. 



See Psalms 8:5 Lake 50:36 
Mark 1'2:25 1 Cor.l6:44 
Heb.2:2to9 ReT.22:8,9 



.£k.g:e of 

MAN 



Recent. 



Age OF 



MAMMALS. 



Age OF 



Reptiles. 



15 



Age of 
Amphibians. 



Age OF 
FISHES 



AGE 



OF 



Quaternary. 



TERTIARY. 



IS 



'Terrace, Epoch. 



Champlain Epoch. 



GLACIAL EPOCH. 



Feet in 
thi c k ness 
f t h e 
geological 
group< of 
rock form- 
ations. 



Pliocene. 



Miocene. 



11 
1] 



Eocene, 




Cretaceous. 



JURASSIC. 



TRIASSIC. 



Carboniferous 



Devonian. 



500 



8,000 



9,000 



L 800 to 
j 1,000 

^3,000 to 
I 5,000 



PERMIAN. 



Coal 

1 6,000 to 

Measures. I "sto 



Sub-Carbonifsrous. 



CatsUill. 



Chemung. 



Hamilton. 



, I 9,050 to 
I 14,400 



Upper Silarian, 



Niaga 



INVERTEBRATES I'O^erSUiiriaii 



AGE of ZOOLITHS 

"This Age alone was 
probably longer in dura- 
tion than alt subsequent 
"eological time." — Peof. 
.eCONTE. 



! 6,000 to 
10,000 



12,000to 
i 15,000 



Primordial vegetatiofl 



Graphite Beds. 



8 



f lO.OOOto 
\ 20,000 

f 30,000 



Metamorphic Granites. 



FIRE CRUST. 



AZOIC AGE. I § 



:CnnvriTbt 187<)::H.A.Reidl 



^ 



O f 350,000,000 years in coolini' I 
Qc down to 200»F. at the sur' I Depth 
J face [Peof. Helmholiz], a [ unknown, 
j temperature at which very 

low forms of vegetation can ' 
1 exist. j 



Serie\7o'l'xx?ir„°^57'°""T'SrM^J"^^^^^ ^'YV" ""^ ?'"',"; ='°^'r'''J "^i'S'ifi'' '-'^'■" - §»= Appletons' International Scientific 
Wincheirs ''Pre-Adamites '" nn J^S ,'^°'^°'<Pr\° "l ^^ "-^"^^ .''''?^y V"™ t^' "-^^ °f ^'^- .a"* '^^^^'^ flint." - lb. p. S4:i. See also, Prof. 
Pliocene "-^of in w^'if^'^P' I- 1^ " • ^""^ \^'J?'^ ''i-^ }°- Amoric-i is shown to be at least of as ancient a date as that of the European 
ruocene. -Prof. J. D.Whitney. Simdar views am held by Profs. Leidy, Marsh, Cops, Morse, Wyman, and other scientists of highest r.pote 



68 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

Thus, then, with the very first emergence of dr}^ land out of the heav- 
ily saturated and steaming mineral waters of the primeval ocean, we have 
Pilot Knob, Shepherd Mountain, and a few smaller peaks in their vicin- 
ity, forming an island in the vast expanse. The next nearest island was 
a similar one at the Black Hills, in Dakota. There is no reason as yet 
known fior beheving that any form of life, either animal or vegetable, had 
yet appeared in our Missouri region. The ocean water was still too hot, 
and still too powerfully surcharged with mineral salts, alkalis and acids 
to admit of any living tissues being formed; and the atmosphere was in 
like manner thickly loaded with deadliest acids in the form of vapors, 
which would partially condense as they arose, and fall upon the iron- 
headed islands to form a mineral crust, and then be broken and washed 
back into the sea. But this process being kept up and incessantly 
repeated for millions of years (see Prof. Helmholtz's estimate at bottom 
of the chart), both sea and air became gfaduall}^ purified of its excess of 
minerals and acids; and the water sufficiently cooled to admit of living 
tissues being formed; and meanwhile the condensing and crust-forming 
elements precipitated from the vapor-laden air or deposited directly from 
the bulk waters of the shoreless sea, were busily forming the solid earth. 
The different incrustations would each be a little different in their com- 
ponent elements; and then being broken up and mixed together and 
recombined, partly in the form of rough fragments, partly in the form of 
dust or sand ground into this state by mechanical attrition, partly in the 
form of fluidized or vaporized solutions, and partly in the form of molten 
masses produced directly by the earth's internal fires, the process of com- 
bining and recombining, with continual variation in the proportions, went 
on through the long, dreary, sunless and lifeless Azoic Age. 

But as soon as the great ocean caldron got cooled down to about 200 
degrees Fahrenheit, it was then possible for a very low form of vegetation 
to exist; and although no fossil remains of the first existing forms of such 
vegetation have yet been found, or at least not conclusively identified as 
such, yet graphite or plumbago, the material from which our lead pencils 
are made, is found in connection with the transition rocks between the 
Azoic and the Zoolithian ages. Graphite is not a mineral at all, but is 
pure vegetable carbon, and is supposed to be the remnant carbon of these 
first and lowest forms of tough, leathery, flowerless sea-weeds. Some 
small deposits of graphite are reported to have been found in connection 
with the iron and metamorphic granites of our Pilot Knob island; and 
that would indicate the first organic forms that came into existence within 
the boundaries of what now we call the state of Missouri. Just think of 
it! All North America, except a dozen widely scattered spots or islands, 
was covered with an ocean that spread its seamy expanse all around 
the globe ; no sunlight could penetrate the thick, dense cloud of vapors 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. (59 

that filled the enveloping atmosphere: according to our English author 
before cited, this was 600,000,000 years ago, a period which the humau 
mind cannot grasp: but the Almighty Maker of worlds had even then 
commenced to make the state of Missouri and its living occupants. 

The earliest known forms of animal life, a kind of coral-making rhizo- 
pod (root-footed) called Eozoon Canadeuse, are not found in Missouri, but 
are found abundantly in what are called the Laurentian rocks, in Canada 
and elsewhere. (See chart). It is not to be supposed, however, that the 
enormous period called the " Age of Zooliths " passed, with forms of ani- 
mal life existing in Canada, but none in our iron island region, unless we 
assume that the mineral acidity of the waters coming in contact with this 
island was so intense as to require all that vast period for its purification 
sufficiently to permit the existence of the lowest and most structureless 
forms of protoplasmic matter known to science. Prof. Swallow says, in 
writing on the Physical Geography of Missouri, " below the magnesian 
limestone series we have a series of metamorphosed slates, which are 
doubtless older than the knozun fossilifcrous strata; whether they belong to 
the Azoic, the Laurentian or Huronian, I am unable to say." 

The labors of our different state geologists have not discovered any 
fossil remains in Missouri lower down in the rock scale than what is called 
the " Lower Silurian " formations, which form the first half of the 
"Age of Invertebrates " in the zoic-calendar portion of Prof. Reid's chart. 
The term " Invertebrates " includes all forms of animal life that do not 
have a back-bone, such as polyps, mollusks, worms, insects, crustaceans, 
infusoria, etc. By the time this age (Silurian) had commenced, bur lone 
island had been joined by large areas northward, southwestward, eastward 
and northwestward, so that there began to be a continent; and several 
hundred species of animals and plants have been found fossil in the rocks 
of this period, but they are all marine species — none yet inhabiting the 
dry land. Our chart shows the Lower Silurian epoch sub-divided into 
Cambrian, Canadian and Trenton formations; but there are other local 
sub-divisions belonging to this period, the same as to all the other general 
periods named on the chart. The animals of this period were polyps or 
coral- makers ; worms, mollusks, trilobites, asterias (star-fishes), all of strange 
forms and now extinct. The trilobite, some species of which are found in 
Missouri, was the first animal on the earth which had eyes, although 
there were likewise a great many eyeless species of them ; but the fact 
that any of them had eyes during this age is considered by some scientists 
to prove that the atmosphere had by this time become sufficiently rarefied 
to let the sunlight penetrate clearly through it and strike the earth. On 
the other hand, others hold that this did not occur until after the atmos- 
phere had laid down its surcharge of carbonic acid and other gases, in the 
forms of limestone from animal Hfe and coalbeds from vegetable life; that 



70 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

is, there was nothing which we would now consider as clear sunshine 
until the carboniferous period. At any rate, Prof. Dana says of the 
Lower Silurian, "there was no green herbage over the exposed hills; 
and no sounds were in the air save those of lifeless nature, — the moving 
waters, the tempest and the earthquake." Having thus given the reader 
some idea of the beginnings of land and the beginnings of life in our old, 
old state, space will not permit us to linger with details upon the remain- 
ing geological periods. We have compiled the following table from vari- 
ous writings of our able state geologist, Prof. G. C. Swallow, of the State 
University : 

ROCK FORMATIONS OF MISSOURI. 

Igneous Rocks. — Granite, porphyry, syenite, greenstone, combined 
with those wonderful beds of iron and copper which are found in the 
Pilot Knob region. 

Azoic Rocks. — Silicious and other slates, containing no remains of 
organic life, though apparently of sedimentary and not of igneous origin. 

Lower Silurian — Feet thick. 

Hudson river group (3 local subdivisions) 220 

Trenton limestone 360 

Black-river and birds- eye limestone 75 

1st magnesian limestone 200 

Saccharoidal (sugar-like) sandstone 125 

2d magnesian limestone 230 

2d sandstone 115 

3d magnesian limestone 350 

3d sandstone 60 

4th magnesian limestone 300 

Total thickness of Silurian rocks 2035 

When the reader remembers that these were all formed successively 
by the slow process of the settling of sediment in water, he will get some 
idea of how it is that geology gives such astounding measurements of 
time. 

Upper Silurian — Feet thick. 

Lower Helderberg formation 350 

Niagara group 200 

Cape Girardeau limestone 60 

Total thickness 610 



history of the state of missouri. 71 

Devonian — 

{Chouteau limestone 85 
Vermicular sandstone and shales 75 
Lithographic limestone 125 

Hamilton group 40 

Onondaga limestone (extremely variable). 
Oriskany sandstone (doubtful). 
Carboniferous — 

Coal measures, consisting of strata of sandstones, limestones, 
shales, clays, marls, brown iron ores and coal 2,000 

In this formation there are from eight to ten good workable veins of 
coal; and the Missouri basin coal-bearing area is the largest in the world. 
It comprises the following: 

Square miles. 

In Missouri 27,000 

Nebraska 10,000 

Kansas 12,000 

Iowa 20,000 

Illinois 30,000 

Total 99,000 

The Sub-Carboniferous in Missouri is subdivided into: 

Feet. 

Upper Archimedes limestone . . . ^ 200 

Ferruginous (irony) sandstone 195 

Middle Archimedes limestone 50 

St. Louis limestone 250 

Oolitic limestone 25 

Lower Archimedes limestone 350 

Encrinital limestone 500 

Total sub-carboniferous 1570 

Cretaceous. — The Triassic and Jurassic formations have not been found 
in this state ; but Prof. Swallow has classed as probably belonging to the 
Cretaceous epoch, six different formations which comprise a total thick- 
ness of 158 feet. He says no fossils have been found to certainly identify 
these beds, but their geological horizon and lithological characters deter- 
mine their place in the scale. 

Tertiary. — The beautiful variegated sands and clays and shales and . 
iron ores, which skirt the swamps of southeast Missouri along the bluffs 
from Commerce to the Chalk Bluffs in Arkansas, belong to this system. 

Quaternary. — In this Prof. Swallow includes what is separated under 



72 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

the name of "Recent" by Prof. Dana and others, as shown in the chart. 

The Quaternar}' of Missouri is subdivided by Prof. Swallow into — 

Alluvium 30 feet 

Bottom Prairie 35 " 

Bluff {Loess of other authors) 200 " 

Drift (altered drift, boulder beds, boulder clay) 155 " 

Total Quaternary formations. 420 " 

That brings the succession of geological formations consecutively from 
their beginning up to the present time; and now our own eyes behold 
every day the processes of nature going on very much the same as they 
have gone along through all the unthinkable lapse of time that has passed 
since Pilot Knob first pushed its brazen brow up above the strange deso- 
lation of waters when "darkness was upon the face of the deep." And 
now our next consideration must be, the present aspects of the land sur- 
face of our state, together with its streams, its woodlands and its w-onder- 
ful mineral wealth and resources. 

MINERAL RESOURCES. 

In the extent, variety, and practical value of her stores of mineral 
wealth, Missouri is not excelled by any other state in the Union. In the 
fall of 1880 the New York Economist published an article on Missouri, 
in which it said: 

"The state of Missouri is one of the most remarkable pieces of this earth's 
surface. Surface indeed! Missouri goes far enough under the surface 
to furnish mankind with one hundred million tons of coal a 3'ear for thir- 
teen hundred years. Think of 20,887 square miles of coal beds — nearly 
half the state — and some of the beds nearly fifteen feet thick. With 
regard to iron, it is not necessary to penetrate the surface for that. They 
have iron in Missouri by the mountain. Pilot Knob, 581 feet high, and 
containing 360 acres, is a mass of iron; and Iron Mountain, about six 
miles distant from it, is 228 feet high, covers 500 acres, and is estimated 
in the last surveys, to contain 230,000,000 tons of ore, without counting 
the inexhaustible supply that may reasonably be supposed to exist below 
the level. There is enough iron lying about loose in Missouri for a 
double track of railroad across the continent. 

"The lead districts of Missouri include more than (!,000 square miles, 
and at least live hundred points where it can be profitably worked. In 
fifteen counties there is copper in rich abundance. There are large depos- 
its of zinc in the state. There is gold, also, which does not yet attract 
much attention, because of the dazzling stores of this precious metal farther 
west. In short, within one hundred miles of St. Louis the following met- 
als and minerals are found in quantities that will repay working: gold, 
iron, lead, zinc, copper, tin, silver, platina, nickel, emery, coal, limestone, 
granite, marble, pipe-clay, fire-clay, metalHc paints, and salt." 

It can hardly be said that gold, silver, tin, platina or emery have been 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OP' MISSOURI. 73 

found in paying quantity as yet, although they are known to exist in some 
of our mining districts, in combinations with other minerals. Our state 
board of immigration has published many well prepared and judicious 
papers on the various advantages and resources of our state, which care- 
full}' avoid making any extravagant or overdrawn statements. They 
give the real facts as accurately as the}^ could be ascertained up to 1879- 
80, and form the most reliable body of knowledge on many matters of 
state interest, that is now accessible; and from this source we gather the 
more essential points. 

Coal. — The Missouri coal fields underlie an area of about 2f3,UOO 
square miles. The southern outcrop of the coal measures has been traced 
from the mouth of the Des Moines through the counties of Clark, Lewis, 
Shelb}', Monroe, Audrain, Boone, Cooper, Pettis, Henr}', St. Clair, Bates, 
Vernon and Barton, into the Indian Territory, and every county north- 
west of this line is known to contain more or less coal. Outside of the 
coal fields given above, coal rocks also exist in Ralls, Montgomery, War- 
ren, St. Charles, Callawa}'^ and St. Louis counties, and local or outlying 
deposits of bituminous and cannel coal are found in Moniteau, Cole, Mor- 
gan, Crawford, Lincoln and Callaway counties. 

The exposed coal in Missouri includes upper, middle and lower coal 
measures. The upper coal measures contain about four feet of coal, in 
two seams of about one foot each and other thin seams and streaks. The 
area of their exposure is about 8,400 square miles. 

The middle coal measures contain about seven feet of coal, including 
two workable seams, twenty-one and twent3^-four inches thick, respect- 
ively, and one of one foot, which is worked under favorable circumstan- 
ces, and six thin seams. The exposure of the middle measures covers an 
area of over 2,000 square miles. 

The lower measures cover an area of about 15,000 square miles, and 
have five workable seams, varying in thickness from eighteen inches to 
four and a half feet, and thin seams of six to eleven inches. 

Iron. — It has been said b}^ experts that Missouri has iron enough "to 
run a hundred furnaces for a thousand years;" and the ores are of ever}'' 
variety known to metallurgical science. Iron Mountain is the largest 
body of specular iron and the purest mass of ore in the world. It was 
forced up through the crust of the earth in a molten state during the 
Azoic Age of geology. The different ores of the state are classed as red 
hematite, red oxide, specular or glittering ore, brown hematite or limo- 
nite, hydrous oxide, magnetic ofe, and spathic or spar-like ore (carbonate 
of iron). Many other names are used to indicate different combinations 
of iron with other minerals. Some of the iron deposits, instead of coming 
up in a fused mass from the bowels of the earth, as Pilot Knob, Shep- 
5 



l-i HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

herd Mountain and Iron Mountain evidently did, were formed by the 
steam that attended those fiery upheavals, carrying its load of gaseous 
matter until it condensed and settled down at different points, and gradu- 
ally cooled or cr3'stalized. This would occur sometimes in water and 
sometimes in the air, thus producing the great variety of ferruginous or 
irony compositions which we now find and utilize. And this mineral 
steam method of depositing iron and other products from subterranean 
gases must have occurred in Missouri at different periods of geologic 
time, and not all during the Azoic. The red ores are found in 21 coun- 
ties ; the brown hematite or limonite iron ores extend over 9^ counties, 
and in 31 of them it occurs in vast quantity. 

Shepherd Mountain is 660 feet high. The ore, which is magnetic and 
specular, contains a large percentage of pure iron. The hight of Pilot 
Knob above the Mississippi river is 1,118 feet. Its base, 581 feet from the 
summit, is 360 acres. The iron is known to extend 440 feet below the 
surface. The upper section of 141 feet is judged to contain 14,000,000 
tons of ore. The elevation of Iron Mountain is 228 feet, and the area of 
its base 500 acres . The solid contents of the cone are 230,000,000 tons. 
It is thought that every foot beneath the surface will yield 3,000,000 tons 
of ore. At the depth of 180 feet, an artesian auger is still penetrating 
solid ore. Dr. Litton thinks that these mountains contain enough iron 
above the surface to afford for two hundred years an annual supply of 
1,000,000 tons. The ore is almost exclusively specular. It yields 56 per 
cent, of pure iron. The iron is strong, tough and fibrous. 

Profs. Schmidt and Pumpelly, in their very learned work on the iron 
ores of Michigan and Missouri, have classified the iron-bearing region of 
our state as follows: 

Eastern Ore-Region. — 1. Ore-district along the Mississippi river. 2. 
Iron Mountain district. 3. Southeastern limonite district. 4. Franklin 
county district. 5. Scotia district. 

Central Ore-Region. — 1. Steel ville district. 2. Ore-district on the up- 
per Meramec and its tributaries. 3. Salem district. 4. Iron Ridge 
district. 5. St. James district. 6. Rolla district. 7. Middle Gasconade 
district. 8. Lower Gasconade district. 9. Callawa3^ county district. 

Western Ore-Region. — 1. Lower Osage district. 2. Middle Osage 
district. 3. Upper Osage district. 

Southwestern Ore-Region. — 1. White River district. 2. Ozark county 
district. 

The same authorities have classified the various kinds of iron ores 
found in Missouri, thus: 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 75 



Strata of red hematite. 

Disturbed or drifted deposits of red 

hematite. 
Deposits of limonite on limestone. 
Disturbed or drifted deposits of 

limonite. 



Deposits of specular ore in por- 
phyry. 

Deposits of specular ore in sand- 
stone. 

Disturbed deposits of specular ore. 

Drifted deposits of specular ore. 

Lead. — The annual lead product of Missouri is said now to exceed 
that of any other state or country; and it is conceded that its lead deposits 
are the richest in the world. The lead region all lies south of the Mis- 
souri river; the mineral is found chiefly in the magnesian limestone rocks, 
which are the great lead-bearing rocks of the world; but it is also found 
in ferruginous clays, in slates, in gravel beds, and in cherty masses in 
the clays. 

Mr. R. O. Thompson, mining engineer, of St. Louis, has written a 
sketch of the mode of origin of our lead and some other mineral deposits, 
which is plain, concise, and a clear statement of the teachings of science 
on this very interesting portion of Missouri's geological and mineralogical 
history. We quote: 

"The Azoic rocks in this region, when the great Silurian system began 
to be formed, were so many islands, their heads only elevated above the 
vast sedimentary sea. The beds upon which the limestones and sand- 
stones \vere deposited consisted of the weatherings of the Azoic rocks, 
which naturally sought the valleys and became a base for the sedimentary 
rock. This boundless sea held in solution lime, magnesia, alumina, man- 
ganese, lead, copper, cobalt, nickel, iron, and other mineral substances. 
In this chemical condition gases were evolved and the work of formation 
commenced. The two gases forming the great creative power, and aiding 
solidification, were carbonic acid and sulphuretted h3drogen; the former 
seeking its affinity in lime and forming limestone; the sulphur in the latter 
naturally combining with the other metals, forming sulphates, or sulphur- 
ets. The work of deposition and solidification being in harmony, it is 
easy to understand how those minerals exist in a disseminated condition 
in these rocks. The slates that we find so rich in galena, presenting the 
myriad forms of liiigula, must also have been formed in the Silurian Age. 
The distribution among the magnesian limestones of these decomposing 
slates can be most easily accounted for. The decomposed feldspar pro- 
duced by the weathering of the porphyry became in its change a silicate 
of alumina, and the sulphur, combining with the lead, disseminated the 
same in the slate as readily as in the limestone." 

The Missouri lead region has been divided or classified into five sub- 
districts, as follows: 

I. The Southeastern Lead District, embraces all or parts of Jefferson, 
Washington, Franklin, Crawford, Iron, St. Francois, St. Genevieve, 
Madison, Wayne, Reynolds, and Carter counties, with some mines in the 
western portion of Cape Girardeau county. Mining has been longest 
carried on in this district, and the aggregate of the production has been 
very great, although the work has been chiefly surface mining. Mine- 



76 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

La-Motte, in this district, was discovered in 1720, by Francis Renault and 
M. LaMotte, and has been worked more or less ever since. 

II. The Central Lead District^ comprises, as far as known, the coun- 
ties of Cole, Cooper, Moniteau, Morgan, Miller, Benton, Maries, Camden* 
and Osage. Much of the mining done here, again, has been near the 
surface, the lead first being found in clays, in caves, and in masses in clay 
but a few inches below the surface. Shafts, however, sunk in the mag- 
nesian limestone, find rich deposits in lodes and pockets. 

III. The Southern Lead District^ comprises the counties of Pulaski, 
La Clede, Texas, Wright, Webster, Douglas, Ozark, and Christian. 

IV. The Western Lead District embraces Hickory, Dallas, Polk, St. 
Clair, Cedar, and Dade counties. Some rich deposits have been found 
in this district, especially in Hickory countv. 

V. The South-western Lead District comprises Jasper, Newton, Law- 
rence, Stone, Barry, and McDonald. Here very extensive mining has 
been done, more especially in the two counties first named, which have, 
for the last few years, produced more than one-half of the pig-lead mined 
in the state. 

For several years past more than one-half the lead production of the 
United States has been from Missouri mines. Besides the numerous 
smelting works supported by them, the manufacture of white lead, lead 
pipe, sheet lead, etc., contributes materially to the industries and com- 
merce of the state. 

Copper. — Several varieties of copper ore exist in Missouri mines. 
Deposits of copper have been discovered in Dent, Crawford, Benton, 
Maries, Greene, Lawrence, Dade, Taney, Dallas, Phelps, Reynolds and 
Wright counties. Some of the mines in Shannon countv are now profit- 
ably worked, and mines in Franklin county have yielded good results. 

Zinc. — Sulphuret, carbonate and silicate of zinc are found in nearly all 
the lead mines of southwestern Missouri; and zinc ores are also found in 
most of the counties alonof the Ozark ranije. What the lead miners call 
" black-jack," and throw away, is sulphuret of zinc. Newton and Jasper 
counties are rich in zinc ores; and Taney county has an extensive vein of 
calamine, or carbonate of zinc. 

CoBAi/r. — Valuable to produce the rich blue colors in glass and porce- 
lain, and for other purposes in the arts, is found in considerable quantities 
at Mine-La-Motte. 

Manganese. — Used in glass manufacture and the arts; it is found in 
St. Genevieve and other counties. 

Nickel. — Found in workable quantities at Mine-La-Motte. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 77 

BUILDING STONE. 

Missouri abounds in solid, durable materials for buildings; she has 
quarries of red and gray granites, and very line limestones, sandstones 
and marbles. In Crawford, Washington and Franklin counties there are 
workable beds of " onyx marble," a stalagmite formation found in caves, 
and very rich and valuable for mantles, table-tops, vases, ornaments, etc. 
This marble is not found anywhere else in the United States, and has 
been imported from Algiers and Mexico, at great cost. As an illustration 
of the high repute abroad, and substantia] home value ot Missouri 
products in the stone line, we give a case in point. 

The new state capitol at Des Moines, Iowa, which will cost $3,000,000, 
and is said to be the largest and finest public edifice in the United States 
outside of Washington cit}^ is built mostly of materials from Missouri, 
except the rough masonry and brickwork. The Missouri stones and 
their cost is as follows: 

St. Genevieve bufi^" sandstone $ 147,289.83 

Carroll county blue hmestone 139,238..54 

Fourteen red granite columns, 18 feet, 4^ inches long, 2 

ft. 3 in. diameter, turned and polished at St. Louis... . 8,144.50 



Total paid by Iowa to Missouri on this one building . . $ 294,672.87 

Other examples of Missouri building stone will be of interest. The 
Archimedes limestone is used for the U. S. custom house in St. Louis. 
The encrinital limestone is used for the State University building, and 
court house at Columbia. The Trenton limestone is used in the court 
house at St. Louis. A stratum called " cotton rock " in the magnesian 
limestone formation, is used for the state house and court house at Jeffer- 
son City. Encrinital marble is found in Marion county, and other varie- 
ties occur in Cooper, Cape Girardeau, St. Louis, Iron and Ozark coun- 
ties. In the bluffs on the Niangua, a marble crops out twenty feet thick, 
which is a fine-grained, crystaline, silico-magnesian limestone, of a light 
drab color, slightly tinged or clouded with peach blossom. Some of the 
beautiful Ozark marbles have been used in ornamenting the national 
capitol at Washington. 

Lithographic limestone is found in Macon county. 

EARTHS, CLAYS, OCHRES, ETC. 

Kaolin, or decomposed feldspar, is a clay for making porcelain ware, 
and is found in and shipped from southeastern Missouri. Fine pottery 
clays are found in all the coal bearing region. North of the Missouri 
river manj^ beds of best fire-clay are found, which is extensivel}- manufac- 
tured at St. Louis into fire brick, gas retorts, metallurgists' crucibles, etc. 



78 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

Yellow and red ochres, ferruginous clays, and sulphate of baryta, all val- 
uable in the mannfacture of mineral and fire-proof paints, are found in 
great abundance all through the iron districts. Near St. Genevieve there 
is a bank of saccharoidal sand which is twenty feet in height, and miles 
in extent. The mass is inexhaustible. Two analyses give the following 
results : 

Silica 98.81 99.02 

Lime 0.92 0.98 

The sand is very friable, and nearly as white as snow. It is not oxy- 
dized or discolored by heat, and the glass made from it is clear and 
unstained. One firm in St. Louis has annually exported more than 3,500 
tons of this sand to the glass manufactories of Wheeling, Steubenville 
and Pittsburg. 



GEOGRAPHY OF MISSOURI. 



LOCATION AND AREA. 

The state of Missouri (with the exception of ^the Pan-Handle, in the 
southeast corner, which extends 34 miles further south), lies between the 
parallels 36 degrees 30 minutes and 40 degrees 30 minutes north latitude, 
and between longitudes 12 degrees 2 minutes, and 18 degrees and 51 min- 
utes west from Washington. Its southern boundary line, extended east- 
ward, would pass along the southern boundaries of Tennessee and Vir- 
ginia. The line of the northern boundary, extended in the same direction, 
would pass north of the centers of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and near the 
centers of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Extending these lines west- 
ward, they would embrace the entire state of Kansas, and a considerable 
portion of Nebraska on the north and of the Indian Territory south. 

The length of the state north and south is 282 miles; ils extreme width 
east and west, is 348 miles, and the average width, which is represented 
by a line drawn due west from St. Louis, is 235 miles. 

The area of the state is 65,350 square miles, or 41,824,000 acres. In 
size it is the eighth state in the Union, and is larger than any state east 
of or bordering upon the Mississippi, except Minnesota. It occupies 
almost the exact center of that portion of the United States lying between 
the Rocky Mountains and the Atlantic, and is midway between the 
British possessions on the north and the Gulf of Mexico south. 

The following list shows what other large cities of our own and 
foreign countries lie on the same latitude with the largest cities in our 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 79 

State: The latitude of 38 to 39 degrees north, embraces Annapolis, 
Maryland; Washington and Georgetown, D. C; Alexandria, Va.; Ports- 
mouth, Ohio; Lexington, Frankfort and Louisville, Ky.; Madison, New 
Albany and Evansville, Ind.; St. Louis andjefterson City, Missouri; 
Sacramento and Vallejo, California; Yarkand, China; Tabreez, Persia; 
Smyrna, Turkey; Messina and Palermo, Sicily; Lisbon, Portugal. 

The latitude of 39 to 40 embraces the cities of Philadelphia, Dover, Wil- 
mington, Baltimore, York, Gettysburg, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indiana- 
polis, Terre Haute, Springfield, Quincy, Hannibal, Kansas City, St. 
Joseph, Leavenworth, Denver; Virginia City, Nevada; Marysville, Cali- 
fornia; Tientsin, Pekin and Kashgar, in China; Bokhara in Turkestan; 
Erzroom in Turkey; Valencia in Spain. 

The meridian of 90 to 91 degrees west longitude, takes in Grand 
Portage, Minnesota; Mineral Point, Wisconsin ; also Dubuque, Davenport, 
Rock Island, Galesburg, St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg and New 
Orleans. 

Missouri is half as large again as New York, and more than eight 
times the size of Massachusetts. It would make a score of German prin- 
cipalities. Larger than England and Wales, or Scotland and Ireland, it 
is equal to one-third of the area of France. 

SURFACE FEATURES. 

As explained in the chapter on geology, there occurred away back 
in the earliest geological ages, some subterranean force which pushed up 
through the' crust of the earth, a series of knobs and irregular ridges and 
hills in a region extending from St. Genevieve, in a southwest direction, 
to Shannon and Texas counties, taking in some portions of Madison, St. 
Francois, Washington, Iron and Reynolds counties. After this, these 
knobs and ridges were islands in the ocean, which covered the rest of 
Missouri and adjoining states. On the bottom of this ocean the solid 
strata of limestone, sandstone, and other rocks, were formed. In course 
of time the rest of the country was raised above the ocean, and the sur- 
face presented a broad, undulating plateau, from which projected the hills 
and ridges above named. The rains descended upon this plateau, and the 
waters collected into branches, creeks and rivers, and flowed away to the 
ocean, as now; and during the succeeding cycles, the channels and valleys 
of the streams were worn into the rocks as they now appear. These 
facts respecting the formation of our state, give some idea of its surface 
features. It may be described as a broad, undulating table-land or 
plateau, from which projects a series of hills and ridges extending from St. 
Genevieve to the southwest, and into which the branches, creeks and 
rivers have worn their deep broad channels and valleys. In that portion 
of the state north of the Missouri river, the northwest part is the highest. 



80 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

and there is a general descent to the south and east, as shown by the 
course of the Missouri river and its north side tributaries. In the eastern 
part of this region there is a high dividing ridge which separates the 
small east-flowing tributaries of the Mississippi from those flowing south- 
ward into the Missouri; the St. Louis, Kansas Cit}^ and Northern railroad 
follows this highland from Warren and Montgomery- counties to Coats- 
ville on the north line of the state, in Schuyler county; and railroad sur- 
veys show that in a straight line across the state, the Missouri river at the 
city of Weston, in Platte county, is 320 teet higher than the Mississippi at 
Hannibal. 

South of the Missouri the highest part is a main ridge extending from 
Jasper county through Lawrence, Webster, Wright, Texas, Dent, Iron, 
St. Francois and Peny counties, striking the Mississippi river at Grand 
Tower. This ridge constitutes what is called the Ozark range, which 
for three-fourths of its course across Missouri is not mountainous, or com- 
posed of peaks, but is an elevated plateau of broad, level, arable land, and 
divides the northward flowing tributaries of the Missouri from the waters 
which flow southward into the lower Mississippi. It is a part of that 
great chain of ridge elevations which begins with Long's Peak, about fifty 
miles northwest of Denver, in Colorado; crosses the state of Kansas 
between the Kansas and Arkansas rivers; crosses Missouri through the 
counties above mentioned ; passes into Illinois at Grand Tower and thence 
into Kentucky opposite Golconda ; and is finally merged into the Cumber- 
land Mountains. This ridge probably formed the southern shore of that 
vast inland sea into which the upper Missouri and Platte rivers emptied 
their muddy waters for a whole geological age, and deposited over the 
states of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, their sediment from the 
Cretaceous and Tertiary beds of the mountain regions in Dakota, Montana, 
Wyoming, etc., and the "Bad Lands'" of northwestern Nebraska. This 
great sea or lake iiad its chiefs outlet at Grand Tower,* where for 
thousands of years its waters plunged over the rocky limestone ledges 
and flowed oft' to the Gulf of Mexico, which then extended nearly or quite 
up to the mouth of the Ohio river at Cairo. But as it gradually wore 
down the rocks of this southern high ridge barrier, of course the channel 
through this narrow pass became gradually deeper and deeper, and as 
gradually drained oft" the mighty lake, leaving four great states covered 
chiefly with a kind of sediment which Prof. Swallow has termed " bluft 

* Dr. Shuuiard in his report on a geological section from St. Louis to Commerce, — jj. 151, 
says: "The Grand Tower rises from the bed of the Mississippi, an isolated mass of rock, 
of a truncated-conical shape, crowned at tlui top with stunted cedars, and situated about 
fifty yards from the Missouri shore. It is eighty-five feet high, and four hundred yards 
in circumference at the base. During liigh water, the current rushes aroimd its base with 
great velocity. * "= About half a mile below the Tower, near the middle of the river, is 
a huge mass of chert. =^- In the next two miles the Missouri shore is bounded by hills 
from 75 to 200 feet in altitude." It is rocky and bluffy for six miles or more along here, 
some of the elevations reaching 330 feet. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 81 

deposit," though called by other writers loess. At Grand Tower, where 
the Mississippi has worn for itself this narrow gorge or pass through the 
rocks, the current rushes and roars and tumbles along at such a mill-flume 
rate, that the passage by boats either up or down stream, is difiicult and 
dangerous.* And it was here that the river pirates had their stronghold 
in the early days of keel-boat traffic between St. Louis and New Orleans. 
They permitted no traders to pass this point without paying such tribute 
as they chose to levy ; and upon the least show of resistance, they would 
rob, murder and plunder without remedy. If the human history of this 
place could be written, it would be full of blood-curdling incidents, and 
deeds of violence by rude and murderous men. 

The following table of elevations above tide water in the Gulf of Mex- 
ico will give a general idea of the heights reached by this southern 
upland region: 

Gran by, Newton county, (farthest southwest) 1,030 feet. 

Marshfield, in Webster county, 96 miles from the west line 

of the state 1,462 " 

Ohio City, opposite mouth of the Ohio river. .• 272 " 

New Madrid, 30 miles farther south 247 " 

St. Louis directrix, (or register) 372 " 

Base of Pilot Knob 909 " 

Top of Pilot Knob . 1,490 " 

It will thus be seen that the top of Pilot Knob, at the eastern end of 
our south border highlands, is only twenty-eight feet higher than Marsh- 
field, near the western end. 

RIVERS AND WATER COURSES. 

The Mississippi river bounds the state on the east for a distance of more 
than 500 miles. The Missouri washes the western boundary of the state 
from the northwest corner southwardly, some 250 miles, to the mouth of 
the Kansas, whence it takes a course south of east, through the heart of 
the state to its junction with the Mississippi, a distance of nearly 400 
miles, presenting a river front from these two majestic streams of 1,550 
miles. Besides these mighty streams, are many smaller rivers, more or 
less navigable for steamboats and barges. On the south, or the right 

*A small work published at Davenport, Iowa, in 1856, describes this place as "a gorge 
where the river has in some remote geological age burst through a limestone mountain 
ridge, making a dangerous rock}' pass, and washing the cliff into strange, fantastic forms." 
And a western poet nearly 30 years ago, thus described the spot : 

" Here Nature sports with Art in rocky towers, 
Quarried by the wave, or lilts in Doric state 
Abraded pillars to the corniced cliflf ; 
And through sharp angles, narrows, flume and gorge, 
The wildered waters, plunging, roar and foam — 
£. Scylla and Charybdis of no mythic tale." 



82 HISTORli' OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

bank of the Missouri, the Gasconade, Osage and La Mine are navigable; 
on the Osage, steamboats make regular trips as high as Warsaw, and 
barges and keel-boats may pass as high as the state line. On the left 
bank of the Missouri, the Platte, Chariton and Grand rivers are naviga- 
ble for ketl-boats and barges; and small steamers have made a few trips 
on their waters. The other important streams of the state are the Des 
Moines, Salt, Meramec, St. Francis and White rivers, all of which on 
rare occasions have been navigated by steamers. There are large num- 
bers of smaller streams called rivers and creeks. 

There are places in all our streams, except the Mississippi and Missouri, 
where they might be dammed and made to drive the machinery of mills 
and factories. Rock beds to support dams and make them permanent 
are to be found in many localities on the Osage, Niangua, Pomme du 
Terre, Sac, Spring river, Big river. Castor, Bourbeuse, Gasconade, St. 
Francis, Current, White, Grand, La Mine, Meramec, etc. No country is 
better supplied with bold springs of pure water. Many of them are 
remarkable for their size and volume. 

There is, on the whole, no state in the Union better supplied with an 
abundance of wholesome, living water for stock and domestic uses ; and 
it abounds in springs, splendidly situated for dairy business, with water at 
a uniform temperature below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. There are no 
lakes in the state except a few small ones in the extreme southeastern 
counties. 

NOTABLE SPRINGS. 

Minei'al Springs occur in every part of the state. There are excellent 
salt springs in Cooper, Saline, Howard and adjoining counties. Sulphur 
springs that have become known as places of summer resort, are: The 
Chouteau springs in Cooper county; Monagan springs in St. Clair county; 
Elk springs in Pike county; Cheltenham springs in St. Louis county. 
And Prof. Swallow says there are sulphur springs in half the cour^Ies of 
the state. Sweet springs, on Blackwater creek, are what are call '4 chaly- 
beate waters, containing some of the salts of iron; and there .re a few 
others of this class. Petroleum or tar springs occur in Carroll, Ray, 
Randolph, Cass, Lafayette, Bates, Vernon, and other counties, and fur- 
nish a good lubricating oil in large quantities. In the south part of the 
State there are numerous fresh water springs of such great flowage as to 
be utilized for water power. One called Bryce's spring, on the Niangua 
river, which runs through Dallas, Hickory and Camden counties, dischar- 
ges 10,927,872 cubic feet of water per day, drives a large flouring mill, 
and flows away a river 42 yards wide. This is the largest one, of these 
big springs. The temperature of its water is steadily at 60 degrees Fahr- 
enheit, and the flowage uniform throughout the year. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 83 

SOILS AND THEIR PRODUCTS. 

As late as 1830 the greater part of Missouri was still marked on com- 
mon school geography maps as part of the great American desert; and in 
1820, even our own great statesman, Thomas H. Benton, had written: 
"After you get 40 or 50 miles from the Mississippi, arid plains set in and 
the countr}' is uninhabitable except upon the borders of the rivers and 
creeks." But our present knowledge of Missouri's climate, soils and prod- 
ucts show how widely mistaken our wisest people were on this subject 
in those early days. 

Prof. Swallow, Dean of the State Agricultural College at Columbia 
(State University), ha« given the soils of the state a classification adapted 
to the popular understanding, by using names that everybody can read 
and know what they mean, instead of technical scientific terms known 
only to a few who have had a college education. And as this history is 
designed for the masses of the people, and to a large extent for the farm- 
ers, we give a condensed statement of Prof. Swallow's classification. 

Those known as hackbcr^-y lands are first in fertility and productiveness. 
Upon these lands also grow elm, wild cherry, honey locust, hickory, white, 
black, burr and chestnut oaks, black and white walnut, mulberry, linden, 
ash, poplar, catalpa, sassafras and maple. The prairie soils of about the 
same quality, if not identical, are known as croiv foot lands, so called from 
a species of weed found upon them, and these two soils generally join each 
other where the timber and prairie lands meet. Both rest upon a bed of 
fine silicious marls. They cover more than seven million acres of land. 
On this soil white oaks have been found twenty-nine feet in circumference 
and one hundred feet high ; linden twenty-three feet in circumference and 
quite as lofty; the burr oak and sycamore grow still larger. Prairie 
grasses, on the crowfoot lands, grow very rank and tall, and by the old 
settlers were said to entirely conceal herds of cattle from the view. 

The elm lands, are scarcely inferior to the hackberry lands, and pos- 
sess v^r<r nearly the same growth of other timber. The soil has about the 
same pi >erties, except that the sand is finer and the clay more abundant 
The sanii. quality of soil appears in the prairie known as the resin-weed 
lands. 

Next in 6rder are hickojy lands, with a growth of white and shellbark 
hickory, black, scarlet and laurel oaks, sugar maple, persimmon and the 
haw, red-bud and crab-apple trees of smaller growth. In some portions 
of the state the tulip tree, beech and black gum grow on lands of the same 
quality. La^ge areas of prairie in the northeast and the southwest have 
soils of nearly the same quality, called midatto soils. There is also a soil 
lying upon the red clays of southern Missouri similar to the above. These 
hickory lands and those described as assimilating to them, are highly 



84 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

esteemed by the farmers for the culture of corn, wheat and other cereals. 
They are admirably adapted to the cultivation of fruits, and their blue 
grass pastures are equal to any in the state. Their area may be fairly 
estimated at six millions of acres. 

The magnesian limestone soils extend from Callaway county south to 
the Arkansas line, and from Jefferson west to Polk county, an area of 
about ten millions of acres. These soils are dark, warna, light and very 
productive. They produce black and white walnut, black gum, white 
and wahoo elms, sugar maple, honey locust, mulberr}'^, chestnut, post, lau- 
rel, black, scarlet and Spanish oaks, persimmon, blue ash, and many trees 
of smaller growth. They cover all the country underlaid by the magne- 
sian limestone series, but are inconvenient for ordinary tillage when they 
occupy the hillsides or narrow valleys. Among the most fertile soils in 
the state, they produce fine crops of almost all the staples ; and thrifty and 
productive fruit trees and grape vines evince their extraordinary adapta- 
tion and fitness to the culture of the grape and other fruits. 

On the ridges, where the lighter materials of the soil have been washed 
away, or were originally wanting, white oak lands are to be found, the 
oaks accompanied by shellbark and black hickory, and trees and shrubs 
of smaller growth. While the surface soil is not so rich as the hickory 
lands, the sub-soil is quite as good, and the land may be greatly improved 
by turning the sub-soil to the surface. These produce superior wheat, 
good corn, and a very fine quality of tobacco. On these lands fruits are 
abundant and a sure crop. The}^ embrace about ©ne and a half million 
of acres. 

Post oak lands have about the same growth as the white oak lands, 
and produce good crops of the staples of the country, and yield the best 
tobacco in the West. Fruits of all kinds excel on this soil. These lands 
require deep culture. 

The blackjack lands occuoy the high flint ridges underlaid with horn- 
stone and sandstone, and under these conditions are considered the poor- 
est in the state, except for pastures and vineyards. The presence, how- 
ever, of black jack on other lands does not indicate thin or poor lands. 

Pine lands are extensive, embracing about two millions of acres. The 
pines {-pinis mitis^ yellow pine), grow to great size, and furnish immense 
supplies of marketable lumber. They are accompanied by heavy growths 
of oak, which takes the country as successor to the pine. The soil is 
sandy and is adapted to small grains and grasses. 

Bisecting the state by a line drawn from the city of Hannibal, on the 
Mississippi river, to its southwest corner, the half lying to the north and 
west of this line may be described as the prairie region of the state, with 
the rare advantage that every county is bountifully supplied with timber 
and with rivers and smaller streams of water. That w^hich lies east and 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 85 

south of the bisecting line is the timbered or forest section, in which are 
found numerous prairies of crreater or less extent. 

The prairie lands are again divided into bottom and upland prairies. 
The bottom prairies closely resemble in soil the river bottoms. In a cer- 
tain sense, the formation is identical; each came from accretions, one from 
the rivers and the other from the higher or upland prairies. The marl 
formation is the foundation of both and in both it is deeplv buried under 
the modern alluvium. 

The celebrated and eloquent orator, Henry Ward Beecher, paid the fol- 
lowing brilliant tribute to our grand state : 

"The breadth of land from the Red River countr}- of the far North, 
stretching to the Gulf of Mexico, including Minnesotaj^ Wisconsin, Illinois, 
Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Texas is one of the most wonderful agricultural 
spectacles of the globe! It is one of the few facts that are unthinkable! 
In this ocean of land, and at nearly its centre, stands the imperial state 
OF Missouri. Even a Kansas man admits that in natural qualifications it 
leads all the rest, and is the crown and glory of the Union ! It has bound- 
less treasures of coal, iron, lead and other minerals; lands richer there 
cannot be, nor finer streams ; its forests are more equally distributed all 
over the state than in any other; its climate, wholesome and delightful, 
blends the temperature of the northern lakes and the great southern gulf." 

Horace Greely said: "Missouri possesses the resources and capacities 
of a nation within the boundaries of a State." 

WILD GAME. 

Animals. — Missouri has been the feeding ground for vast herds of the 
choicest of the large game animals up to the present generation. Old 
hunters and trappers, still living, tell marvelous stories of their exploits 
with the gun. As civilization and population advanced westward their 
numbers decreased, yet Missouri is still furnishing a very large proportion 
of the game for the markets of all the large cities of the United States. 
Even London receives large shipments, every winter, from St. Louis. 
From October 1st to February 1st, of every year, there is not an express 
car arriving in St. Louis which does not bring large consignments of 
game. The quantity is enormous, and far beyond the knowledge of 
every one except those engaged in the trade, or whose duties bring them 
in contact v/ith the facts. 

Elk, buffalo, antelope and bear formerly abounded in this state, but 
are now nearly or quite driven entirely beyond our borders. Red deer 
are still plentiful in some parts of the state. In fact, the Ozark Moun- 
tains and the swamp lands of southeast Missouri constitute a great deer 
park and game preserve, and will continue to do so until immigration 
crowds out the game. It is a notorious fact, that venison sells as cheaply 
as good beef in St. Louis markets, during the winter season. 



86 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

The rabbit, as it is popularly called here, is a species of hare, and is 
about the average size of the domestic cat. They are so numerous in 
Missouri as to be considered a pest; are found in every field and forest 
in the state. Squirrels are very numerous, especiall}' in the swampy and 
hilly regions. The two principal varieties are the grey squirrel and the 
red fox-squirrel. One of these varieties is to be found in every clump of 
timbered land. in the state. 

Birds. — Wild turkeys, the finest game birds in the world, abound in the 
same region, Prairie chickens, or pinnated grouse, are abundant in all 
the prairie regions ot" the state, and are shipped from St. Louis to eastern 
markets by hundreds of barrels during the fall months; but the game 
laws of the state strictly prohibit their being killed or trapped during the 
breeding season. Quails, or Virginia partridge, or " Bob- Whites," are 
found everywhere, so common that partridge pie, or " quail on toast," is 
no great rarity in thrifty farm houses. 

Wild ducks, wild geese, snipe, plover and several species of the rail 
frequent Missouri during their annual migrations north and south. Dur- 
ing March, April and May the migratory birds pass through Missouri, 
going north to their nesting and brooding places, probably near the 
Arctic circle. In October, November and December they return, on 
their journey southward to spend the winter. There is no state in the 
great Mississippi basin more frequented by these migratory game birds 
than Missouri. 

Fishes. — The earl}^ settlers found the rivers and lakes teeming with! 
many fine varieties of game and food fishes, and there is still a bountiful 
supply. Black bass, perch, catfish, buffalo fish, suckers and pike consti- 
tute the leading varieties of native fishes. Black bass of several varieties 
inhabit every stream of considerable size in the state, and every lake con- 
tains them. It is the best game fish in the state. The perch family isl 
represented by several dozen species; and perch of several kinds are 
found in every body of water in the state, which does not actually dry u| 
in the summer time. The catfish of Missouri are not only numerous, but! 
famous the world over. There are at least a dozen species in the waters! 
of this state. The yellow catfish grows to great size, often reaching aj 
weight of 175 pounds; the black catfish, maximum weight about 45| 
pounds; blue or forked-tail catfish, reaching 150 pounds and upwards inl 
weight; the channel catfish, weighing from one to fifteen pounds, and thej 
yellow mud catfish, often weighing as high as 100 pounds. .The suckei 
family includes the buffalo fish, chub, sucker and red horse. The first of 
these is highly prized, abundant, and grows to a maximum weight of 40j 
pounds. The last named is very abundant during certain seasons of the 
year, and valuable; they weigh from 6 ounces to 8 pounds. Pike of sev- 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 87 

eral species are found throughout Missouri, and rank with black bass as 
game fish; they are found in the clearer and rapid streams. 

The above lists constitute the leading fishes of the state, but by no means 
all, as there are many minor species. 

The state board of fish commissioners receives $3,000 annually from 
the state, to defray expenses of propagating desirable kinds of food fishes, 
that are not found native in the state. In 1878 Mr. Reid distributed 100,- 
000 fry of the California salmon, in the state. In May and June, 1879, 
the commission distributed 250,000 shad fry in the rivers of southeast, 
south and southwest Missouri, and planted 5,000 young trout in the 
springs and sources of the same rivers. Later they have planted 100,- 
000 fry of the California salmon in the same sections of the state. In 1880 
two or three hundred thousand fry of German carp were planted. All 
the waters of Missouri are adapted to this fish, more especially the lakes 
and sluggish streams. The carp can be as easily cultivated as pigs or 
turkeys, and it is hoped that in a few years all the streams of the state 
will be stocked with them. 



THE CLIMATE. 



For nearly forty years Dr. George Engelmann, of St. Louis, kept sys- 
tematic records of the meteorology of St. Louis and vicinity; and by 
compiling similar records kept during long or short periods, by other per- 
sons in different parts of the state, he has been able to report pretty cor- 
rectly the dates and weather-facts which go to furnish a comprehensive 
estimate of the general nature of the climate, at each season of the year, 
in different parts of the state. The following facts of great practical 
interest and value are gathered from the doctor's work: 

Our winters, taken in the usual sense, from the first of December to 
the last of February, have in the city an average temperature of 33.3 
degrees, and may be estimated for the surrounding country at 32 degrees; 
but they vary in different seasons between 25 degrees (winter of 1855-6 
and 1872-3) and 40 degrees (winter 1844-5). Our summers (from June 
1st to August 31st) have in the city a mean temperature of 76.8 degrees, 
and are calculated to reach in the country 75 degrees, ranging between 
the coolest summer, 71.5 degrees mean temperature (1835, 1839 and 
1848), and the warmest of 80 degrees mean temperature, (1838, 1850 and 
especially 1854). 

The last frosts in spring occur between March 13th and May 2d, on 
an average about April 5th, and the earliest autumnal frosts between 
October 4th and November 26th, on an average about October 27th; the 



88 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURf. 

period between these two terms extends in different years from 184 to 
252 da3'"S, on an average 205 days. In the southeast part of the state 
these Hmits of the freezing point will, of course, be much wider apart, 
and in the northwest they are narrowed down considerably. Our spring 
opens in March, though in some favored seasons vegetation breaks 
through its wintry bounds already in the latter part of February, while 
in a few very late springs it cannot be said to have fairl}^ commenced 
before the middle of April. * * * We find the first in bloom is the 
alder and the hazel ; next — not rarely retarded by intervening cold spells— 
the soft or silver leaf maple; our common white elm blooms a few days 
after this, between February 24th and April 15th, on an average, March 
19th. During the next following days, roses, syringas, gooseberries and 
many other bushes, and the weeping willows, show their young leaves. 
About two weeks after, the elm — between March 18th and April 25th, 
on an average about April 3d — the peach trees open their fi^rst blossoms, 
and are, one week later, in full bloom. Plum and pear trees and sweet 
cherries blossom about the same time, or a few days later, and then sour 
cherries and the glory of our rich woods, the red buds, get in bloom. 
Between March 21st and May 1st, (mean, April 14th) the early apple 
trees begin to bloom, and between March 28th and May 10th, (mean, 
April 20th) they may be said to be in full bloom. 

The maturity and harvest of winter wheat immediately succeeds the 
catalpa bloom, between June 10th and July 1st, usually about June 20th. 
The mean summer temperature varies but little throughout the state. In 
the summer of 1873 the mean temperature in the southeast was found 
only one-half degree higher than that of the northeast, and the difference 
between St. Louis and the west was even less. Winter temperatures, 
however, show a wide range. The mean temperature of the southeast- 
ern part of the state is 2-| to 3 degrees higher than at St. Louis, and 
5^ degrees higher than in the northeastern angle, and the mean tem- 
perature of Leavenworth, and the adjacent parts of Missouri, is fully 2 
degrees less than that of the region about St. Louis. 

In connection with our winter temperature it must be mentioned that 
the Mississippi at St. Louis freezes over about once in four or five 
years, partly, no doubt, m consequence of the heavy ice floating down 
from the north; and it then remains closed for one or two, or even four 
or six weeks, sometimes passable for the heaviest teams. Our river has 
been known to close as early as the first week in December, and in 
other years, to be open as late as the last week in February ,while the run- 
ning ice may impede or interrupt navigation between the end of Novem- 
ber and the end of February, sometimes as low down as the southeast 
corner of the state ; the river is said, however, never to freeze over below 
Cape Girardeau. The Missouri river is sometimes closed in the latter 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 



89 



part of November, and has been known to remain firmly bridged over 
into the first week of March. 

The climate of Missouri is, on the whole, a dry one, with strong evap- 
oration, and an atmosphere but rarely overloaded with moisture. 



Clear or nearly clear days 

Partially clear and variable days 

Days when the sun remains obscured. 



Winter 
30 
39 
21 



Sprin.i 



33 

47 

13 



Summer Autumn 



40 

48 
4 



40 
39 
12 



Whole Yr. 



143 

173 

49 



Our summer rains mostly descend with great abundance, and in a com- 
paratively short time, so that the average (13 inches) of summer rain falls 
in 70 hours, distributed over twent3^-four days, while the 7 inches of win- 
ter rain (and snow) descend in 160 hours and on 22 days. The days on 
which it rains vary between 68 and 115 in the year. On the average we 
have 92 days in the year on which it rains. Our rains last from a frac- 
tion of an hour to a few hours, and ver}?^ rarely extend through the 24 
hours. 

Snow is rather scarce in our climate, and rarely continually covers the 
ground for more than a few days or a week. In some years, it amounted, 
when melted to 5^ inches: in others to only one-half inch; the aver- 
age is about 2-^ inches. 

The atmospherical pressure (indicated by the stage of the barometer) is 
with us, in summer, more uniform and regular than on the Atlantic coast, 
while in winter it fluctuates considerably, and often very rapidly. The 
average barometrical pressure is highest in January, falls till May, and 
gradually rises again until January; it is most variable from November to 
March, and least so from June to August. 

HEALTHFULNESS OF THE STATE. 

Authentic reports to the Health Board of St. Louis is have shown that 
the annual sickness rate of the city of St. Louis about seventeen and a half 
days to each member of the population. Dr. Boardman, of Boston, has 
ascertained the sickness rate of the city of Boston to be about twenty- 
four days of annual sickness to each individual. The general correctness 
of these conclusions are further substantiated by army statistics. Dr. 
Playfair, of England, after careful inquiry, computed the ratio of one 
death to twenty-eight cases of sickness in a mixed population. 

The state of Massachusetts has for many years had a state board of 
Health, by whom sanitary improvements have been diligently and scien 
tifically prosecuted, under state authority ; and the annual death-rate has 
thereby been somewiiat reduced. In 1870 Massachusetts had a popula- 
tion of 1,457,351 and there were during the same period 25,859 deaths 
from aU causes. A mortality equal to 1.77 per cent of the population. At 
■ 6 



90 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

the same lime Missouri had a population of 1,721,295, and there we're 
during that year 27,982 deaths from all causes. A mortality rate equiva- 
lent to 1.63 per cent, of the population. It thus appears, if the calculation 
is made and the relative proportion between the populations and the death 
rates of the two states maintained, that vital security is greater in Mis- 
souri, as compared with Massachusetts, to an extent represented by 
the annual saving of 2,474 lives. But this is not all. The authorities on 
vital statistics estimate that two persons are constantly sick for every one 
that dies; and Dr. Jarvis shows, from the experience of health-assurance 
companies in this country, that on an average each person loses from 19 
to 20 days per year by sickness. Then we have this result: Two 
persons sick to one death, equal 4,948, multiplied by 20, gives 98,960 days 
per year less of sickness in Missouri than in Massachusetts, in proportion 
to population. Then reckon the amount of care and anxiety and sufferings 
and the loss of time, and cost for nursing and medicines and doctor's bills — 
and you will begin to get some idea of what these figures really mean, in 
favor of our state, with its dry, salubrious climate, in comparison with 
Massachusetts, the only other state for which the figures were at hand 
to make the comparison. 

AGRICULTURE. 

The Missouri state board of agriculture was created a body corporate 
by statute, in 1877, and it was provided that the governor, the state sup- 
erintendent of schools, the president of the state university and the 
dean of the state agricultural college, should be ex-officio members of 
the board. The officers of the secretary and treasurer are required to be 
at the agricultural college, at Columbia, in Boone county; and the annual 
meetings are to be held there, on the first Wednesday of November in 
each year. The presidents or duly authorized delegates of county 
agricultural societies, are rightful members of the state board, "for delib- 
eration and consultation as to the wants, prospects and condition of the 
agricultural interests of the state, to receive the reports of district and 
county societies, and to fill by elections all vacancies in the board." 

The law further provides that, " It shall be the duty of all agricultural 
and horticultural societies, organized and estabhshed in accordance with 
the laws of this state, to make a full report of their transactions to the 
Missouri state board of agriculture, at each annual meeting thereof." 

The state board is required " to make an annual report to the general 
assembly of the state, embracing the proceedings of the board for the 
past year, and an abstract of the reports and proceedings of the several 
agricultural and horticultural societies, as well as a general view of the 
condition of agriculture and horticulture throughout the state, accom- 
panied by such recommendations, including especially such a system of 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 91 

public instruction upon those subjects as may be deemed interesting and 
useful." Provision is then made for printing fourteen thousand copies 
(two thousand in the German language), for distribution to all who will use 
them. 

OUR STAPLE CROPS. 

First of all the crops grown in the state, in amount and value, is Indian 
corn. There is not a county in the state in which it is not successfully 
and profitably grown. The broad alluvial bottoms along our great rivers 
yield immense crops of this valuable cereal, and our fertile prairies are 
but little, if any, behind them in their yield. 

Next in importance among the cereals is wheats which grows and yields 
well in ever}^ part of the state. Except in a few northern counties, spring 
wheat is but little grown, the main attention being bestowed upon the 
winter varieties, which are especially a favorite crop upon the loess and 
clay loams, and upon the oak uplands of the state. The well known fact 
that the best flour to stand transportation and exposure in hot and humid 
climates, is made from wheat grown toward the southern border of the 
wheat zone, has made Missouri flour a favorite for shipment to South 
American markets. Flour made in Missouri, from Missouri wheat, won 
the Medal of Merit ^\. the World's Exposition, at Vienna, in 1873. The 
average yield and the certainty of the wheat crop in Missouri, give the 
state a high rank among the states producing this cereal. 

Oats grow and yield well in the state, producing heavy straw, plump 
and heavy grains ; but the crop does not figure very largely in our 
markets, being mainly grown for home consumption. 

Tobacco, of two or three varieties, grows well, and Missouri tobacco 
enjoys a fine reputation for excellence. The state embraces some of the 
best tobacco lands in the country. It is a staple in nearly every county in 
the state, and some of the counties make it a leading crop. Missouri 
ranks sixth in its production. 

Cotton, except in small patches for home use, is raised only in the 
southern counties of the state. Stoddard, Scott, New Madrid, Pemiscot, 
Dunklin, Mississippi and Lawrence, all raise more or less for shipment, 
and, in some of the counties named, it is an important crop. 

Potatoes grow well, and on most of our soils yield large crops. They 
are of fine quality generally. 

Sweet Potatoes grow upon our sandy soils to great size and excellence, 
and our farm.ers raise a great abundance for home use, and the city 
markets are always well supplied. 

Sorghum, and other varieties of the Chinese sugar cane, are exten- 
sively grown, and many thousands of gallons of syrup are annually made 
for home use. Recent improvements in manufacturing sugar from these 



92 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

syrups bid fair to increase the value and importance of this branch of 
husbandr}-. 

Broom Corn is extensively grown in Missouri, and the brush being 
longer and finer than that grown in the eastern states, commands a much 
better price in market. 

Buckwheat^ Castor Beans ^ White Beans, Peas and Hops, are all success- 
fully grown and made profitable crops. 

Garden Vegetables are produced in great profusion and variety, and 
the more arid regions of western Kansas and New Mexico, and the 
mining districts of Colorado, afford an ever-increasing market for these 
and other agricultural products from our state. Watermelons, musk- 
melons, etc., grow to great perfection, and are shipped in large quantities 
from some portions of the state to cities farther north. 

The U. S. forestry statistics of 1875, give Missouri 21,707,220 acres of 
land in farms; 20,116,786 acres not in farms; of wood land in farms there 
were 8,965,229 acres, and the total woodlands in the state was reported 
as 19,623,619 acres. 

There is a curious bit of agricultural history which illustrates the rapid 
development of the western country, and at the same time shows, by 
the inevitable logic of events already transpired, the magnificent position 
of Missouri as the greatest wheat center on the globe. In 1849 the cen- 
ter of the wheat product of the United States was the meridian of 81 ° 
west of Greenwich, passing north and south through the eastern border 
counties of Ohio. In 1859 that line had moved westward a little more than 
two degrees of longitude, and passed through the eastern border counties 
of Indiana, the city of Fort Wayne being on the line. In 1869 the wheat 
center had moved not quite two degrees further west, and was that year 
a few miles west of Chicago and Milwaukee; and the center of our 
National corn crop was on the same line at this time. In 1S77 this line 
had moved still further west, and was now represented by a line drawn 
on a map of the United States from Marquette, on Lake Superior, down 
through Janesville, Wisconsin, and through Mendota, LaSalle, Vandalia 
and Cairo, in Illinois. The corn center will not move much if any further 
west; but the wheat center, by reason of the rapid development of this 
crop in Minnesota, Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, is now, in 1881, as far 
west as St. Louis; and it will not be likely to migrate further than Jeffer- 
son City at any time in the future, because there is no important wheat- 
growing territory further west still unoccupied. The new settlements 
westward must be chiefly by mining and manufacturing peoples, hence, 
consumers rather than producers of the great cereal crops. 

The conclusion of the whole matter, then, is that St. Louis is now, and 
will for several decades continue to be, practically on the center line of 
the aggregate product of wheat and com in the United States, propor- 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 93 

tioned from east to west limits of the national domain. And this fact 
assures Missouri of pre-eminent commercial rank among the grand sister- 
hood of states. 

The following table shows the number of pounds weight which con- 
stitute a lawful bushel in Missouri, of the different articles named, as 
established in 1879: 

No. lbs. No. lbs. 

Articles. per bu. Articles. per bu. 

Wheat 60 Orchard Grass 14 

Corn, shelled 56 Buckwheat 52 

Corn in ear 70 Onions 57 

Corn Meal 50 Top Onion Sets 28 

Rye 56 Peas, whole, dry 60 

Oats .32 Split Peas 60 

Barley 48 Dried Apples 24 

Irish Potatoes 60 Dried Peaches 33 

Sweet Potatoes 56 Malt 38 

Beans,White 60 Sak 50 

Castor Beans 46 Coal 80 

Bran 20 Peanuts, dry Southern 22 

Clover Seed 60 Cotton Seed 33 

Timothy Seed 45 Parsnips 44 

Hungarian Seed 48 Common Turnips , 42 

Hemp Seed 44 Carrots 50 

Flaxseed 56 Rutabagas 50 

Millet Seed 50 Green Peas, unshelled 56 

Red-top Seed or Herd's Grass 14 Green Beans, unshelled 56 

Osage Orange Seed 36 Green Apples 48 

Sorghum Seed 42 Green Peaches 48 

Kentucky Blue Grass Seed ... 14 Green Pears 48 

The standard bushel for coke and charcoal is to contain 2,680 cubic 
inches; apple barrels, length, 28|^ inches; chines, f of an inch at ends; 
diameter of head, 17^ inches; inside diameter at the center of the barrel, 
20-| inches. 

HORTICULTURE. 

The state horticultural society was organized in January, 1859, and 
has kept up its annual meetings in spite of all difficulties. Each congres- 
sional district of the state is classed as a separate horticultural district, and 
is represented in the society by a vice-president, who is expected to keep 
himself posted on the interests of this industry in his district, and make 
report (or procure some one to do it), at the annual meeting. The officers 
of this society for 1880, were: President, Hon. Norman J. Colman, St. 
Louis ; Vice Presidents : 1st congressional district, H. Michel, St. Louis; 
2d, Dr. C. W. Spaulding, Cliff Cave; 3d, J. Rhodes, Bridgeton; 4th, 
H. D. Wilson, Cape Girardeau; 5th, W. S. Jewett, Crystal City; 6th, M. 



94 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

S. Roundtree, Springfield; 7th, E. Brown, Sedalia; 8th, Z. S. Ragan, 
Independence; 9th, J. Madinger, St. Joseph; 10th, W. H. Miller, Chili- 
cothe; 11th, G, Husmann, Columbia; 12th, J. Hawkins, Hannibal; 13th, 
W. Stark, Louisiana. 

Apples. — All the standard varieties of the temperate zone are raised 
in their highest perfection in the state of Missouri; but in such a large 
area of country as our state comprises, and with such a great variety of 
soils, and other conditions, each different kind has its locality of best suc- 
cess. It is therefore not possible to indicate what varieties are best for 
the state ; each district will have its favorites. At the national exhibit, in 
1878, Missouri showed one hundred and forty plates of apples. Distin- 
guished pomologists assert that ten counties in north Missouri can show 
apples in as great variety and perfection as any ten other states in the 
Union. 

Perhaps no better proof can be given of tlje general excellence of 
Missouri fruits than the fact that at the meeting of the American pomo- 
logical society, in September, 1878, medals were awarded to Missouri for 
the best displays of apples, pears and wines, and also one for the best 
general display of fruits. These honors were gained in competition with 
every state in the union, represented by their choicest fruits, and at an 
exhibition held at Rochester, New York, which had long been regarded 
as the very center of the fruit growing interests of the country. The 
fruits exhibited on that occasion were from different parts of the state. 
St. Joseph, Independence, Morrison, Columbia, Hermann, St. Louis county, 
Boone county, and other districts were represented, and shared the hon- 
ors of our great victory. 

The varieties that appear to have received most favor at the meeting 
of our state agricultural society, in 1880, were Ben Davis, Winesap, 
Jonathan, Dominie, Rawle's Janet, Milam, Northern Spy, Carthouse, 
Newtown Pippin, Summer Pippin, Red June, Early Harvest, Red 
Astrachan, Late Summer, Dutchess of Oldenburg, Early Pennock, St. 
Lawrence, Maiden Blush, Rambo, Grimes' Golden, Limber Twig, Little 
Romanite. 

Peaches. — The southeastern portion of the state, along the line of the 
Iron Mountain railroad, and the western portion, where the marly deposits 
are so rich and extensive, are pre-eminently the peach districts, and in 
these regions the peach seems almost indigenous, never failing to produce 
abundant crops ; and yet fruit-growers in these districts say that they are 
never able to supply the demand, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado taking 
all from the western region, and St. Louis having to draw u^on other states 
for her supplies. Peaches may be relied upon as a profitable crop in all 
that part of the state south of the Missouri river, and, indeed, are largely 
grown much further north, St. Joseph exporting large amounts. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 95 

In some localities the trees have occasionally been winter-killed, when not 
in suitable soil or not sheltered ; but, on the whole, Missouri may fairly be set 
down as a peach-growing state. Mr. R. Lynn, of Rockport, in the 
northwest part of the state, says he has raised three good paying crops 
of peaches in seven years, the first crop being the third year from plant- 
ing; his best crop was in 1878. 

Pears. — Pears do well throughout the state, especially in the region 
of Clay, Jackson and Cass counties. The trees attain a great size and 
age — a diameter of from twelve to fifteen inches is common; and there 
are trees a short distance south of St. Louis over two hundred years old, 
and still bearing full crops. The pear, although the most luscious fruit 
grown in northern latitudes, is also one of the most difficult to raise suc- 
cessfully — hence it is a matter of reasonable pride and gratificalion that 
this fruit has done so well in our state. At the national pomological 
exhibition, of 1878, there were from this state: From the Missouri Val- 
ley horticultural society, Kansas City, twenty varieties of pears ; fi-om 
Jacob Rhodes, Bridgeton, nine varieties ; from J. Madinger, St. Joseph, 
six varieties; from W. Stark, Louisiana, two varieties. Some of the 
finest specimens at the exhibition were grown near St. Louis, on stocks of 
the white thorn. 

Grapes. — For several years the chief fruit-growing interest of our state 
seemed to center on the grape — at least, it was more discussed and advo- 
cated in fashionable circles, than ail the other fruits put together. The 
anti-prohibition sentiment rallied around the grape-growing industry for 
the manufacture of native wines, as the great panacea for all the ills and 
horrors of intemperance. But aside from any matter of sentiment in the 
case, it does seem as though we excel all other states of the Union in the 
variety and richness of our grapes, both of native and cultivated, varieties. 

From Prof. Swallow's report on the country along the lines of the 
southwestern branch of the Missouri Pacific railroad, published in 1859, 
we learn that seven different native grapes have been found in Missouri. 
1. Vih's Lab7'usca^ commonly called " fox grape." The Isabella, Catawba, 
Schuylkill and Bland's seedling, are cultivated and popular varieties derived 
from this wild grape. 2. Vitis Aestivalis^ or "summer grape." This 
is found in all parts of the state. 3. Vitis Cordifolia; winter grape, or 
"frost grape " as it is more commonly called. 4. Vitis Ri^aria^ or "river 
grape," grows along streams and is quite large. 5. Vitis Vulpina; called 
also Muscadine. It grows mostly in the south part of the state, and is a 
large fine fruit. The cultivated grape called Scuppernong is derived from 
this wild variety. 6. Vitis Bifinyiata; found in Cape Girardeau and 
Pemiscot counties. 7. Vitis Indivisa; found in central and western 
counties. 



96 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

GRASSES. 

There are few or no grasses that are ■peculiar to Missouri; and fortu- 
nately SO, for there is no permanent advantage in being adapted to pecu- 
liar crops any more than in being a peculiar people. The great blessings 
of life are universal and widespread. It results that all the valuable 
members of this great and beneficial family of plants are adapted to and 
capable of being introduced and cultivated in this state. Flint, in his 
standard work on grasses, says: "Whoever has blue grass has the basis 
of all agricultural prosperity, and that man, if he have not the finest 
horses, cattle and sheep, has no one to blame but himself. Others, in 
other circumstances, may do well. He can hardly avoid doing well if he 
will try." 

Blue grass is indigenous in Missouri. When the timber is removed it 
springs up spontaneously on the land, and, when the prairie is reclaimed, 
it soon takes possession and supersedes all other grasses. This famous 
grass is the foundation on which the mighty stock industry of Kentucky* 
has been built, and has given a world-renowned reputation to its fine 
blood horses, cattle and sheep. The combing-wool sheep and the fine 
mutton breeds have obtained a national reputation for wool and mutton in 
that state, and their usefulness has but begun. What blue grass has done 
for Kentucky, it is now doing for Missouri. An acre of this grass is 
worth an acre of corn. 

Recent experience has proved that alfalfa or lucerne, that most fatten- 
ing of all grasses, grows luxuriantly in this region, yielding each year 
three or four good crops of hay. 

THE "GRASSHOPPER" IN MISSOURI. 
As early as lSf>7, our state board of agriculture reported destruction by 
grasshoppers (the Rocky Mountain locust,) in the western part of the 
state the previous fall; and also, that there had been visitations more or 
less injurious in former years. But their greatest and most grievous 
invasion occurred in the fall of 1874, when 33 counties of western Mis- 
souri suflered from their ruthless ravages. Our state entomologist. Prof. 
C. V. Riley, made such a thorough, diligent and masterful study of their 
origin and habits, and the causes, methods and consequences of their migra- 
tions, that he became the standard authority on grasshoppers all over the 
civilized world. In 3876 the government appointed a special commission 
of entomologists to investigate the character and movements of these 
pests, and report for the benefit of the whole infested region, which com- 
prised the country west of St. Paul, Minnesota, Jefl^erson City, Missouri, 
and Galveston, Texas, ranging from the Gulf of Mexico on the south, to 

♦"Kentucky blue grass," (so-called), is not native to that state: it is the same as the En- 
glish spear grass, the New England June grass, or meadow grass— or, in botanical lan- 
guage, poa pratensis. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 9? 

Lake Winnipeg and Manitoba in the British possessions northward, and 
as far west as the headquarters of the Columbia river. The most prom- 
inent scientists on this commission were our own Prof. Riley, and Prof. 
Samuel Auojhey, of the state university of Nebraska. 

The results of this United States commission were little if anything 
more than a tedious elaboration of what Prof. Riley had presented in 
three annual reports as state entomologist of Missouri. No new points 
of any special importance were discovered concerning them. The devel- 
opment of this subject, therefore, belongs to the history of what Missouri 
has done for science, for agriculture and for the public weal. In his 
seventh annual report to our state board of agriculture, 1875, Prof. Riley 
says: 

''There is some difference of opinion as to the precise natural habitat and 
breeding places of these insects, but the facts all indicate that it is by 
nature a denizen of high altitudes, breeding in the valleys, parks and 
plateaus of the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado, and especially of 
Montana, Wyoming and British America. Prof. C3^rus Thomas, who 
has had an excellent opportunity of studying it, through his connection 
with Hayden's geological survey of the territories, reports it as occurring 
from Texas to British America, and from the Mississippi westward to the 
Sierra Nevada range. But in all this vast extent of country, and espe- 
cially in the more southern latitudes, there is every reason to believe that 
it breeds only on the higher mountain elevations, and where the atmos- 
phere is ver}^ dry and attenuated, and the soil, seldom, if ever, gets soaked 
with moisture. Prof. Thomas found it most numerous in all stage? of 
growth, along the higher valleys and canyons of Colorado, tracing it up 
above the perennial snows, where the insects must have hatched, as it 
was found in the adolescent stage. In crossing the mountains in Col- 
orado, it often gets chilled in passing snows, and thus perishes in 
immense numbers, where bears delight to feast upon it. My own belief 
is that the insect is at home in the higher altitudes of Utah, Idaho, Col- 
orado, W3'-oming,-. Montana, northwest Dakota, and British America. It 
breeds in all this region, but particularly on the vast hot and dry plains 
and plateaus of the last named territories, and on the plains west of the 
mountains; its range being bounded, perhaps, on the east by that of the 
buflalo grass. 

" Mr. Wm. N. B3'ers, of Denver, Colorado, shows that they hatch in 
immense quantities in the valleys of the three forks of the Missouri river 
and along the Yellowstone, and how they move on from there, when 
fledged, in a southeast direction, at about ten miles a day. The swarms 
of 18G7 were traced, as he states, from their hatching grounds in west 
Dakota, and Montana, along the east ilank of the R.ocky Mountains, in 
the valleys and plains of the Black Hills, and between them and the main 
Rocky Mountain range. It all this immense stretch of country, as is well 
known, there are immense tracts of barren, almost desert land, while 
other tracts for hundreds of miles bear only a scanty vegetation, the short 
buffalo grass of the more fertile prairies giving way now to a more luxu- 
riant vegetation along the water courses, now to the sage bush and a few 
cacti. Another phvsical peculiaritv is found in the fact that while the 
7 



98 HISTORY UK THE STATK OF MISSOURI. 

spring on these immense plains often opens as early, even away up into 
British America, as it does with us in the latitude of St. Louis, yet the veg- 
etation is often dried and actually burned out before the first of July, so 
that not a green thing is to be found. Our Rock}^ Mountain locust, 
therefore, hatching out in untold myriads in the hot sandy plains, five or 
six thousand feet above the level of the sea, will often perish in immense 
numbers if the scant vegetation of its native home dries up before it 
acquires wings; but if the season is propitious, and the insect becomes 
fledged before its food supplies is exhausted, the newly acquired wings 
prove its salvation. It may also become periodically so prodigiously mul- 
tiplied in its native breeding place, that, even in favorable seasons, every- 
thing green is devoured by the time it becomes winged. 

" In either case, prompted by that most exigent law of hunger — spurred 
on for very life — it rises in immense clouds in the air to seek for fresh 
pastures where it may stay its ravenous appetite. Borne along by pre- 
vailing winds that sweep over these immense treeless plains from the north- 
west, often at the rate of fifty or sixty miles an hour, the darkening locust 
clouds are soon carried into the more moist and fertile country to the 
southeast, where, with sharpened appetites, they fall upon the crops like 
a plague and a blight. 

" Many of the more feeble or of the more recently fledged perish, no 
doubt, on he way, but the main army succeeds, with favorable wind, 
in bridging over the parched country which offers no nourishment. The 
hotter and dryer the season, and the greater the extent of the drouth, the 
earlier will they be prompted to migrate, and the farther will they push 
on to the east and south. 

" The comparatively sudden change from the attenuated and dry atmos- 
phere of five to eight thousand feet or more above the sea level, to the 
more humid and dense atmosphere of one thousand feet below that level, 
does not agree with them. The first generation hatched in this low coun- 
try is unhealthy, and the few that attain maturity do not breed, but 
become intestate and go to the dogs. At least such is the case in our own 
state and the whole of the Mississippi valley proper. As we go west or 
northwest and approach nearer and nearer the insect's native home, the 
power to propagate itself and become localized, becomes, of course, greater 
and greater, until at last we reach the country where it is found per- 
petually. Thus in the western parts of Kansas and Nebraska the pro- 
geny from the mountain swarms may multiply to the second or even third 
generation, and wing their way in more local and feeble bevies to the 
country east and south. Yet eventuall}^ they vanish from off the face of 
the earth, unless fortunate enough to be carried back by favorable winds 
to the high and dry country where they flourish. 

"That they often instinctively seek to return to their native haunts is 
proven by the fact that they are often seen flying early in the season in a 
northwesterly direction. As a rule, however, the wind which saved the 
first comers from starvation by bearing them away from their native 
home, keeps them and their issue to the east and south, and thus, in the 
end proves their destruction. For in the Mississippi valley they are 
doomed, sooner or later. There is nothing more certain than that the 
insect is not antochthonous in west Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, 
or even Minnesota, and that wlien forced to migrate from its native home, 
from the causes already mentioned, it no longer thrives in this country." 



HISTORY OF THK STATE OP^ MISSOURI. \.i[f 

February 23, 1877, our state legislature passed a law providing for 
the payment of a bounty erf one dollar per bushel in March, fifty cents 
per bushel in April, and twenty-five cents per bushel in May, for grass- 
hoppers; and five dollars per bushel for their eggs at any time. Nebraska 
did still better, by making every road supervisor in the state a grasshop- 
per policeman, and giving him authority to call out every man from six- 
teen to sixty years old, to spend two days killing young grasshoppers 
from the time they begin to hatch in the spring. 

All the grasshopper states now have some sort of protective laws; and 
if another invasion occurs, by concerted and organized effort the amount 
of damage suffered can be reduced to a small per cent as compared with 
our last " plague of the locusts." 



PART III.— NAVIGATION AND COMMERCE. 

NAVIGATION— ANCIENT AND MODERN. 
It is not certainly known just what modes of navigation were used bv 
the prehistoric mound-builders, although we hare some relics of their 
time, or possibly of a still earlier race, which are deemed to show that 
they made wooden dug-outs or troughs, by burning them into a sort of 
boat-like shape and condition. And it is supposed that, prior to this they 
lashed together logs or fragments of drift-wood, and made rude rafts 
upon which they could cross rivers or float down, but of course could 
not return with them. Some remains have been found in northwestern 
Iowa* which are supposed to prove that men used wooden dug-out boats 
during the age when Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska were the 
bottom of a vast inland sea or lake, into which the Missouri and Platte 
rivers emptied their muddy waters and deposited what Prof. Swallow- 
calls the "bluff" formation" over these states; and Prof. Whitney found 
in California undisputable proof of man's existence there a whole geolog- 
ical age prior to the period when the great fresh water Missouri sea 
existed, (see note to chart, on page 67); hence the fact that raft and dug- 
out navigation was in use among the islands and shallows of this immense 
mud-lake or inland sea, seems not improbable. 

However, the modern Indians, before the white man appeared in these 
western wilds, had the art of making light and elegant canoes of birch 
bark, and could manage them in the water with wonderful skill. They 
made long journeys in them, both up and down stream; and when they 
wanted to go from one stream to another these canoes were so light that 
two men could carry one on their shoulders and march twenty or twenty- 
five miles a day with it if necessary. But they were too lighf and frail 
for the freighting service of the white man's commerce. 

* Reported to the Americnn Associatiou for the Advancement of Science, at its St. Louis 
meeting, in August, 1878, by W. J. McGee, geologist, of Farley, Iowa. 

L.oFC. 



100 HISTORV OF THK STATK OF MISSOURI. 

The European explorers of this new world utilized the Indian canoes 
as far as practicahle, often making considerahle voyages in them; some- 
times two were lashed together by means of coupling poles laid across 
on top of them, thus making a boat with two hulls. This rig could not 
be upset, and svas easy to tow or paddle, besides making a sort of over- 
deck on which to carry baggage. But the thin, frail material was too 
easily punctured to be safe, and boats made of plank were always in 
demand. At first the boats were built in the "scow" fashion, with full 
width flat bottom and full width sled-runner bow. But they soon learned 
that in order to make any headway going up stream they must adopt the 
keel bottom and water-cutter prow style ; and for more than a hundred 
years the traffic of all our navigable western rivers was carried on mainly 
by means of what were called keel-boats. The manner of propelling 
them up stream we have described elsewhere. 

THE LEWIS AND CLARKE EXPEDITION. 

The Missouri river was first opened to commerce and geography by 
Lewis and Clarke, who were commissioned by President Jefferson, in 
1803, to explore it. They lift St. Louis May 14, 1804. The outfit con- 
sisted of twenty-six men; one keel-boat fifty-five feet long, drawing three 
feet of water, and provided with one large square sail and twent3^-two 
oars. Also, two open boats, one of six, and one of seven oars. May 16th 
they were at St. Charles ; on the 25th the}'^ reached LaCharrette, a small 
village sixt3--five miles above the mouth of the river, not far from where 
Marthasville, in Warren county, is now located, and which was the last 
white settlement up the river. June 1st they reached the mouth of the 
Osage river, which was so called because the Osage tribe of Indians 
dwelt along its course. June 26th, they reached the mouth of the Kansas 
river, where Kansas City now flourishes in all her glory, and remained 
here two days for rest and repairs. The Kansas tribe of Indians had two 
villages in this vicinity. July 8th they were at the mouth of the Nodawa, 
where now is the village of Amazonia, in Andrew county ; and on the 11th 
they landed at the mouth of the Nemaha river. On the 14th they passed 
the mouth of the Nishnabotna river, and noted that it was only 300 yards 
distant from the Missouri at a point twelve miles above its mouth. 

This was their last point within the boundaries of the present state of 
Missouri. St. Louis was then the territorial capital of the w^hole region 
the}' were to explore through to the mouth of the Columbia river on the 
Pacific coast. This was one of the great exploring adventures of the 
world's histor}', and its narrative is full of romantic and thrilling interest, 
but space forbids its presentation here. The party followed up the entire 
length of the Missouri river, then down the Columbia to the Pacific 
ocean, reaching that point November 14th, 180.5. Here they wintered; 
and on March 23d, 1806, they started on their return trip by the same 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. lOl 

route, arriving at St. Louis September 23d, at 12 o'clock — -not a man 
missing from the party that first started out; and the people of St. Louis 
gave them an enthusiastic ovation. 

FIRgT STEAMBOATS IN MISSOURI. 

Steam came at last, and revolutionized the business of navigation and 
commerce throughout the world. The first steamboat that ever lashed 
the Missouri shore with its waves, or made our river hills and forests echo 
back her pulsating puffs, was the " General Pike," fi-om Louisville, which 
landed at St. Louis, August 2, 18 17. Such boats had passed a few times 
up and down the whole length of the Ohio river, and between Louisville 
and New Orleans, before this, so that the people of St. Louis had heard 
about them from the keel-boat navigators. They were therefore over- 
joyed when the first one landed at the foot of their main business street, 
and thus placed them for the first time in steam communication with the 
rest of the civilized world. The ev^ent was celebrated with the most 
enthusiastic manifestations of delight by the ringing of bells, firing of 
guns, floating of flags and streamers, building of bonfires, etc. The 
second one, the " Constitution," arrived October 2 ; and from that onward 
the arrival of steamboats became a very commonplace affair. 

The first boat that ever entered the Missouri river was the " Independ- 
ence," commanded by Captain Nelson. She left St. Louis May 15, 1819, 
and on the 28th arrived at Franklin, a flourishing young city that stood 
on the north bank of the Missouri river, opposite where Boonville is now 
located. There was a U. S. land office at Franklin, and it was the 
metropolis of the up-Missouri region, or as it was then called, the 
"Boone's Lick Country."* When this first steamboat arrived the citi- 
zens got up a grand reception and public dinner in honor of the captain 
and crew. The boat proceeded up as far as the mouth of the Chariton 
river, where there was then a small village called Chariton, but from that 
point turned back, picking up freight for St. Louis and Louisville at the 
settlements as she passed down.. The town site of Old Franklin was 
long ago all washed away, and the Missouri river now flows over the 
very spot where then were going on all the industries of a busy, thriving, 
populous young city . 

The second steamboat to enter the Missouri river (and what is given in 
most histories as the first) was in connection with Major S. H. Long's U. 
S. explormg expedition, and occurred June 21, 1819, not quite a month 
after the trip of the " Independence." Major Long's fleet consisted of 
four steamboats, the " Western Engineer," " Expedition," " Thomas Jef- 
ferson" and "R. M.Johnson," together with nine keel-boats. The 
"Jefferson," however, was wrecked and lost a few days after. The 

*Daniel Boone had first explored this region and discovered some rich salt springs, and 
two of his sons manufactured salt and shipped it from Franklin for several years. 



102 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

"Western Engineer" was a double stern wheel boat, and had projecting 
from her bow a figure-head representing a huge open-jawedj red-mouthed, 
forked-tongued serpent, and out of this hideous orifice the puffs of steam 
escaped from the engines. The men on board had many a hearty laugh 
from watching the Indians on shore. When the strange monster came 
in sight, rolling out smoke and sparks from its chimney like a fiery mane, 
and puffing great mouthfuls of steam from its wide open jaws, they 
would look an instant, then yell, and run like deer to hide away from 
their terrible visitor. They thought it was the Spirit of Evil, the very 
devil himself, coming to devour them. But their ideas and their actions 
were not a whit more foolish than those of the sailors on the Hudson 
river, who leaped from their vessels and swam ashore to hide, when Ful- 
ton's first steamboat came puffing and glaring and smoking and splashing 
toward them, like a wheezy demon broke loose from the bottomless pit. 
Major Long was engaged five years in exploring all the region between 
the Mississippi river and the Rocky Mountains which is drained by the 
Missouri and its tributaries; and his steamboats were certainly the first 
that ever passed up the Missouri to any great distance. Long's Peak, in 
Colorado, 14,272 feet high, was named after him. 

From this time forward the commerce and travel by steamboats to and 
from St. Louis grew rapidly into enormous proportions, and small towns 
sprung up in quick succession on every stream where a boat with paddle 
wheels could make its way. For half a century steamboating was the 
most economical and expeditious mode of commerce in vogue for inland 
traffic; and Missouri, with her whole eastern boundary washed by the 
" Father of Waters," and the equally large and navigable " Big Muddy " 
meandering entirely across her territory from east to west, and for nearly 
two hundred miles along her northwestern border, became an imperial 
center of the steamboating interest and industry. 

About 1830 the art of constructing iron-railed traffic-ways, with steam- 
propelled carriages upon them, began to be developed in our eastern 
states. But it was not until 1855 that these new devices for quick transit 
began to afiect the steamboating interests of Missouri. (The first rail- 
roads to St. Louis were opened in that year; the railroad history of the 
state will be found in another place.) Then commenced the memorable 
struggle of the western steamboat interests, with headquarters at St. 
Louis, to prevent any railroad bridge from being built across the Missis- 
sippi, Missouri or Ohio rivers. They held that such structures would 
inevitably be an artificial obstruction to the free and safe navigation of 
these great natural highways. But it was evident enough to clear- 
thinking people that the steamboat business must decline if railroads 
were permitted to cross the great rivers without the expense of breaking 
bulk, and this was the "true inwardness" of the anti-railroad bridge 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 103 

combination. The issue was made against the first railroad bridge that 
ever spanned the Mississippi, the one at Rock Island, Illinois. In a long 
course of controversy and litigation the railroads came out ahead, and 
steamboating gradually declined, both in the freight and passenger traffic, 
to less than half its former proportions. 

However, the tables have been turned again; and now, in 1881, 

THE BARGE SYSTEM 
has suddenly leaped forth to break the threatening power of monopoly 
which the great east and west railroad lines for a while enjoyed. 

The first step m the historic progress of this grand revolution in the 
commercial relations and connections of the entire Mississippi and Mis- 
souri valle}' regions, was the successful construction of the jetties at the 
mouth of the Mississippi river by Capt. James B. Eads, a worthy and 
distinguished citizen of St. Louis. This great enterprise was undertaken 
by Capt. Eads under an act of congress approved March od, 1875. It 
required him to obtain a channel 20 feet deep and 200 feet wide at the 
bottom, within thirty months from the passage of the act, upon which a 
payment of $500,000 would be made; and upon obtaining channels of two 
feet additional depth, with correspondingly increased widths at bottom, 
until a depth of 30 feet and a width at bottom of 350 feet was secured, 
payments of $500,000 were to be made, with additional payments for 
maintenance of channel. The total cost to the government of a channel 
;'.0 feet deep by 350 feet wide would be $5,250,000. Capt. Eads was also 
to receive $100,000 per year for twenty years, to keep the works in repair 
and maintain the channel. 

Before the jetty works were commenced, there existed an immense bar 
of sand or silt, with a depth of only eight feet of water over it, between 
the deep water of the Mississippi and the navigable water of the Gulf. 
But at the close of the year there was a wide and ample channel of 23 J 
feet; and for the greater portion of the distance between the jetties, over 
this same bar, there was a channel from 28 to 35 feet deep. The scheme 
has been so entirely successful that it has attained a world-wide celebrity 
and commercial importance, owing to the fact that the largest class of 
sea-going vessels can now be towed in and out of the Mississippi river 
without risk or difficulty; and it is this achievement by our honored fellow- 
citizen which has made possible the success of the grain-barge system of 
shipments from St. Louis direct to Europe, that is now revolutionizing the 
entire trade and commerce of the major half of the United States. The 
following facts will serve to show what has already been accomplished in 
this direction. 

The total shipments of grain by the barge lines from St. Louis to New 
Orleans in the month of March 1881, was 2,348,093 bushels. 

The St. Louis Republican of April 2d, 1881, stated: 



104 HISTORY OF THK STATK OF MISSOURI. 

" There were started from St. Louis yesterday about eighty trains of 
grain to New Orleans, or what amounts to the same thing, three different 
barge companies started tows down the river with 567,000 bushels of 
grain. This amount would have filled about 1,200 railway cars, and 
would have taken eighty trains of fifteen cars or sixty trains of twenty 
cars each to transport. 'AH this grain was put into fifteen barges, and a 
matter of 2,600 tons of miscellaneous freight besides. All these three 
tow-boats started down the river with a freight Hst that would have filled 
between thirteen and fourteen hundred railway cars, and will be delivered 
to New Orleans in from five to nine days. 

"The exact statement of the cost of transportation of flour from St. 
Louis via New Orleans to Liverpool and to Boston, per barrel, is ninety 
cents freight and four cents drayage to boat at levee at St. Louis, or ninety- 
four cents to Liverpool, while the freight per barrel to Boston by rail, in 
car-loads of one hundred and twenty-five barrels, from East St. Louis, is 
ninety-one cents, or from St. Louis (eight cents transfer across the bridge 
adde^,) ninety-nine cents, or five cents less to Liverpool by river and 
ocean, than by rail to Boston. This rate to Liverpool via New Orleans 
was negotiated March 30 by the St. Louis, New Orleans and Foreign 
Dispatch Company." 

George H. Morgan, Esq., secretary of the St. Louis "Merchant's 
Exchange," furnished the writer of this history with the following state- 
ment of grain shipments by barge line from St. Louis to New Orleans: 
1881. Wheat. Corn. Oats. Rye. 

February 232,248 126,770 22,423 

March 796,710 1,541,505 25,162 

April 819,038 1,312,432 24,916 

Total 1,847,996 2,980,707 50,078 22,423 

Thus it will be seen that the tide has fairly turned ; that St. Louis is now 
practically a commercial seaport, and will, within the next twelve months, 
become the greatest grain-shipping city on the American continent. 



RAILROADS IN MISSOURI. 
The earliest account of any movement in this state with regard to rail- 
roads is to the effect that on the 20th of April, 1835, a railroad convention 
was held in St. Louis, and resolutions were adopted in favor of building 
two railroads — one from St. Louis to Fayette, in Howard county; and the 
other one southward to Iron Mountain, Pilot Knob, etc."'- The reason for 
projecting a railroad from St. Louis into the great iron region is obvious 
enough ; but why they should at that early day have thought of building 
more than one hundred and fifty miles of railroad to reach a town that 
was only twelve miles from Old Franklin, on the banks of the Missouri 
river, is an unsolved mystery. It indicates, at least, that those "early 

*The first steam railroad in this couatry was the BaUimore aud Susquehaaua liue, iu 
1830; though horse railroads had been used before, especially at coal mines and marble 
quarries, and in two cases engines had been used on such roads. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 105 

fathers " were not under the control of any narrow or shallow views con- 
cerning the practical value of railroads, or the future grandeur of St. 
Louis as the central point for all trans-Mississippi traffic. In this first 
railroad convention ever held west of the Allegheny Mountains there 
were sixty-four delegates in attendance, representing eleven counties ; but 
practically nothing ever came of their deliberations. 

In 1840 a State Board of Internal Improvement was created, and it 
made a survey for a railroad from St. Louis to the Iron Mountain, by the 
wa}'^ of Big River. February 7th, 1849, Col. Thomas H. Benton, sena- 
tor from Missouri, introduced into the U. S. senate a bill to provide for 
the location and construction of a central national road from the Pacific 
ocean to the Mississippi river, to be an iron railway where practicable, 
and the rest a wagon wa3\ February 20th, same 3^ear, a public meeting 
was held in St. Louis, which petitioned the legislature for a charter and 
right-of-way for a railway across the state from St. Louis to the western 
boundary; and on the 12th of March this charter was granted. 

Next a meeting was held which called a national convention at St. 
Louis to consider the project of a national Pacific railway across the 
continent. This convention was held October 15, 16, 17, 18, 1849. Fif- 
teen states were represented ; the grand project was warmly commended, 
and a strong memorial sent to Congress asking the public authorities to 
take some action in the matter. 

Such was the beginning of definite moves toward a trans-continental 
railroad. 

The Missouri Pacific was the first railroad commenced and first finished 
in the State. Incorporated March 12, 1849; authorized capital $10,000,- 
000; opened to Cheltenham, March 23, 1852; amount of state aid, 
$7,000,000; St. Louis county aid $700,000; land sold, 127,209 acres; 
entire length from St. Louis to Kansas City, 382 miles; total cost, $14,- 
382,208. 

The successive stages of its construction were: Chartered, March 12, 
1859; first ground broken, by Mayor Kennett of St. Louis, July 4, 1851; 
road opened to Cheltenham, Dec. 23, 1852; to Kirkwood in May, and to 
Franklin July 23, 1853; completed to Washington, February 11, 1855; to 
Hermann, August 7, the same year ;'^ and to Jefferson City, March 12, 1856 ; 
completed to California in Moniteau county. May, 14, 1858; to Tipton, 
July 26, same year; and to Syracuse, August, 1, 1859; opened to Otter- 

*November 1, 1855, a large excursion train left St. Louis to celebrate the opening of the 
railroad through to Medora station, about twenty miles beyond Hermann. It was a long 
train filled with business men of ths city and their families, and the occasion was one ot 
great festivity and rejoicing. But while the train was crossing the Gasconade river the 
bridge gave way, and plunged cars, bridge and people in one mixed and horrible wreck 
into the gulf of waters fifty feet down. The president and chief engineer of the road, and 
i}0 prominent citizens of St. Louis were killed, while scores of others were more or less 
injured. It was the first and the most terrible railroad accident that has ever occurred in 
the state. 
7 



106 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

ville, August 24, 1860; to Smithton, November 1, same year; and to 
Sedaliain February 1861. Here it stopped during the first two years of 
the war. But Pettis county voted $75,000 to aid it, and Jackson county 
$200,000. Commenced running trains to Dresden, May 10, 1863; to 
Warrensburg, July 3, 1864; in 1865 the road was opened to Holden, May 
28; to Pleasant Hill, July 19; to Independence, September 19. Meanwhile 
work had been going on from Kansas City westward, the two gangs of 
workmen meeting at Independence; and on this 19th day of September, 
1865, the last rail was laid and the last spike driven, which connected 
Missouri's two principal cities with iron bands unbroken from east to west 
line of the noble commonwealth. On the next day, the president of the road 
Mr. Daniel R. Garrison, left Kansas City at 3 a. m., and arrived in St. Louis 
at 5 p. M., thus making the first through trip over the completed line. 

There is now not a county north of the Missouri river which has not 
one or more railroads within its limits ; and of the seventy counties south 
of the Missouri, only 22 have no railroad reaching them. However, new 
roads and branches are being built each year, so that within a few years 
every county will be provided with good railroad facilities. 

January 1, 1880, there were, in round numbers, 3,600 miles of railroad 
in operation in the state, embraced in about fifty difTerent main lines and 
branches, allowned by thirty-five different corporations, and operated by 
twenty-five different companies, as shown in the following table: 

Atchison, Topeka and Sante Fe 22 Missouri Pacific 375 

Burlington and Southwestern 64 Quincy, Missouri and Pacific 75 

Cherry Valley. . . 6 St. Joseph and Des Moines 45 

Chicago and Alton 364 St. Louis, Hannibal and Keokuk 48 

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific 169J^ St. Louis, Iron Mount'n and Southr'n 380 

Crystal City 4 St. Louis, Keokuk and Northwestern 1321^ 

Hannibal and St. Joseph 3913^ St. Louis, Salem and Little Rock 45 

Kansas City and Eastern 43 St. Louis and San Francisco 363J^ 

Kansas City, Ft. Scott and Gulf 8 Springfield and Western Missouri . . 20 

Kansas City, St. Joe and Council Blfl"'s 198 Union Railway and Transit Company 1 

Little River Valley and Arkansas 37 Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific 655 

Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska 70 West End Narrow Guage 16 

Missouri, Kansas and Texas 384 



Total 3,607 

POSTA.L AND TELEGRAPH FACILITIES. 

There are within the state 15,208 miles of postal routes, of which 
10,426 miles are by stage and horseback, 575 miles by steamboat, and 
4,207 miles by railroad, the whole involving a cost for the year 1878-9 of 
$768,904. There are 1,700 post towns — but four states in the union have 
a greater number. These are all offices of registration, where letters and 
parcels can be registered for transmission through the males to all 
parts of this and foreign countries. In 200 of these post-offices, money- 
orders may be purchased, payable at all similar offices in the United 
States, and a portion of them issue orders drawn on Great Britain, France^ 
Germany, Italy, Switzerland, etc. 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 107 

There are in the state 562 telegraph stations, whence messages can be 

sent all over the telegraph world; 2,423 miles of line and 6,000 miles of 

wire. 

MANUFACTURING. 

The following statistics of the capital employed in manufacturing indus- 
tries, and the amount of production, is collated from careful estimates 
made in 1876, the latest at hand, although it is well known that great 
increase of these industries has been made since that date. These esti- 
mates showed that the state then contained 14,245 manufacturing estab- 
lishments, using 1,965 steam engines, representing 58,101 horse-power, 
465 water wheels, equaling 7,972 horse-power, and employing 80,000 
hands. The capital employed in manufacturing was about $100,000,- 
000; the material used in 1876 amounted to about $140,000,000; the 
wages paid were $40,000,000, and the products put upon the market 
were over $250,000,000. Outside of St. Louis the leading manufacturing 
counties of the state are Jackson, about $2,000,000 ; Buchanan, $7,000,- 
000; St. Charles, $4,500,000; Marion, $3,500,000; Franklin, $3,000,000; 
Greene, $1,500,000; Cape Girardeau, $1,500,000; Platte, Boone and 
Lafayette, upwards of $1,000,000 each, followed by several counties 
nearly reaching the last sum. 

The products of the different lines of manufacturing interests are, 

approximately, as follows: 

Flouring Mills $30,000,000 Furniture $5,000,000 

Carpentering 20,000,000 Paints and painting 4,500,000 

Meat Packing 20,000,000 Carriages and Wagons 4,500,000 

Iron and Castings 15,000,000 Bricks 4,500,000 

Tobacco 14,000.000 Marble, Stone-work and Masonry. 4,000,000 

Clothing 11,000,000 Bakery Products 4,000,000 

Liquors 10,000,000 Tin. Copper and Slieet Iron 4,000,000 

Lumber 10,000,000 Sash, Doors and Blinds 3,250,000 

Bags and Bagging s 7,000,060 Cooperage 3,000,000 

Saddlery 7.000,000 Blacksmithing 3,000,000 

Oil 6,000,000 Bridge Buildina; 2,500,000 

Machinery 6,000.000 Patent Medicines 2,500,000 

Printing and Publishing 5,500,000 Soap and Candles 2,500,000 

Molasses 5,000,000 Agricultural Implements 2,000,000 

Boots and Shoes 5,000,000 Plumbing and Gas-fitting 2,000,000 

Of the manufacturing in Missouri, more than three-fourths is done in 
St. Louis, which produced, in 1879, about $275,000,000 of manufactured 
articles. The city has, for some years past, ranked as the third in the 
United States in the amount of her manufactures, leaving a wide gap 
between her and Chicago and Boston, each of which cities manufactures 
a little more than one-half as much in amount as St. Louis, and leaves a 
doubt as to which of them is entitled to rank as the fourth manufactur- 
ing city. 

Flour. — In St. Louis there are twenty-four flouring mills, having a 
daily productive capacity of 11,000 barrels. The total amount of flour 
received and manufactured by the dealers and millers of St. Louis, in 



108 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

18Ty, was 4,154,757 barrels, of which over 3,000,000 were exported. They 
also made 425,963 barrels of corn meal and 28,595 barrels of hominy and 
grits. Of their exports, 619,103 barrels were sent to European nations 
and to South America. 

Cotton. — There are in the city two mills, which consume from 15,000 
to 20,000 bales annually. To supply the manufactured cotton goods 
annually sold in St. L-ouis will require mills of ten times the capacity of 
those now in operation. 



PRINCIPAL CITIES. 



SL JLouis is the commercial metropolis not only of the state of Missouri 
but also of the Mississippi and Missouri valley regions of country; and 
the history of Missouri is to a very large extent the history of St. Louis. 
There is so much concerning this imperial city embodied in other parts of 
this work that little need be added here. 

St. Louis is situated upon the west bank of the Mississippi, at an altitude 
of four hundred feet above the level of the sea. It is far above the highest 
floods that ever swell the Father of Waters. Its latitude is 38 deg., 37 
min., 28 sec, north, and its longitude 90 deg., 15 min., K! sec, west. It is 
twenty miles below the mouth of the Missouri, and 200 above the conflu- 
ence of the Ohio. It is 744 miles below the falls of St. Anthony, and 
1194 miles above New Orleans. Its location very nearly bisects the 
direct distance of 1,400 miles between Superior City and the Balize. It 
is the geographical center of a valle}' which embraces 1,200,000 square 
miles. In its course of 3,200 miles the Mississippi borders upon Missouri 
470 miles. Of the 3,000 miles of the Missouri, 500 lie within the limits 
of our own state, and St. Louis is mistress of more than 16,500 miles of 
river navigation. 

The Alissoiiri Gazette^ tlie lirst newspaper, was establised in 1808, by 
Joseph Charless, and subsequently merged in the present Missouri 
Republican. The town was incorporated in 1809, and a board of trustees 
elected to conduct the municipal government. In 1812 the territory of 
Missouri was designated, and a legislative assembly authorized. The 
Missouri Bank was incorporated in 1814. The first steamboat arrived at 
the foot of Market street in the year 1815, followed soon by others. 
In 1819 the first steamer ascended the Missouri, and the first through 
boat from New Orleans arrived, having occupied twenty-seven days in 
the trip. In 1821 a cit}^ directory was issued. The facts stated in this 
volume show that the town was then an important and thriving one. In 
1825 Lafayette visited the city and received a grand public ovation. This 
year the United States arsenal and Jefferson barracks were established. 



HTSTORV OF THK STATK OF MISSOITRT, 109 

In 182T there were hardly a dozen German families in St. Louis, where 
now there are as many thousands of them. In 1830 the population was 
^,654:. In 1835 the first railroad convention was held. [See page 106.] 
In 1837 the population was 16,187, and 184 steamboats were engaged in 
the commerce of the city. The decade between 1840 and 1850 saw 
increased advancement in all kinds of industry, and in architectural 
growth. We find that in 1840 there were manufactured 19,075 barrels 
of flour, 18,656 barrels of whisky, and 1,075 barrels of beef inspected, 
and other branches of business had correspondingly increased. In 1846, 
the now extensive Mercantile Library was founded. The close of the 
decade, 1849, brought upon the city the double misfortune of fire and 
pestilence. On May 1 9th, the principal business section was swept away 
by a conflagration originating in a steamboat at the levee; and, during 
the summer of the sam-e year, the population was scourged by cholera. 
In 1851, the first railroad enterprise — the building of the Missouri Pacific 
— was inaugurated, and quickl}- followed by others. [See page 105.] 
The decenninl increase of population has been as follows: 

Year. Pop. Year. Pop. Year. Pop. 

1799 925 1830 5,862 1860 160,733 

1 810 1 ,400 1840 16,469 1870 310,864 

1820 4,928 1850 74,439 1880 350,522 

During 1880 St. Louis received l,7o3,874 barrels of flour; manufactured 
2,077,625 barrels; and shipped 3.292,803 barrels. Of this amount 975,970 
barrels were shipped in sacks to England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Hol- 
land, France, Belgium, German}-, Brazil, Cuba and Mexico. During the 
same year St. Louis shipped 11,313,879 bushels of wheat; and of this 
amount 5,913,272 bushels went to foreign countries via New Orleans, 
while the rest went eastward by rail. The receipts of corn were 22,298,- 
077 bushels; shipments, 17,571,322 bushels, of which 9,804,392 went by 
barges to New Orleans for foreign ports, 3,157,684 to the south for con- 
sumption, and 4 591,944 eastward by rail or Ohio river. The receipts of 
cotton were 496,570 bales, and shipments 478,219 bales. 

During the packing season of 1879-80, there were 927,793 hogs packed. 
The shipments of cofiee reached $5,000,000, and that of sugar $8,500,000. 

The above principal items are gleaned from the commercial pantheon 
of statistics published in January, 1881, b}- the Merchants' Exchange of 
St. Louis. 

Kansas Cifv. — In 1724 the Kansas tribe of Indians had their chief town 
a few miles below the mouth of the Kansas riven and M. DeBourgmont, 
the French commandant of this region, held a grand peace council with 
different tribes gathered at this place for the purpose, on July 3d of that 
year. This is the earliest historic record of white men in the vicinity of 
where Kansas City now stands. In 1808 the U. S. government established 



110 HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. 

a tort and Indian agency here, calling it Fort Osage, which was not 
abandoned until 1825, when the Indian title to a certain strip of country 
here was extinguished. In 1821 Francis G. Chouteau established a trad- 
ing post on the Missouri river about three miles below the site of Kansas 
City, but a flood in the spring of 1826 swept away everything he had, and 
he then settled six miles up the Kansas river. 

The original town plat of Kansas City consisted of 40 acres, and was 
laid out in 1839. In 1846 some additional ground was laid oft', and a 
public sale of lots netted $7,000, averaging $200 per lot. 

The first charter was procured in the winter of 1852-3, and in the 
spring of 1853 was organized the first municipal government. The first 
established newspaper made its appearance in 1854, with the title of the 
" Kansas Cit}^ Enterprise," now known as the " Kansas City Journal." 
During the years 1855-6-7, the border troubles very visibly aftected the 
prosperity of the city, so that business in those years did not exceed, all 
told, the sum of $2,000,000 ; but at the close of the struggle, in 1857, busi- 
ness began to revive, and it was then stated, in the St. Louis "Intelligen- 
cer," that she had the largest trade of any city of her size in the world. 
This may be distinguished as the great steamboat era. It was estimated 
that, in the year 1857, one hundred and twenty-five boats discharged at the 
Kansas City levee over twentv-five million pounds of merchandise. In 
May of this year, also, the steamboats were eniployed to carry the United 
States mail, and in 1858 the first telegraph pole in Jackson county was 
erected. 

The first bank estabhshed in Kansas City was a branch of the Mechan- 
ics' Bank, of St. Louis, organized May 1, 1859, and the second was a 
branch of the Union Bank, organized in July of the same year. The first 
jobbing dry goods house opened in July, 1857. The first city loan for 
local improvement was made in 1855, amounting to $10,000, all taken at 
home, and expended in improving and widening the levee; and, in 1858, 
another loan of $100,000 for street improvements. Only in the matter of 
railroads was Kansas City seriously affected by the panic of 1857; gov- 
ernment moneys, immigration over the border, and the New Mexican 
trade tiding her safely over the sea of financial excitement and prostra- 
tion. She had also become, even as early as the year 1854, a noted mart 
for the purchase and sale of live stock, the immense freighting across the 
plains inviting trade in this direction, and in the annual reviews of the 
papers it is said that, in 1857, the receipts for that year, in mules and cattle, 
were estimated at $200,000, and also that, in 1858, about 20,000 head of 
stock cattle were driven here from Texas and the Indian territory. In 
1857 over six hundred freighting wagons left Kansas City with loads for 
Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

The principal railroads centering at Kansas City are, the Hannibal & 



HISTORY OF THE STATE OF MISSOURI. Hi 

St. Joseph railroad, the Kansas Pacific railroad, t«}ie Kansas City, Law- 
rence & Southern railroad, the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad, 
the Chicago & Alton railroad, the Atchison & Nebraska railroad, the 
Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs railroad, the Missouri Pacific 
railway, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railway, the Wabash, St. Louis 
& Pacific railway, the Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe railroad, the Kansas 
City & Eastern railroad, (narrow gauge). The Atchison, Topeka & 
Santa Fe railroad has extended its road to Albuquerque, New Mexico, 
and to Guyamas, on the Pacific coast ; to San Francisco, California, and 
is building to the City of Mexico. 

The elevator storage capacity in the city January 1, 1881, was 1,500,- 
000 bushels. In 1879 about 1,600 new buildings were erected, costing 
$1,500,000. The U. S. postoffice and custom house building cost $200,- 

000. The union depot building cost $300,000. The Kansas City stock 
yards rank as second only to those of Chicago in the extent and com- 
pleteness of their facilities for the cattle trade. 

The population of Kansas City, by U. S. census in June, 1880, w^as 
62,977 Taxable wealth, $13,378,950. Cost of new buildings erected 
during the year 1880, $2,200,000-"^' 

SL Joseph. In 1803 Joseph Robidon, a French fiir trader, located 
here, and continued to occupy his place and trade with the Indians for 33 
years. Up to 1843 the place contained only two log cabins, and a small 
flouring mill on Black Snake creek. In June, 1843, Mr. Robidoux 
received his title from the government to 160 acres of land, and laid out 
the city, which was called St. Joseph in his honor, and not, as is commonly 
supposed, in honor of the Saint Joseph of the church calendar. January 

1, 1846, the town had 600 inhabitants, having been incorporated as a vil- 
lage February 26, 1845, with Joseph Robidoux as president of the board 
of trustees. The first city charter was obtained February 22, 1851, but it 
has been many times amended. The population was : In 1850, 3,460 ; in I860, 
8,932; in 1870, 19,625; in 1880, 32,461. 

St. Joseph is situated on the east bank of the Missouri, 545 miles fi-om 
its mouth, 2,000 miles from the great falls, nearly 1,300 miles below the 
mouth ©f the Yellowstone, 310 miles fi-om St. Louis by railroad, with 
which it is connected by three different lines, and 565 miles from St. Louis 
by river; but it is only 180 miles on an air line from the Mississippi river. 
The latitude of St. Joseph is 39 degrees 47 minutes north, and the same 
parallel passes through Indianapolis, and within less than four miles of 
Denver, Colorado, Springfield, Illinois, and the famous Mason and Dixon's 
line, separating Maryland and Pennsylvania, reaching the Atlantic coast 
half way from Cape May to New York City, and the Pacific, two degrees 

*These statistics are gathered mostly from the able annual reports of W. H. Miller, Esq., 
■who has been secretary of the Kansas City Board of Trade continuously since 1873. 



112 HISTORY OF THE ST^TE OF MISSOURI. 

north of San Francisco, near Cape Mendicino. A straight line drawn on 
the map from Aufyusta, the capital of Maine, to San Diego in California, 
passes through Detroit, Chicago, and St. Joseph, and this last city is just 
halfway from end to end of this line 

St. Joseph has an altitude of about 1,030 feet above the sea, which is 
200 feet higher than St. Paul, 400 feet higher than Chicago, and nearly 
600 feet higher than St. Louis. The city is romantically and beautifully 
situated, the business portion lying in a huge basin on a great bend in the 
Missouri river, while the residence part of the city clambers up the 
mound-shaped hills, which rise on all sides like a vast amphitheater. 

The wholesale and retail trade is figured above $40,000,000 annually, 
while it is said that there are no fewer than eight commercial houses which 
have a cash capital of $1,000,000 each. It is stated on reliable authorit}^ 
that there is handled at this point 15,000,000 bushels of corn, 5,000,000 of 
wheat, 250,000 rye, and 500,000 barley, per annum. The stock yards cover 
seven acres, and belong to a stock company. There are received at the 
yards 120,000 to 150,000 hogs per annum, and K>,000 to 12,000 cattle. 
The figures do not include direct shipments to several large packing 
houses, which will increase the number of hogs to 300,000. There are 
four packing houses in the citv — one having a capacitv of 15,000 hogs 
per day. 

The railroad lines which connect St, Joseph with the rest of the busi- 
ness world are the Hannibal & St. Joseph, the pioneer road of the state, 
extending east across the entire state to Hannibal and Quincy on the Miss- 
issippi river: the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific, forming a direct line to St. 
Louis: the St. Joseph & Western, extending across the great iron bridge, 
through Kansas and Nebraska, to a junction at Grand Island with the 
Union Pacific, of which it is really a part; the Missouri Pacific, another 
connecting line with St. Louis; the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council 
Bluffs, extending south to Kansas City and north to Omaha, with its 
Nodaway Valle}^ branch, extending through the Nodaway valley, and its 
Chicago branch, making connection with the Chicago, Burlington & 
Quincy; the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; the St. Joseph & Des 
Moines, now owned and operated by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; 
the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, and the Atchison & Nebraska. 






;i5' « * T?''<WiW'''.'^v 



i^y-^J^i 




^h^. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
AND ITS AMENDMENTS. 

We, the -peofle of the United States, in order to form a 7nore ferfect union, 
establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, -provide for the common 
defense, -promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty 
to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitu- 
tion for the United States of America. 

ARTICLE I. 

Section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a 
congress of the United States, which shall consist of a senate and house 
of representatives. 

Sec. 2. The house of representatives shall be composed of members 
chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the 
electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of 
the most numerous branch of the state legislature. 

No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to the 
age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United 
States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in 
which he shall be chosen. 

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the sev- 
eral states which may be included within this Union, according to their 
respective numbers, which shall be determined b}* adding to the whole 
number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of 
years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons. 
The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first 
meeting of the congress of the United States, and within every subsequent 
term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The num- 
ber of representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but 
each state shall have at least one representative; and until such enumer- 
ation shall be made the state of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose 
three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, 
Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, 
Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, and 
Georgia three. 

When vacancies happen in the representation from any state, the exec- 
utive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. 

The house of represerrtatives shall choose their speaker and other 
officers, and shall have the sole power of impeachment. 

Sec. 3. The senate of the United States shall be composed of two 
senators from each state, chosen by the legislature thereof for six years; 
and each senator shall have one vote. 

Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first 
election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. 
The seats of the senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expira- 
tion of the second year, of the second class at the expiration of the fourth 
year, and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year, so that one- 
third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies happen by resig- 
nation or otherwise, during the recess of the legislature of any state, the 
executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next 
meeting of the legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies. 

No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained to the age of 
thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who 
8 



114 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 

shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall 
be chosen. 

The vice-president of the United States shall be president of the senate, 
but shall have no vote unless they be equall}- divided. 

The senate shall choose their other officers, and also a president fro 
tempore, in the absence of the vice-president, or when he shall exercise 
the office of president of the United States. 

The senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When 
sitting for that purpose they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the 
president of the United States is tried, the chief-justice shall preside. 
And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of tw^o-thirds 
of the members present. 

Judgment, in cases of impeachment, shall not extend further than to 
removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of 
honor, trust or profit under the United States; but the party convicted 
shall nevertheless be Hable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and 
punishment according to law. 

Sec. 4. The times, places, and manner of holding elections for senators 
and representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature 
thereof; but the congress may at any time by law make or alter such 
regulations, except as to the places of choosing senators. 

The congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meet- 
ing shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by law 
appoint a different day. 

Sec. 5. Each house shall be the judge of the election, returns, and 
qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute 
a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to 
day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members 
in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide. 

Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its mem- 
bers for distirderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, 
expel a member. 

Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to 
time publish the same, excepting such parts as may, in their judgment, 
require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the members of either house on 
any question shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered 
on the journal. 

Neither house, during the session of congress, shall, without the consent 
of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place 
than that in which the two houses shall be sitting. 

Sec. 6. The senators and representatives shall receive a compensation 
for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury 
of the United States. They shall in all cases, except treason, felony, and 
breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at 
the session of their respective houses, and in going to and returning from 
the same ; and for any speech or debate in either house, they shall not be 
questioned in any other place. 

No senator or representative shall, during the time for which he was 
elected, be appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United 
States, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall 
have been increased during such time ; and no person holding any office 
under the United States shall be a member of either house during his 
continuance in office. 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNIl'ED STATES. 115 

Sec. 7. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the house of 
representatives; but the senate may propose or concur with amendments 
as on other bills. 

Every bill which shall have passed the house of representatives and 
the senate shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the president of 
the United States; if he approve he shall sign it; but if not he shall 
return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have origi- 
nated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and pro- 
ceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of that 
house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objec- 
tions, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and 
if approved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become a law. But in all 
such cas e s the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, 
and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered 
on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be returned 
by the president within ten days (Sundays excepted), after it shall have 
been presented to him, the same shall be a law in like manner as if he 
had signed it, unless the congress, by their adjournment, prevents its 
return, in which case it shall not be a law. 

Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the senate 
and house of representatives may be necessary (except on a question of 
adjournment), shall be presented to the president of the United States, 
and before the same shall take eflect shall be approved by him, or, being 
disapproved by him, shall be re-passed by two-thirds of the senate and 
house of representatives, according to the rules and limitations prescribed 
in the case of a bill. 

Sec. 8. The congress shall have power — 

To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts, 
and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United 
States; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform 'throughout 
the United States; 

To borrow money on the credit of the United States; 

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several 
states, and with the Indian tribes; 

To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the 
subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States; 

To coin money, regulate the value thereof and of foreign coin, and fix 
the standard of weights and measures; 

To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and cur- 
rent coin of the United States; 

To establish post offices and post roads; 

To promote the progress of sciences and useful arts, by securing, for 
limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their respec- 
tive writings and discoveries; 

To constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme court; 

To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas; 
and offenses against the law of nations; 

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal and make rules 
concerning captures on land and water; 

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use 
shall be for a longer term than two years; 

To provide and maintain a navy; 

To make rules for government and regulation of the land and naval forces ; 



116 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 

To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union» 
suppress insurrections, and repel invasions; 

To provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia, and for 
governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the 
United States, reserving to the states respectively the appointment of the 
officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline 
prescribed by congress; 

To exercise legislation in all cases whatsoever over such district (not 
exceeding ten miles square) as may by cession of particular states, and 
the acceptance of congress, become the seat of the government of the 
United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by 
the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for 
the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock yards, and other needful 
buildings; and 

To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying 
into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this 
constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department 
or officer thereof. 

Sec. 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the 
states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by 
the congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but 
a tax of duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten 
dollars for each person. 

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless 
when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. 

No bill of attainder or ex ^ost facto law shall be passed. 

No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to 
the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken. 

No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state. 

No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or rev- 
enue to the ports of one state over those of another; nor shall vessels 
bound to or from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in 
another. 

No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of 
appropriations made by law ; and a regular statement and account of the 
receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from 
time to time. 

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States; and no per- 
son holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the 
consent of the congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title 
of any kind whatever, from any king, prince or foreign state. 

Sec. 10. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation ; 
grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; 
make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts; 
pass any bill of attainder, ex j[>ost facto law, or law impairing the obliga- 
tion of contracts, or grant any title of nobility. 

No state shall, without the consent of the congress, lay any imposts or 
duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary 
for executing its inspection laws, and the net produce of all duties and 
imposts laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the 
treasury of the United States; and all such laws shall be subject to the 
revision and control of the congress. 

No state shall, without the consent of congress, lay any duty on tonnage, 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 117 

keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement 
or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in 
war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit 
of delay. 

ARTICLE II. 

Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in a president of the 
United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of 
four years, and, together with the vice-president chosen tor the same term, 
be elected as follows: 

Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the legislature thereof may 
direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of senators and 
representatives to which the state may be entitled in the congress; but no 
senator or representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit 
under the United States shall be appointed an elector. 

[*The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot 
for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the 
same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons 
voted for, and of the number of votes for each; which list they shall sign 
and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of government of the United 
States, directed to the president of the senate. The president of the sen- 
ate shall, in the presence of the senate and house of representatives, open 
all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person hav- 
ing the greatest number of votes shall be the president, if such number be 
a majority of the whole number of electors appointed: and if there be 
more than one who have such majority, and have an equal number of 
votes, then the house of representatives shall immediately choose by bal- 
lot, one of them for president; and if no person have a majority, then from 
the five highest on the list the said house shall in like manner choose the 
president. But, in choosing the president, the vote shall be taken by states, 
the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this 
purpose shall consist of a member, or members, from two-thirds of the 
states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. In 
every case, after the choice of the president, the person having the great- 
est number of votes of the electors shall be the vice-president. But if 
there should remain two or more who have equal votes, the senate shall 
choose from them, by ballot, the vice-president.] 

The congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and the 
day on which they shall give their votes, which day shall be the same 
throughout the United States. 

No person except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United 
States at the time of the adoption of this constitution, shall be eligible to 
the office of president; neither shall any person be eligible to that office 
who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen 
years a resident within the United States. 

In case of the removal of the president from office, or of his death, res- 
ignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, 
the same shall devolve on the vice-president, and the congress may by law 
provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inabilit}^ both of 
the president and vice-president, declaring what officer shall then act as 

*This clause between brackets ha-? been superseded aad aaauUed by the twelfth amend- 
ment. 



118 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 

president, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be 
removed, or a president shall be elected. 

The president shall, at stated times, receive for his services a compen- 
sation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period 
for Vv'hich he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive during that 
period any other emolument from the United States, or any of them. 

Before he enters upon the execution of his office he shall take the fol- 
lowing oath, or affirmation: 

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office 
of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, pre- 
serve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States." 

Sec. 2. The president shall be commander-in-chief of the army and 
navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when 
called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the 
opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive depart- 
ments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, 
and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against 
the United States, except in cases of impeachment. 

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, 
to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the senators present concur; and 
he shall nominate, and by and with the advice of the senate, shall appoint 
embassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the supreme 
court, and all other officers of the United States whose appointments are 
not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law; 
but the congress may, by law, vest the appointment of such inferior officers 
as they think proper in the president alone, in the courts of law, or in the 
heads of departments. 

The president shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen 
during the recess of ihe senate, by granting commissions which shall 
expire at the end of their next session. 

Sec. 3. He shall, from time to time, give to the congress information 
of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such 
Pleasures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraor- 
dinary occasions, convene both houses, or either of them, and in case of 
disagreement between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he 
may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; he shall receive 
ernbassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be 
faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States. 

Sec. 4. The president, vice-president and all civil officers of the United 
States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, 
treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. 

ARTICLE III. 

Section 1. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in 
one supreme court, and in such inferior courts as the congress may from 
time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the supreme and 
inferior courts, shall hold their office during good behavior, and shall, at 
stated times, receive for their services a compensation, which shall not be 
diminished during their continuance in office. 

Sec. 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, 
arising under this constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties 
made, or which shall be made, under their authority; to all cases affecting 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 119 

embassadors, other public ministers and consuls; to all cases of admiralty 
and maritime jurisdiction; to controversies to which the United States shall 
be a party; to controversies between two or more states; between a state 
and citizens of another state; between citizens of different states; between 
citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states ; 
and between a state or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens or 
subjects. 

In all cases affecting embassadors, other public ministers, and consuls, 
and those in which a state shall be a party, the supreme court shall have 
original jurisdiction. 

In all the other cases before mentioned, the supreme court shall have 
appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and 
under such regulations as the congress shall make. 

The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; 
and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall have 
been committed; but when not committed within any state, the trial shall 
be at such place or places as the congress may by law have directed. 

Sec. 3. Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying 
war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and 
comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony 
of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. ^ 

The congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, 
but no attamder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, 
except during the life of the person attainted. 

ARTICLE IV. 

Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the 
public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And 
the congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such 
acts, records, ancl proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof 

Sec. 2. The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and 
immunities of citizens in the several states. 

A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime, who 
shall flee from justice and be found in another state, shall, on demand of 
the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to 
be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime. 

No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof, 
escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation 
therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered 
up on claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due. 

Sec. 3. New states may be admitted by congress into this Union ; but 
no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any 
other state; nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more 
states, or parts of states, without the consent of the legislatures of the 
states concerned, as well as of the congress. 

The congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules 
and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to 
the United States ; and nothing in this constitution shall be so construed as 
to prejudice any claims of the United States or of any particular state. 

Sec 4. The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union 
a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against 
invasion, and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when 
the legislature can not be convened), against domestic violence. 



120 



CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. 



ARTICLE V. 

The congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it neces- 
sary, shall propose amendments to this constitution, or, on the application 
of the legislatures of two-thirds of the several states shall call a conven- 
tion for proposing amendments, which, in either case shall be valid to all 
intents and purposes as part of this constitution, when ratified by the leg- 
islatures of three-fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three- 
fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be pro- 
posed by the congress. Provided, that no amendment which may be 
made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any 
manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first 
article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal 
suffrage in the senate. 

ARTICLE VI. 

All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adoption 
of this constitution shall be as valid against the United States under this 
constitution as under the confederation. 

This constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be 
made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, 
under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the 
land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in 
the constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding. 

The senators and representatives before mentioned, and the members of 
the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both 
of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or 
affirmation to support this constitution ; but no religious test shall ever be 
required as a quahfication to any office or public trust under the United 
States. 

ARTICLE VII. 

The ratification of the conventions of nine states shall be sufficient for 
the establishment of this constitution between the states so ratifying the 
same. 

Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present, the seventeenth day of 
September, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, and 
of the independence of the United States of America, the twelfth. In witness whereof we 
have hereunto subscribed our names. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, 

President, and Deputy from Virginia. 
Penmyhama. 
B. Fkanklin, 
RoBT. Morris, 
Thos. Fitzsimons, 
.Tames Wilson, 

TnOS. MlFKLIN, 

Geoi/ge Clymer, 
.Tared Ihgersoll, 
Gouv. Morris. 

South Carolina. 
j. rutledoe, 
Charles Pinckney, 
Cha3. Cotesworth Pinckney 
Pierce Butler. 

Georgia. 
Wm. Few, 
Abr. Baldwin. 



New Hampshire. 
John Langdon, 
Nicholas Gilman. 

Massachusetts. 
Nathaniel Gorham, 
RtFUS King. 

(Jonnectirut. 
Wm. Samuel Johnson, 
Roger Sherman. 

New York. 
Alexander Hamilton. 

New Jersey. 
WiL. Livi>jr.sTON, 
Wm. Patterson, 
David Brearley, 
Jon a. Dayton. 



Delaware. 
George Reed, 
John Dickinson, 
Jacob Broom, 
Gunning Bedford, Jr., 
Richard Bassett. 

Maryland. 
James M'Henry, 
Danl. Carroll, 
Dan. of St. Thos. Jenifer. 

Virfjinia. 
John Blair, 
James Madison, Jk. 

North Carolina. 
Wm. Blount. 
Hu. Williamson, 
Richard Dobbs Spaight. 



WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary. 



amendments to the constitution. 12x 

Articles in Addition to and Amendatory of the Constitution 
OF THE United States of America. 

Proposed by Congress and Ratified by the Legislatures of the several 
States -pursuant to the fifth article of the original Constitution, 

article i. 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or 
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, 
or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to 
petition the government for a redress of grievances. 

article II. 

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, 
the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. 

article III. 

No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without 
the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be pre- 
scribed by law. 

ARTICLE IV. 

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, 
and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be vio- 
lated, and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by 
oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched 
and the persons or things to be seized. 

ARTICLE V. 

No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous 
crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in 
cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia when in actual 
service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject 
for the same offense, to be twice put in jeopardy of life or Hmb; nor shall 
be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a witness against himself, nor be 
deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor 
shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. 

ARTICLE VI. 

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy 
and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the 
■crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously 
ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the 
accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have com- 
pulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor; and to have the assist- 
ance of counsel for his defense. 

ARTICLE VII. 

In suits at common law, where the value in -controversy shall exceed 
twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact 
tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United 
States than according to the rules of the common law. 



122 AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 

ARTICLE VIII. 

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor 
cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. 

ARTICLE IX. 

The enumeration, in the constitution, of certain rights, shall not be con- 
strued to deny or disparage others retained by the people. 

ARTICLE X. 

The powers not delegated to the United ^States b}?- the constitution, nor 
prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to 
the people. 

ARTICLE XL 

The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend 
to any suit in law or equity commenced or prosecuted against one of the- 
United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any 
foreign state. 

ARTICLE XII. 

Sec 1. The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot 
for president and vice-president, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhab- 
itant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots 
the person to be voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the person 
voted for as vice-president, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons, 
voted for as president, and of all persons voted for as vice-president, and 
of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and 
transmit, sealed, to the seat of the government of the United States, 
directed to the president of the senate. The president of the senate shall,, 
in presence of the senate and house of representatives, open all the certifi- 
cates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the great- 
est number of votes for president shall be the president, if such number 
be a majority of the w^hole number of electors appointed: and if no person 
have such majorit}-, then from the persons having the highest numbers not 
exceeding three on the list of those voted for as president, the house of 
representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the president. But in 
choosing the president, the votes shall be taken by states, the representa- 
tives from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall con- 
sist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority 
of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. ' And if the house of rep- 
resentatives shall not choose a president whenever the right of choice 
shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, 
then the vice-president shall act as president, as in the case of the death or 
other constitutional disability of the president. The person having the 
greatest number of votes as vice-president shall be the vice-president, if 
such number be the majority of the whole number of electors appointed 
and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on 
the list the senate shall choose the vice-president; a quorum for that pur- 
pose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of senators, and a 
majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no 
person constitutionally ineligible to the office of president shall be eligible 
to that of vice-president of the United States. , 



AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 123^ 

ARTICLE XIII. 

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a pun- 
ishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,, 
shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their juris- 
diction. 

Sec. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropri- 
ate legislation. 

ARTICLE XIV. 

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and 
subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and of 
the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law 
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United 
States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,, 
without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction 
the equal protection of the law. 

Sec 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states 
according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of per- 
sons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed; but when the right to vote 
at any election for the choice of electors for president and vice-president 
of the United States, representatives in congress, the executive and judi- 
cial officers of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied 
to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twenty-one years of 
age and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged except for 
participation in rebellion or other crime, the basis of representation therein 
shall be reduced in the proporflon which the number of such male citizens 
shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty -one years of age 
in such state. 

Sec. 3. No person shall be a senator or representative in congress, or 
elector of president and vice-president, or hold any office, civil or military, 
under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken 
an oath as a member of congress, or as an officer of the United States, or 
as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer 
of any state to support the constitution of the United States, shall have 
engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or 
comfort to the enemies thereof. But congress may, by a vote of two- 
thirds of each house, remove such disability. 

Sec 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States author- 
ized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and boun- 
ties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be 
questioned. But neither the United States nor any state-shall assume or 
pay any debt or obligation incurred in the aid of insurrection or rebellion 
against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of 
an}^ slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal 
and void. 

Sec 5. The congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate- 
legislation, the provisions of this article. 

article XV. 

Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall 
not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any state, on 
account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. 

Sec 2. The congress shall have power to enforce this article b}'^ appro- 
priate legislation. 



Constitution of the State of Missouri, 

ADOPTED BY A VOTE OP THE PEOPLE, OCTOBER 30, 1875. WENT INTO OPERATION 

NOVEMBER 30, 1875. 



PREAMBLE. 

We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme 
Ruler of the Universe, and cjrateful for his croodness, do, for the better 
government of the state, establish this constitution. 

ARTICLE I.— BOUNDARIES. 

Section 1. The boundaries of the state as heretofore established by 
law, are hereby ratified and confirmed. The state shall have concurrent 
jurisdiction on the river Mississippi, and every other river bordering on the 
state, so far as the said rivers shall form a common boundary to this state 
and any other state or states; and the river Mississippi and the navigable 
rivers and waters leading to the same, shall be common highways, and 
forever free to the citizens of this state and of the United States, without 
any tax, duty, import or toll therefor, imposed by this state. 

ARTICLE II.— BILL OF RIOHTS. 

In order to assert our rights, acknowledge our duties, and proclaim the 
principles on which our government is founded, we declare: 

Section 1. That all political power is vested in, and derived from the 
people ; that all government of right originates from the people, is founded 
upon their will onlv, and is instituted solely for the good of the whole. 

Sec. 2. That the people of this state have the inlierent, sole and exclu- 
sive right to regulate the internal government and police thereof, and to 
alter and abolish their constitution and form of government whenever 
they may deem it necessary to their safety and happiness: Provided^ 
Such change be not repugnant to the constitution of the United States. 

Sec. 8. That Missouri is a free and independent state, subject only to 
the constitution of the United States; and as the preservation of the 
states and the maintenance of their governments, are necessary to an 
indestructible Union, and were intended to co-exist with it, the legislature 
is not authorized to adopt, nor will the people of this state ever assent to 
any amendment or change of the constitution of the United States which 
mav in any wise impair the right of local self-government belonging to 
the people of this state. 

Sec 4. Tliat all constitutional government is intended to promote the 
general welfare of the people; that all persons have a natural right to life, 
liberty and the enjoyment of the gains of their own industry; that to give 
security to these things is the principal office of government, and that 
when government does not confer this security, it fails of its chief design. 

Sec. 5. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship 
Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience; that no 

(124) 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 12& 

person can, on account of his religious opinions, be rendered ineligible to 
any office of trust or profit under this state, nor be disqualified from testi- 
fying, or from serving as a juror; that no human authority can control or 
interfere with the rights of conscience ; that no person ought, by any law^ 
to be molested in his person or estate, on account of his rehgious persua- 
sion or profession ; but the libert}'^ of conscience hereby secured, shall not 
be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness, nor to justify practices 
inconsistent with the good order, peace or safety of this state, or with the 
rights of others. 

Sec. 6. That no person can be compelled to erect, support or attend 
any place or system of worship, or to maintain or support an}^ priest, min- 
ister, preacher or teacher of any sect, church, creed or denomination of re- 
ligion; but if any person shall voluntarily make a contract for any such 
object, he shall be held to the performance of the same. 

Sec. 7. That no money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, 
directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect or denomination of religion, 
or in aid of any priest, preacher, minister or teacher thereof, as such; and 
that no preference shall be given to, nor any discrimination made against 
any church, sect or creed of religion, or any form of religious faith or wor- 
ship. 

Sec. 8. That no religious corporation can be established in this state,, 
except such as may be created under a general law for the purpose only 
of holding the title to such real estate as may be prescribed by law for 
church edifices, parsonages and cemeteries. 

Sec. 9. That all elections shall be free and open ; and no power, civil 
or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the 
right of suffrage. 

Sec. 10. The courts of justice shall be open to every person, and cer- 
tain remedy afforded for every injury to person, property or character, 
and that right and justice should be administered without sale, denial or 
delay. 

Sec. 11. That the people shall be secure in their persons, papers^ 
homes and effects, from unreasonable searches and seizures; and no war- 
rant to search any place, or seize any person or thing, shall issue without 
describing the place to be searched, or the person or thing to be seized, as 
nearly as may be; nor without probable cause, supported by oath or afl!ir- 
mation reduced to writing. 

Sec. 12. That no person shall, for felony, be proceeded against crimi- 
nally otherwise than by indictment, except in cases arising in the land or 
naval forces, or in the militia when in actual service in time of war or pub- 
lic danger; in all other cases, offenses shall be prosecuted criminally by in- 
dictment or information as concurrent remedies. 

Sec. 13. That treason against the state can consist only in levying 
war against it, or in adhering to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort; 
that no person can be convicted of treason, unless on the testimony of two 
witnesses to the same overt act, or on his confession in- open court; that 
no person can be attainted of treason or felony by the general assembly; 
that no conviction can work corruption of blood or forfeiture of estate; 
that the estates of such persons as may destroy their own lives shall 
descend or vest as in cases of natural death; ^nd when any person shall 
be killed by casualty, there shall be no forfeiture by reason thereof. 

Sec. 14. That no law shall be passed impairing the freedom of speech; 



126 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

that every person shall be free to say, write or publish whatever he will 
on any subject, being responsible for all abuse of that liberty; and that in 
all suits and prosecutions for libel, the truth thereof may be given in evi- 
dence, and the jury, under the direction of the court, shall determine the 
law and the fact. 

Sec. 1.5. That no ex -post facto law, nor law impairing the obligation 
of contracts, or retrospective in its operation, or making any irrevocable 
grant of special privileges or immunities, can be passed b}' the general 
assembly. 

Sec. 16. That imprisonment for debt shall not be allowed, except for 
the nonpayment of fines and penalties imposed for violation of law. 

Sec. 17. That the right of no citizen to keep and bear arms in defense 
of his home, person and property, or in aid of the civil power, when thereto 
legally summoned, shall be called in question; but nothing herein con- 
tained is intended to justify the practice of wearing concealed weapons. 

Sec. 18. That no person elected or appointed to any office or employ- 
ment of trust or profit under the laws of this state, or any ordinance of 
any municipality in this state, shall hold such office without personally 
devoting his time to the performance of the duties to the same belonging. 

Sec. 19. That no person who is now, or may hereafter become a col- 
lector or receiver of public money, or assistant or deputy of such collector 
or receiver, shall be eligible to any office of trust or profit in the state of 
.Missouri under the laws thereof, or of any municipality therein, until he 
shall have accounted for and paid over all the public money for which he 
ma^r be accountable. 

Sec. 20. That no private property can be taken for private use with or 
without compensation, unless by the consent of the owmer, except for pri- 
vate ways of necessity, and except for drains and ditches across the lands 
■of others for agricultural and sanitary purposes, in such manner as may be 
prescribed by law; and that whenever an attempt is made to take private 
property for a use alleged to be public, the question whether the contem- 
plated use be really public shall be a judicial question, and as such, judi- 
cially determined, without regard to any legislative assertion that the use 
is public. 

Sec. 21. That private property shall not be taken or damaged for pub- 
lic use without just compensation. Such compensation shall be ascer- 
tained by a jury or board of commissioners of not less than three free- 
holders, in such manner as may be prescribed by law^; and until the same 
shall be paid to the owner, or into court for the owner, the property shall 
not be disturbed, or the proprietar}- ritrhts of the owner therein divested. 
The fee of land taken for railroad tracts without consent of the owner 
thereof, shall remain in such owner, subject to the use for which it is 
taken. 

Sec. 22. In criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to 
appear and defend, in person, and by counsel; to demand the nature and 
cause of the accusation; to meet the witnesses against him face to face; to 
have process to compel the attendance of witnesses in his behalf, and a 
speedy, public trial by an impartial jury of the county. 

Sec. 23. That no person shall be compelled to testify against himself 
in a criminal cause, nor shall any person, after being once acquitted by a 
jury, be again, for the same oflense, put in jeopardy of life or liberty; but 
if the jury to which the question of his guilt or innocence is submitted 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 127 

fail to render a verdict, the court before which the trial is had may, in its 
discretion, discharge the jury and commit or bail the prisoner for trial at 
the next term of court, or if the state of business will permit, at the same 
term ; and if judgment be arrested after a verdict of guilty on a defective 
indictment, or if judgment on a verdict of guilty be reversed for error in 
law, nothing herein contained shall prevent a new trial of the prisoner on 
a proper indictment, or according to correct principles of law. 

Sec. 24. That all persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, ex- 
cept for capital offenses, when the proof is evident or the presumption great. 

Sec. 25. That excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines 
imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. 

Sec. 26. That the privilege of the writ of habeas corfiis shall never 
be suspended. 

Sec. 27. That the military shall always be in strict subordination to 
the civil power; that no soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any 
house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, except in the 
manner prescribed b}^ law. 

Sec. 28. The right of trial by jury, as heretofore enjoyed, shall remain 
inviolate; but a jury for the trial of criminal or civil cases, in courts not of 
record, ma}^ consist of less than twelve men, as may be prescribed by law. 
Hereafter, a grand jury shall consist of twelve men, an}' nine of whom 
concurring may find an indictment or a true bill. 

Sec. 29. That the people have the right peaceably to assemble for 
their common good, and to apply to those invested with the powers of gov- 
ernment for redress of grievances by petition or remonstrance. 

Sec. 30. That no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property 
without due process of law. 

Sec. 31. That there cannot be in this state either slaver}- or involun- 
tary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall 
have been duly convicted. 

Sec. 32. The enumeration in this constitution of certain rights shall 
not be construed to deny, impair, or disparage others retained by the 
people. 

ARTICLE III. — THE DISTRIBUTION OF POWERS. 

The powers of government shall be divided into three distinct depart- 
ments — the legislative, executive, and judicial — each of which shall be con- 
fided to a separate magistracy and no person, or collection of persons, 
charged with the exercise of powers properly belonging to one of those 
departments, shall exercise any power properly belonging to either of the 
others, except in the instances in this constitution expressly directed or 
permitted. 

ARTICLE IV.— LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT. 

Section 1. The legislative power, subject to the limitations herein 
contained, shall be vested in a senate and house of representatives, to be 
styled "The General Assembly of the State of Missouri." 

representation and apportionment. 

' Sec. 2. The house of representatives shall consist of members to be 
chosen every second year by the qualified voters of the several counties, 
and apportioned in the following manner: The ratio of representation shall 
be ascertained at each apportioning session of the general assembly, by 



128 • t:ONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

dividing the whole number of inhabitants of the state, as ascertained by 
the last decennial census of the United States, by the number two hun- 
dred. Each county having one ratio, or less, shall be entitled to one rep- 
resentative; each county having two and a half times said ratio, shall be 
entitled to two representatives; each county having four times said ratio, 
shall be entitled to three representatives; each county having six times 
such ratio, shall be entitled to four representatives, and so on above that 
number, giving one additional member for every two and a half additional 
ratios. 

Sec. 3. When any county shall be entitled to more than one repre- 
sentative, the county court shall cause such county to be subdivided into 
districts of compact and contiguous territory, corresponding in number to 
the representatives to which such county is entitled, and in population as 
nearly equal as may be, in each of which the qualified voters shall elect 
one representative, who shall be a resident of such district: Provided^ 
That when any county shall be entitled to more than ten representatives, 
the circuit court shall cause such county to be subdivided into districts, so 
as to give each district not less than two, nor more than four representa- 
tives, who shall be residents of such district; the population of the districts to 
be proportioned to the number of representatives to be elected therefrom. 

Sec. 4. No person shall be a member of the house of representatives 
who shall not have attained the age of twenty-four j-ears, who shall not be 
a male citizen of the United States, who shall not have been a qualified 
voter of this state two years, and an inhabitant of the county or district 
which he may be chosen to represent, one year next before the day of his 
election, if such county or district shall have been so long established, but 
if not, then of the county or district from which the same shall have been 
taken, and who shall not have paid a state and county tax within one year 
next preceding the election. 

Sec. 5. The senate shall consist of thirty-four members, to be chosen 
by the qualified voters of their respective districts for four years. For the 
election of senators the state shall be divided into convenient districts, as 
nearly equal in population as may be, the same to be ascertained by the 
last decennial census taken by the United States. 

Sec. 6. No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained the 
age of thirty years, who shall not be a male citizen of the United States, 
who shall not have been a qualified voter of this state three years, and an 
inhabitant of the district which he may be chosen to represent one year 
next before the day of his election, if such district shall have been so long 
established; but if not, then of the district or districts from which the same 
shall have been taken, and who shall not have paid a state and county tax 
within one year next preceding the election. When any county shall be 
entitled to more than one senator, the circuit court shall cause such county 
to be subdivided into districts of compact and contiguous territory, and of 
population as nearly equal as may be, corresponding in number with the 
senators to which such county may be entitled; and in each of these one 
senator, who shall be a resident of such district, shall be elected by the 
qualified voters thereof. 

Sec. 7. Senators and representatives shall be chosen according to the 
rule of apportionment established in this constitution, until the next decen- 
nial census by the United States shall have been taken and the result 
thereof as to this state ascertained, when the apportionment shall be revised 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 129 

and adjusted on the basis of that census, and every ten years there- 
after upon the basis of the United States census; or if such census be not 
taken, or is delayed, then on the basis of a state census; such apportion- 
ment to be maSe at the first session of the general assembly after each 
such census: Provided^ That if at any time, or from any cause, the general 
assembly shall fail or refuse to district the state for senators, as required 
in this section, it shall be the duty of the governor, secretary of state, and 
attorney-general, within thirty days after the adjournment of the general 
assembly on which such duty devolved, to perform said duty, and to file in 
the office of the secretary of state a full statement of the districts formed 
by them, including the names of the counties embraced in each district, 
and the numbers thereof; said statement to be signed by them, and 
attested by the great seal of the state, and upon the proclamation of the 
governor," the same shall be as binding and effectual as if done by the 
general assembly. 

Sec. 8. Until an apportionment of representatives can be made, in 
accordance with the provisions of this article, the house of representa- 
tives shall consist of one hundred and forty-three members, which shall be 
divided among the several counties of the state, as follows: The county of 
St. Louis shall have seventeen; the county of Jackson four; the county of 
Buchanan three; the counties of Franklin, Greene, Johnson, Lafayette, 
Macon, Marion, Pike, and Saline, each two, and each of the other coun- 
ties in the state, one. 

Sec. 9. Senatorial and representative districts may be altered, from 
time to time, as public convenience may require. When any senatorial 
district shall be composed of two or more counties, they shall be contigu- 
ous ; such districts to be as compact as may be, and in the formation of 
the same no county shall be divided. 

Sec. 10. The first election of senators and representatives, under this 
constitution, shall be held at the general election in the year one thousand 
eight hundred and seventy-six, when the whole number of representa- 
tives, and the senators from the districts having odd numbers, who shall 
compose the first class, shall be chosen; and in one thousand eight hun- 
dred and seventy-eight, the senators from the districts having even num- 
bers, who shall compose the second class, and so on at each succeeding 
general election, half the senators provided for by this constitution shall 
be chosen. 

Sec. 11. Until the state shall be divided into senatorial districts, in 
accordance with the provisions of this article, said districts shall be con- 
stituted and numbered as follows: 

The First District shall be composed of the counties of Andrew, Holt, 
Nodaway and Atchison. 

Second District — The counties of Buchanan, DeKalb, Gentry and 
Worth. 

Third District — The counties of Clay, Clinton and Platte. 

Fourth District— The counties of Caldwell, Ray, Daviess and Harrison. 

Fifth District — The counties of Livingston, Grundy, Mercer and CarrolL 

Sixth District — The counties of Linn, Sullivan, Putnam and Chariton. 

Seventh District — The counties of Randolph, Howard and Monroe. 

Eighth District — The counties of Adair, Macon and Schuyler. 

Ninth District — The counties of Audrain, Boone and Callaway. 
9 



130 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

Tenth District — The counties of St. Charles and Warren. 

Eleventh District — The counties of Pike, Lincoln and Montgomery. 

Twelfth District — The counties of Lewis, Clark, Scotland and Knox. 

Thirteenth District — The counties of Marion, Shelby and Ralls. 

Fourteenth District — The counties of Bates, Cass and Henry. 

Fifteenth District— The county of Jackson. 

Sixteenth District — The counties of Vernon, Barton, Jasper, Newton 
and McDonald. 

Seventeenth District — The counties of Lafayette and Johnson. 

Eicfhteenth District — The counties of Greene, Lawrence, Barry, Stone 
and Christian. 

Nineteenth District — The counties of Saline, Pettis and Benton. 

Twentieth District — The counties of Polk, Hickory, Dallas, Dade, 
Cedar and St. Clair. 

Twenty-first District — The counties of Laclede, Webster, Wright, 
Texas, Douglas, Taney, Ozark and Howell. 

Twenty-second District — The counties of Phelps, Miller, Maries, Cam- 
den, Pulaski, Crawford and Dent. 

Twenty-third District — The counties of Cape Girardeau, Mississippi, 
New Madrid, Pemiscot, Dunkhn, Stoddard and Scott. 

Twenty-fourth District — The counties of Iron, Madison, Bollinger, 
Wayne, Butler, Reynolds, Carter, Ripley, Oregon and Shannon. 

Twenty-fifth District — The counties of Franklin, Gasconade and Osage. 

Twenty-sixth District — The counties of Washington, Jefferson, St. 
Francois, Ste. Genevieve and Perry. 

Twenty-eighth District — The counties of Cooper, Moniteau, Morgan 
and Cole. 

St. Louis count}^ shall be divided into seven districts, numbered respec- 
tively, as follows: 

Twenty-seventh, Twenty-ninth, Thirtieth, Thirty-first, Thirty-second, 
Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth. 

Sec. 12. No senator or representative shall, during the term for which 
he shall have been elected, be appointed to any office under this state, or 
any municipality thereof; and no member of congress or person holding 
any lucrative office under the United States, or this state, or any munici- 
pality thereof, (militia offices, justices of the peace and notaries public 
excepted,) shall be eligible to either house of the general assembly, or remain 
a member thereof, after having accepted any such office or seat in either 
house of congress. 

Sfx\ 1.3. If any senator or representative remove his residence from 
the district or county for which he was elected, his office shall thereby be 
vacated. 

Sec. 11. Writs of election to fill such vacancies as may occur in either 
house of the general assembly, shall be issued by the governor. 

Sec. 1.5. Every senator and representative elect, before entering upon 
the duties of his office, shall take and subscribe the following oath or affirm- 
ation: "I do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will support the constitution 
of the United States and of the state of Missouri, and faithfully perform 
the duties of my office, and that I will not knowingly receive, directly or 
indirectly, any money or other valuable thing, for the performance or 
non-performance of any act or duty pertaining to my office, other than the 
compensation allowed by law." The oath shall be administered in the 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 131 

halls of their respective houses, to the members thereof, by some judge of 
the supreme court, or the circuit court, or the county court of Cole 
county, or after the organization, by the presiding officer of either house, 
and shall be filed in the ofhce of the secretary of state. Any member of 
either house refusing to take said oath or affirmation, shall be deemed to 
have thereby vacated his office, and any member convicted of having vio- 
lated his oath or affirmation, shall be deemed guilty of perjury, and be 
forever thereafter disqualified from holding any office of trust or profit in 
this state. 

Sec. 16. The members of the general assembly shall severally receive 
from the public treasury such compensation for their services as may, 
from time to time, be provided by law, not to exceed five dollars per day 
for the first seventy days of each session, and after that not to exceed one 
dollar per day for the remainder of the session, except the first session held 
under this constitution, and during revising sessions, when the}- may re- 
ceive five dollars per day for one hundred and twenty days, and one dollar 
per day for the remainder of such sessions. In addition to per diem, the 
members shall be entitled to receive traveling expenses or mileage, for any 
regular and extra session not greater than now provided by law; but no 
member shall be entitled to traveling expenses or mileage for any extra 
session that may be called within one day after an adjournment of a regu- 
lar session. Committees of either house, or joint committees of both 
houses, appointed to examine the institutions of the state, other than those 
at the seat of government, may receive their actual expenses, necessarily 
incurred while in the performance of such duty; the items of such ex- 
penses to be returned to the chairman of such committee, and by him cer- 
tified to the state auditor, before the same, or any part thereof, can be 
paid. Each member may receive at each regular session an additional sum 
of thirty dollars, which shall be in full for all stationery used in his official 
capacity, and all postage, and all other incidental expenses and perquisites; 
and no allowance or emoluments, for any purpose whatever, shall be made 
to, or received by the members, or any member of either house, or for their 
use, out of the contingent fund or otherwise, except as herein expressly 
provided; and no allowance or emolument, for any purpose whatever, 
shall ever be paid to an}' officer, agent, servant or employe of either 
house of the general assembly, or of any committee thereof, except such 
per diem as may be provided for by law, not to exceed five dollars. 

Sec. 17. Each house shall appoint its own officers; shall be sole judge 
of the qualifications, election and returns of its own members; may deter- 
mine the rules of its own proceedings, except as herein provided ; may 
arrest and punish by fine not exceeding three hundred dollars, or imprison- 
ment in a county jail not exceeding ten days, or both, any person, not a 
member, who shall be guilty of disrespect to the house by any disorderly or 
contemptuous behavior in its presence during its sessions; may punish its 
members for disorderly conduct; and with the concurrence of two-thirds 
of all members elect, may expel a member; but no member shall be ex- 
pelled a second time for the same cause. 

Sec. 18. A majority of the whole number ot members of each house 
shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number may ad- 
journ from day to day, and may compel the attendance of absent rnembers 
in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide. 



132 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

Sec. 19. The sessions of each house shall be held with open doors^ 
except in cases which may require secrecy. 

Sec. 20. The general assembly elected in the j'^ear one thousand 
eight hundred and seventy-six shall meet on the first Wednesday after the 
first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven ; and 
thereafter the general assembly shall meet in regular session once only in 
every two yeafS; and such meeting shall be on the first Wednesday after 
the first day of Januar}'^ next after the elections of the members thereof. 

Sec. 21. Every adjournment or recess taken by the general assembly 
for more than three days, shall have the effect of and be an adjournment 
sine die. 

Sec. 22. Every adjournment or recess taken by the general assembly 
for three days or less, shall be construed as not interrupting the session at 
which they are had or taken, but as continuing the session for all the pur- 
poses mentioned in section sixteen of this article. 

Sec. 23. Neither house shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn 
for more than two days at any one time, nor to any other place than that 
in which the two houses maybe sitting. 

legislative PROCEEDINGS. 

Sec. 24. The style of the laws of this state shall be: '■^ Be it enacted 
hy the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows .•" 

Sec. 25. No law shall be passed, except by bill, and no bill shall be so 
amended in its passage through either house, as to change its original 
purpose. 

Sec. 26. Bills may originate in either house, and may be amended or 
rejected by the other; and every bill shall be read on three different days 
in each house. 

Sec. 27. No bill shall be considered for final passage unless the same 
has been reported upon by a committee and printed for the use of the 
members. 

Sec. 28. No bill (except general appropriation bills, which may em- 
brace the various subjects and accounts for and on account of which moneys 
are appropriated, and except bills passed under the third subdivision of 
section forty-four of this article) shall contain more than one subject, .which 
shall be clearly expressed in its title. 

Sec. 29. All amendments adopted by either house to a bill pending 
and originating in the same, shall be incorporated with the bill by engross- 
ment, and the bill as thus engrossed, shall be printed for the use of the 
members before its final passage. The engrossing and printing shall be 
under the supervision of a committee, whose report to the house shall set 
forth, in writing, that they find the bill truly engrossed, and that the 
printed copy furnished to the members is correct. 

Sec. 30. If a bill passed by either house be returned thereto, amended 
by the other, the house to which the same is returned shall cause the 
amendment or amendments so received to be printed under the same super- 
vision as provided in the next preceding section, for the use of the mem- 
bers before final action on such amendments. 

Sec. 31. No bill shall become a law, unless on its final passage the 
vote be taken by yeas and nays, the names of the members voting for and 
against the same be entered on the journal, and a majority of the members 
elected to each house be recorded thereon as voting in its favor. 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 133 

Sec. 32. No amendment to bills by one house shall be concurred in 
by the other, except by a vote of a majority of the members elected thereto 
taken by yeas and nays, and the names of those voting for and against 
recorded upon the journal thereof; and reports of committees of confer- 
ence shall be adopted in either house only by the vote of a majority of the 
members elected thereto, taken by yeas and nays, and the names of those 
voting recorded upon the journal. 

Sec. 33. No act shall be revived or re-enacted by mere reference to 
the title thereof, but the same shall be set forth at length, as if it were an 
original act. 

Sec. 34. No act shall be amended by providing that designated words 
thereof be stricken out, or that designated words be inserted, or that desig- 
nated words be stricken out and others inserted in lieu thereof; but the 
words to be stricken out, or the words to be inserted, or the words to be 
stricken out and those inserted in lieu thereof, together with the act or 
section amended, shall be set forth in full, as amended. 

Sec 35. When a bill is put upon its final passage in either house, and, 
failing to pass, a motion is made to reconsider the vote by which it was 
defeated, the vote upon such motion to reconsider shall be immediately 
taken, and the subject finally disposed of before the house proceeds to any 
other business. 

Sec. 36. No law passed by the general assembly, except the general 
appropriation act, shall take effect or go into force until ninety days after 
the adjournment of the session at which it was enacted, unless in case of 
an emergency, (which emergency must be expressed in the preamble or in 
the body of the act), the general assembly shall, by a vote of two-thirds 
of all the members elected to each house, otherwise direct; said vote to be 
taken by yeas and nays, and entered upon the fournal. 

Sec 37. No bill shall become a law until the same shall have been 
signed by the presiding officer of each of the two houses, in open session; 
and before such officer shall affix his signature to any bill, he shall suspend 
all other business, declare that such bill will now be read, and that, if no 
objections be made, he will sign the same, to the end that it may become a 
law. The bill shall then be read at length, and if no objections be made, 
he shall, in presence of the house, in open session, and before any other 
business is entertained, affix his signature, which fact shall be noted on the 
journal, and the bill immediately sent to the other house. When it reaches 
the other house the presiding officer thereof shall immediately suspend all 
other business, announce the reception of the bill, and the same proceedings 
shall thereupon be observed, in every respect, as in the house in which it 
was first signed. If in either house any member shall object that any sub- 
stitution, omission, or insertion has occurred, so that the bill proposed to be 
signed is not the same in substance and form as when considered and 
passed by the house, or that any particular clause of this article of the 
constitution has been violated in its passage, such objection shall be passed 
upon by the house, and if sustained, the presiding officer shall withhold his 
signature; but if such objection shall not be sustained, then any five mem- 
bers may embody the same, over their signatures, in a written protest, 
under oath, against the signing of the bill. Such protest, when offered in 
the house, shall be noted upon the journal, and the original shall be an- 
nexed to the bill to be considered by the governor in connection therewith. 

Sec 38. When the bill has been signed, as provided for in the preced- 



134- CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

inf^ section, it shall be the duty of the secretary of the senate, if the bill 
originated in the senate, and of the chief clerk of the house of representa- 
tives, it" the bill originated in the house, to present the same in person, on 
the same day on which it was signed as aforesaid, to the governor, 
and enter the fact upon the journal. Every bill presented to the governor, 
and returned within ten days to the house in which the same originated, 
with the approval of the governor, shall become a law, unless it be in vio- 
lation of some provision of this constitution. 

Sec. 39. Every bill presented as aforesaid, but returned without the 
approval of the governor, and with his objections thereto, shall stand as 
reconsidered in the house to which it is returned. The house shall cause 
the objections of the governor to be entered at large upon the journal, and 
proceed, at its convenience, to consider the question pending, which shall 
be in this form: "Shall the bill pass, the objections of the governor thereto 
notwithstanding.^" The vote upon this question shall be taken by yeas 
and nays, and the names entered upon the journal, and if two-thirds of all 
the members elected to the house vote in the affirmative, the presiding 
officer of that house shall certify that fact on the roll, attesting the same 
by his signature, and send the bill, with the objections of the governor, to 
the other house, in which like proceedings shall be had in relation thereto; 
and if the.bill receive a like majority of the votes of all the members elected 
to that house, the vote being taken by yeas and nays, the presiding officer 
thereof shall, in like manner, certify the fact upon the bill. The bill thus 
certified shall be deposited in the office of the secretary of state, as an au- 
thentic act, and shall become a law in the same manner and wdth like effect 
as if it had received the approval of the governor. 

Sec. 40. Whenever the governor shall fail to perform his duty, as pre- 
scribed in section twelve, article V, of this constitution, in relation to any 
bill presented to him for his approval, the general assembly may, by joint 
resolution, reciting the fact of such failure and the bill at length, direct the 
secretary of state to enrol the same as an authentic act in the archives of 
the state, and such enrollment shall have the same effect as an approval by 
the governor: Provided, That such joint resolution shall not be submit- 
ted to the governor for liis approval. 

Sec. 41. Within five years after the adoption of this constitution all 
the statute laws of a general nature, both civil and criminal, shall be re- 
vised, digested, and promulgated in such manner as the general assembly 
shall direct: and a like revision, digest, and promulgation shall be made 
at the expiration of every subsequent period of ten years. 

Sec. 42. Each house shall, from time to time, publish a journal of its 
proceedings, and the yeas and nays on any question shall be taken and 
entered on the journal at the motion of any two members. Whenever the 
yeas and nays are demanded, the whole list of members shall be called, 
and the names of the absentees shall be noted and published in the journal. 

LIMITATION ON LEGISLATIVE POWER. 

Sec. 43. All revenue collected and moneys received by the state from 
any source whatsoever, shall go into the treasury, and the general assem- 
bly shall have no power to divert the same, or to permit money to be drawn 
from the treasury, except in pursuance of regular appropriations made by 
law. All appropriations of money by the successive general assemblies 
shall be made in the following order: 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 135 

First, For the payment of all interest upon the bonded debt of the 
state that may become due during the term for which each general 
assembly is elected. 

Second, For the benefit of the sinking fund, which shall not be less an- 
nually than two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 

Third, For free public school purposes. 

Fourth, For the payment of the cost of assessing and collecting the 
revenue. 

Fifth, For the payment of the civil list. 

Sixth, For the support of the eleemosynary institutions of the state. 

Seventh, For the pay of the general assembly, and such other purposes 
not herein prohibited, as it may deem necessary; but no general assembly 
shall have power to make any appropriation of money for any purpose 
whatsoever, until the respective sums necessary for the purposes in this 
section specified have been set apart and appropriated, or to give pri- 
ority in its action to a succeeding over a preceding item as above enumer- 
ated. 

Sec. 44. The general assembly shall have no power to contract or to 
authorize the contracting of any debt or liabilit}^ on behalf of the state, or 
to issue bonds or other evidences of indebtedness thereof, except in the 
following cases: 

First, In renewal of existing bonds, w^hen they cannot be paid at matu- 
rity, out of the sinking fund or other resources. 

Second, On the occurring of an unforeseen emergency, or casual defi- 
ciency of the revenue when the temporary liability incurred, upon the rec- 
ommendation of the governor first had, shall not exceed the sum of two 
hundred and fifty thousand dollars for anv one year, to be paid in not 
more than two years from and after its creation. 

Third, On the occurring of any unforeseen emergenc} or casual defi- 
cienc}' of the revenue, when the temporary liability incurred or to be incur- 
red shall exceed the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for 
any one 3-ear, the general assembly ma}- submit an act providing for the 
loan, or lor the contracting of the liability, and containing a provision for 
levying a tax sufficient to pay the interest and principal when they become 
due, (the latter in not more than thirteen years from the date of its crea- 
tion) to the qualified voters of the state, and when the act so submitted 
shall have been ratified by a two-thirds majority, at an election held for 
that purpose, due publication having been made of the provisions of the 
act for at least three months before such election, the act thus ratified 
shall be irrepealable until the debt thereby incurred shall be paid, princi- 
pal and interest. 

Sec. 45. The general assembly shall have no power to give or to lend, 
or to authorize the giving or lending of the credit of the state in aid of or 
to any person, association or corporation, whether municipal or other, or to 
pledge the credit of the state in any manner whatsoever, for the payment 
of the liabilities, present or prospective, .of any individual, association of 
individuals, municipal or other corporation whatsoever. 

Sec. 46. The general assembly shall have no power to make any 
grant, or to authorize the making of any grant of public money or thing of 
v^alue to any individual, association of individuals, municipal or other cor- 
poration whatsoever: Provided, That this shall not be so construed as to 
prevent the grant of aid in a case of public calamity. 



136 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

Sec. 47. The general assembly shall have no power to authorize any 
county, city, town or township, or other political corporation or subdivision 
of the state now existing, or that may be hereafter established, to lend its 
credit, or to grant public money or thing of value in aid of, or to any indi- 
vidual, association or corporation whatsoever, or to become a stockholder 
in such corporation, association or company. 

Sec 48. The general assembly shall have no power to grant, or to 
authorize anv county or municipal authority to grant any extra compensa- 
tion, fee or allowance to a public officer, agent, servant or contractor, after 
service has been rendered or a contract has been entered into and per- 
formed in whole or in part, nor pay nor authorize the payment of any claim 
hereafter created against the state, or any county or municipality of the 
state under any agreement or contract made without express authority of 
law; and all such unauthorized agreements or contracts shall be null and 
void. 

Sec 49. The general assembly shall have no power hereafter to sub- 
scribe or authorize the subscription of stock on behalf of the state, in any 
corporation or association except for the purpose of securing loans hereto- 
fore extended to certain railroad corporations by the state. 

Sec 50. The general assembly shall have no power to release or 
alienate the lien held by the state upon any railroad, or in anywise change 
the tenor or meaning, or pass any act explanatory thereof; but the same 
shall be enforced in accordance with the original terms upon which it was 
acquired. 

Sec 51. The general assembly shall have no power to release or ex- 
tinguish, or authorize the releasing or extinguishing, in whole or in part, 
the indebtedness, liability or obligation of any corporation or individual, to 
this state, or to any county or other municipal corporation therein. 

Sec 52. The general assembly shall have no power to make any ap- 
propriation of money, or to issue any bonds or other evidences of indebted- 
ness for the payment, or on account, or in recognition of any claims audited, 
or that may hereafter be audited by virtue of an act entitled " An act to 
audit and adjust the war debt of the state, " approved March 19, 1874, or any 
act of a similar nature, until after the claims so audited shall have been 
presented to and paid by the government of the United States to the state 
of Missouri. 

Sec 53. The general assembly shall not pass any local or special law: 

Authorizing the creation, extension or impairing of liens: 

Regulating the affairs of counties, cities, townships, wards or school 
districts: 

Changing the names of persons or places: 

Changing the venue in civil or criminal cases: 

Authorizing the laying out, opening, altering or maintaining roads, 
highways, streets or alleys: 

Relating to ferries or bridges, or incorporating ferry or bridge compa- 
nies, except for the erection of bridges crossing streams which form 
boundaries between this and any other state: 

Vacating roads, town plats, streets or alleys: 

Relating to cemeteries, grave yards or public grounds not of the state: 

Authorizing the adoption or legitimation of children: 

Locating or changing county seats: 

Incorporating cities, towns or villages, or changing their charters: 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 137 

For the opening and conducting of elections, or fixing or changing the 
places of voting: 

Granting divorces: 

Erecting new townships, or changing township lines, or the lines of 
school districts: 

Creating offices, or prescribing the powers and duties of officers in 
counties, cities, townships, election or school districts: 

Changing the law of descent or succession: 

Regulating the practice or jurisdiction of, or changing the rules of evi- 
dence in any judicial proceeding or inquiry before courts, justices of the 
peace, sheriffs, commissioners, arbitrators or other tribunals, or providing 
or changing methods for the collection of debts, or the enforcing of judg- 
ments, or prescribing the effect of judicial sales of realestate: 

Regulating the fees or extending the powers and duties of aldermen, 
justices of the peace, magistrates or constables: 

Regulating the management of public schools, the building or repairing 
of school houses, and the raising of money for such purposes: 

Fixing the rate of interest: 

Affecting the estates of minors or persons under disability: 

Remitting tines, penalties and forfeitures, or refunding moneys legally 
paid into the treasury: 

Exempting property from taxation: 

Regulating labor, trade, mining or manufacturing: 

Creating corporations, or amending, renewing, extending or explaining 
the charter thereof: 

Granting to any corporation, association or individual any special or 
exclusive right, privilege or immunity, or to any corporation, association or 
individual, the right to lay down a railroad track: 

Declaring any named person of age: 

Extending the time for the assessment or collection of taxes, or other- 
wise relieving an}' assessor or collector of taxes irom the due performance 
of their official duties, or their securities from liability: 

Giving effect to informal or invalid wills or deeds: 

Summoning or empanneling grand or petit juries: 

For limitation of civil actions: 

Legalizing the unauthorized or invalid acts of any officer or agent of 
the state, or of any count}^ or municipality thereof. In all othei cases 
where a general law can be made applicable, no local or special law shall 
be enacted; and whether a general law could have been made applicable 
in any case, is hereby declared a judicial question, and as such shall be ju- 
dicially determined without regard to any legislative assertion on that 
subject. 

Nor shall the general assembly indirectly enact such special or local 
law by the partial repeal of a general law ; but laws repealing local or 
special acts may be passed. 

Sec. 51. No local or special law shall be passed unless notice of the 
intention to apply therefor shall have been published in the locality where 
the matter or thing to be affected may be situated, which notice shall state 
the substance of the contemplated law, and shall be published at least 
thirty days prior to the introduction into the general assembly of such 
bill, and in the manner to be provided by law. The evidence of such 
notice having been published, shall be exhibited in the general assembly 



158 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

before such act shall be passed, and the notice shall be recited in the act 
according to its tenor. 

Sec. 55. The general assembly shall have no power, when convened 
in extra session by the governor, to act upon subjects other than those 
specially designated in the proclamation by which the session is called, or 
recommended by special message to its consideration by the governor 
after it shall have been convened. 

Sec. 56. The general assembly shall have no power to remove the 
seat of government of this state from the city of Jefferson. 

ARTICLE V. — EXECUTIVE department. 

Section 1. The executive department shall consist of a governor, 
lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, 
attorney general and superintendent of public schools, all of whom, except 
the heutenant governor, shall reside at the seat of government during 
their term of office, and keep the public records, books and papers there> 
and shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 2. The term of office of the governor, lieutenant governor, sec- 
retary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, attorney general and super- 
intendent of public schools, shall be four years from the second Monday 
of January next after their election, and until their successors are elected 
and qualified; and the governor and state treasurer shall be ineligible to 
re-election as their own successors. At the general election to be held in 
the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, and every four 
years thereafter, all of such officers, except the superintendent of public 
schools, shall be elected, and the superintendent of public schools shall be 
elected at the general election in the year one thousand eight hundred and 
seventy-eight, and every four years thereafter. 

Sec. 8. The returns of every election for the above named officers 
shall be sealed up and transmitted by the returning officers to the secre- 
•tary of state, directed to the speaker of the house of representatives, who 
shall immediately, after the organization of the house, and before proceed- 
ing to other business, open and publish the same in the presence of a 
majority of each house of the general assembly, who shall for that pur- 
pose assemble in the hall of the house of representatives. The person 
having the highest number of votes for either of said offices shall be 
declared duly elected; but if two or more shall have an equal and the 
highest number of votes, the general assembly shall, b}' joint vote, choose 
one of such persons for said office. 

Sec. 4. The supreme executive power shall be vested in a chief mag- 
istrate, who shall be styled "the governor of the state of Missouri." 

Sec. 5. The governor shall be at least thirty-five years old, a male, 
and shall have been a citizen of the United States ten years, and a resi- 
dent of this state seven years next before his election. 

Sec 6. The governor shall take care that the laws are distributed and 
faithfully executed; and he shall be a conservator of the peace through- 
out the state. 

Sec 7. The governor shall be commander-in-chief of the militia of 
this state, except when they shall be called into the service of the United 
States, and may call out the same to execute the laws, suppress insurrec- 
tion and repel invasion; but he need not command in person unless 
directed so to do by a resolution of the general assembly. 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 139* 

Sec. 8. The governor shall have power to grant reprieves, commuta- 
tions and pardons, after conviction, for all offenses, except treason and 
cases of impeachment, upon such condition and with such restrictions and 
limitations as he may think proper, subject to such regulations as mav be 
provided by law relative to the manner of applying for pardons. He shall, 
at each session of the general assembly, communicate to that body each 
case of reprieve, commutation or pardon granted, stating the name of the 
convict, the crime of which he was convicted, the sentence and its date, 
the date of the commutation, pardon or reprieve, and the reason for grant- 
ing the same. 

Sec. 9. The governor shall, from time to time, give to the general 
assembly information relative to the state of the government, and shall 
recommend to its consideration such measures as he shall deem necessary 
and expedient. On extraordinary occasions he may convene the general 
assembly by proclamation, wherein he shall state specifically each matter 
concerning which the action of that body is deemed necessary. 

Sec 10. The governor shall, at the commencement of each session of 
the general assembly, and at the close of his term of office, give informa- 
tion b}^ message, of the condition of the state, and shall recommend such 
measures as he shall deem expedient. He shall account to the general 
assembly, in such manner as may be prescribed by law, for all moneys 
received and paid out by him from an}' funds subject to his order, with 
vouchers; and at the commencement of each regular session, present esti- 
mates of the amount of money required to be raised by taxation for all 
purposes. 

Sec. 11. When anv office shall become vacant, the governor, unless, 
otherwise provided by law, shall appoint a person to fill such vacancy,, 
who shall continue in office until a successor shall have been duly elected 
or appointed and qualified according to law. 

Sec. 12. The governor shall consider all bills and joint resolutions, 
which, having been passed by both houses of the general assemblj^, shall 
be presented to him. He shall, within ten days after the same shall have 
been presented to him, return to the bouse in which they respectively 
originated, all such bills and joint resolutions, with his approval endorsed 
thereon, or accompanied by his objections: Provided^ That if the general 
assembly shall finally adjourn within ten days after such presentation, 
the governor may, within thirty days thereafter, return such bills and res- 
olutions to the office of the secretary of state, with his approval or reasons 
for disapproval. 

Sec 13. If any bill presented to the governor contain several items 
of appropriation of money, he may object to one or more items while 
approving other portions of the bill. In such case he shall append to the 
bill, at the time of signing it, a statement of the items to which he objects,, 
and the appropriations so objected to shall not take effect. If the general 
assembly be in session, he shall transmit to the house in which the bill 
originated a copy of such statement, and the items objected to shall be 
separately reconsidered. If it be not in session, then he shall transmit the 
same within thirty days to the office of secretary of state, with his approval 
or reasons for disapproval. 

Sec 14. Every resolution to which the concurrence of the senate and 
house of representatives may be necessary, except on questions of adjourn- 
ment, of going into joint session, and of amending this constitution, shall 



140 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

be presented to the governor, and before the same shall take effect, shall 
"be proceeded upon in the same manner as in the case of a bill: Provided^ 
That no resolution shall have the effect to repeal, extend, alter or amend 
any law. 

Sec. 15. The lieutenant governor shall possess the same quahfications 
as the governor, and by virtue of his office shall be president of the senate. 
In committee of the whole he may debate all questions; and when there 
is an equal division he shall give the casting vote in the senate, and also in 
joint vote of both houses. 

Sec. 16. In case of death, conviction, or impeachment, failure to qual- 
ify, resignation, absence from the state, or other disability of the governor, 
the powers, duties, and emoluments of the office for the residue of the 
terrn, or until the disability shall be removed, shall devolve upon the lieu- 
tenant governor. 

Sec. 17. The senate shall choose a president fro tempore to preside in 
cases of the absence or impeachment of the lieutenant-governor, or when 
he shall hold the office of governor. If there be no lieutenant-governor, 
or the lieutenant governor shall, for any of the causes specified in section 
sixteen, of this article, become incapable of performing the duties of the 
office, the president of the senate shall act as governor until the vacancy 
is filled, or the disability removed; and if the president of the senate, for 
any of the above nameci causes, shall become incapable of performing the 
duties of governor, the same shall devolve upon the speaker of the house 
of representatives, in the same ftianner, and with the same powers and 
compensation as are prescribed in the case of the office devolving upon 
the lieutenant-governor. 

Sec. 18. The lieutenant-governor, or the president pro tempore of the 
senate, while presiding in the senate, shall receive the same compen- 
sation as shall be allowed to the speaker of the house of representatives. 

Sec. 19. No person shall be eligible to the office of secretary of state, 
state auditor, state treasurer, attorney-general, or superintendent of public 
schools, unless he be a male citizen of the United States, and at least 
twenty-five years old, and shall have resided in this state at least five years 
next before his election. 

Sec 20. The secretary of state shall be the custodian of the seal of 
the state, and authenticate therewith all official acts of the governor, his 
approval of laws excepted. The said seal shall be called the "Great Seal 
of the State of Missouri," and the emblems and devices thereof, hereto- 
fore prescribed by law, shall not be subject to change. 

Sec 21. The secretary of state shall keep a register of the official acts 
of the governor, and when necessary, shall attest them, and lay copies of 
the same, together with copies of all papers relative thereto, before either 
house of the general assembly whenever required to do so. 

Sec 22. An account shall be kept hy the officers of the executive 
department of all moneys and choses in action disbursed, or otherwise dis- 
posed of by them severally, from all sources, and for every service per- 
formed; and a semi-annual report thereof shall be made to the governor 
under oath. The governor may at any time require information, in writ- 
ing, under oath, from the officers of the executive department, and all 
officers and managers of state institutions, upon any subject relating to 
the condition, management and expenses of their respective offices and 
institutions; which information, when so required, shall be furnished by 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 141 

such officers and managers, and any officer or manager who at any time 
shall make a false report, shall be guilty of perjury and punished accord- 
ingly. 

Sec. 23. The governor shall commission all officers not otherwise pro- 
vided for by law. All commissions shall run in the name and by the 
authority of the state of Missouri, be signed by the governor, sealed with 
the great seal of the state of Missouri, and attested by the secretary of state. 

Sec. 24. The officers named in this article shall receive for their ser- 
vices a salary to be established by law, which shall not be increased or 
diminished during their official terms; and they shall not, after the expir- 
ation of the terms of those in office at the adoption of this constitution, 
receive to their own use any fees, costs, perquisites of office, or other com- 
pensation. All fees that may hereafter be payable by law for any service 
performed by any officer provided for in this article shall be paid in 
advance into the state treasury. 

Sec. 25. Contested elections of governor and lieutenant-governor 
shall be decided by a joint vote of both houses of the general assembly, 
in such manner as may be provided by law ; and contested elections of 
secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, attorney-general, and su- 
perintendent of public schools shall be decided before such tribunal, and 
in such manner as may be provided by law. 

ARTICLE VI.— JUDICIAL department. 

Section 1. The judicial power of the state, as to matters of law and 
equity, except as in this constitution otherwise provided, shall be vested 
in a supreme court, the St. Louis court of appeals, circuit courts, crim- 
inal courts, probate courts, county courts, and municipal corporation courts. 

Sec. 2.- The supreme court, except in cases otherwise directed by this 
constitution, shall have appellate jurisdiction only, which shall be co-ex- 
tensive with the state, under the restrictions and limitations in this consti- 
tution provided. 

Sec 3. The supreme court shall have a general superintending con- 
trol over all inferior courts. It shall have power to issue writs of habeas 
corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, certiorari, and other original remedial 
writs, and to hear and determine the same. 

Sec 4. The judges of the supreme court shall hold office for the term 
of ten years. The judge oldest in commission shall be chief justice of the 
court; and, if there be more than one commission of the same date, the 
court may select the chief justice from the judges holding the same. 

Sec 5. The supreme court shall consist of five judges, any three of 
whom shall constitute a quorum ; and said judges shall be conservators of 
the peace throughout the state, and shall be elected by the qualified voters 
thereof. 

Sec 6. The judges of the supreme court shall be citizens of the 
United States, not less than thirty years old, and shall have been citizens 
of this state for five years next preceding their election or appointment, 
and shall be learned in the law. 

Sec 7. The full terms of the judges of the supreme court shall com- 
mence on the first day of January next ensuing their election, and those 
elected to fill any vacancy shall also enter upon the discharge of their 
duties on the first day of January next ensuing such election. Those ap- 
pointed shall enter upon the discharge of their duties as soon as qualified. 



142 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

Sec. 8. The present judges of the supreme court shall remain in 
office until the expiration of their respective terms of office. To fill their 
places as their terms expire, one judge shall be elected at the general 
election in eighteen hundred and seventy-six, and one every two years 
thereafter. 

Sec 9. The supreme court shall be held at the seat of government at 
such times as may be prescribed by law; and until otherwise directed by 
law, the terms of said court shall commence on the third Tuesday in Octo- 
ber and April of each year. 

Sec 10. The state shall provide a suitable court room at the seat of 
government, in which the supreme court shall hold its sessions; also a 
clerk's office, furnished offices for the judges, and the use of the state 
library. 

Sec 11. If, in any cause pending in the supreme court, or the St. 
Louis court of appeals, the judges sitting shall be equally divided in opin- 
ion, no judgment shall be entered therein based on such division; but the 
parties to the cause may agree upon some person, learned in the law, to 
act as special judge in the cause, who shall therein sit with the court, and 
give decision in the same manner and with the same eflect as one of the 
judges. If the parties cannot agree upon a special judge, the court shall 
appoint one. 

Sec 12. There is hereby established in the city of St. Louis an appel- 
late court, to be known as the " St. Louis court of appeals," the jurisdic- 
tion of which shall be coextensive with the city of St. Louis and the coun- 
ties of St. Louis, St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren. Said court shall have 
power to issue writs of habeas corpus, quo warranto, mandamus, certiorari, 
and other original remedial writs, and to hear and determine the same; and 
shall have a superintending control over all inferior courts of record in said 
counties. Appeals shall lie from the decisions of the St. Louis coiirt of ap- 
peals to the supreme court, and writs of error may issue from the supreme 
court to said court in the following cases only: In all cases where the 
amount in dispute, exclusive of costs, exceeds the sum of two thousand live 
hundred dollars; in cases involving the construction of the constitution of 
the United States or of this state; in cases where the validity of a treaty or 
statute of, or authority exercised under the United States is drawn in ques- 
tion ; in cases involving the construction of the revenue laws of this state, 
or the title to any office under this state; in cases involving title to real 
estate; in cases where a county or other political subdivision of the state, 
or any state officer is a party, and in all cases of felony. 

Sec 13. The St. Louis court of appeals shall consist of three judges, 
to be elected by the qualified voters of the city of St. Louis, and the coun- 
ties of St. Louis, St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren, who shall hold their 
offices for the period of twelve years. They shall be residents of the dis- 
trict composed of said counties, shall possess the same qualifications as 
judges of the supreme court, and each shall receive the same compensation 
as is now, or may be, provided by law for the judges of the circuit couftof 
St. Louis county, and be paid from the same sources: Provided, That 
each of said counties shall pay its proportional part of the same, according 
to its taxable property. 

Sec 14. The judges of said court shall be conservators of the peace 
throughout said counties. Any two of said judges shall constitute a quo- 
rum. There shall be two terms of said court to be held each year, on the 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 143 

first Monday of March and October, and the first term of said court shall 
be held on the first Monday in January, 1876. 

Sec. 15. The opinions of said court shall be in writing, and shall be 
filed in the cases in which they shall be respectively made, and become 
parts of their record; and all laws relating to the practice in the supreme 
court shall apply to this court, so far as the same may be applicable. 

Sec. 16. At the first general election held in said city and counties 
after the adoption of this constitution, three judges of said court shall be 
elected, who shall determine by lot the duration of their several terms of 
office, which shall be respectively four, eight and twelve years, and certify 
the result to the secretary of state; and every four years thereafter one 
judge of said court shall be elected to hold office for the term of twelve 
years. The term of office of such judges shall begin on the first Monday 
in January next ensuing their election. The judge having the oldest 
license to" practice law in this state, shall be the presiding judge of said 
court. 

Sec. 17. Upon the adoption of this constitution the governor shall 
appoint three judges for said court, who shall hold their offices until the 
first Monday of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven, and until 
their successors shall be duly qualified. 

Sec. 18. The clerk of the supreme court at St. Louis shall be the clerk 
of the St. Louis court of appeals until the expiration of the term for which 
he was appointed clerk of the supreme court, and until his successor shall 
be duly qualified. 

Sec. 19. All cases which may be pending in the supreme court at St. 
Louis at the time of the adoption of this constitution, which by its terms 
would come within the final appellate jurisdiction of the St. Louis court of 
appeals, shall be certified and transferred to the St. Louis court of appeals, 
to be heard and determined by said court. 

Sec. 20. All cases coming to said court by appeal, or writ of error, 
shall be triable at the expiration of fifteen days frqm the fi^ng of the tran- 
script in the office of the clerk of said court. . r s^' , ; ; ' * 

Sec. 21. Upon the adoption of this constitution, and after the close of 
the next regular terms of the Supreme court at St. Louis and St. Joseph, as 
now established by law, the office of the clerk of the supreme court at St. 
Louis and St. Joseph shall be vacated, and said clerks shall transmit to the 
clerk of the supreme court at Jefferson City all the books, records, docu- 
ments, transcripts and papers belonging to their respective offices, except 
those required by section nineteen of this article, to be turned over to the 
St. Louis court of appeals; and said records, documents, transcripts and 
papers shall become part of the records, documents, transcripts and papers 
of said supreme court at Jefferson City, and said court shall hear and 
determine all the cases thus transferred as other cases. 

Sec. 22. The circuit court shall have jurisdiction over all criminal 
cases not otherwise provided for by law ; exclusive original jurisdiction in 
all civil cases not otherwise provided for; and such concurrent jurisdiction 
with, and appellate jurisdiction from inferior tribunals and justices of the 
peace as is or may be provided by law. It shall hold its terms at such 
times and places in each county as may be by law directed; but at least 
two terms shall be held every year in each county. 

Sec. 23. The circuit court shall exercise a superintending control over 
criminal courts, probate courts, county courts, municipal corporation 



144 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

courts, justices of the peace, and all inferior tribunals in each county in 
their respective circuits. 

Sec. 24. The state, except as otherwise provided in this constitution, 
shall be divided into convenient circuits of contiguous counties, in each of 
which circuits one circuit judge shall be elected ; and such circuits may be 
chano-ed, enlarged, diminished or abolished, from time to time, as public 
convenience mav require; and whenever a circuit shall be abolished, the 
office of the judge of such circuit shall cease. 

Sec. 25. The judges of the circuit courts shall be elected by the quali- 
fied voters of each circuit; shall hold their offices for the term of six years, 
and shall reside in and be conservators of the peace within their respective 
circuits. 

Sec. 26. No person shall be eligible to the office of judge of the cir- 
cuit court who shall not have attained the age of thirty years, been a citi- 
zen of the United States five years, a qualified voter of this state for three 
years, and who shall not be a resident of the circuit in which he may be 
elected or appointed. 

Sec. 27. The circuit court of St. Louis county shall be composed of 
five iudges, and such additional number as the general assembly may, 
from time to time, provide. Each of said judges shall sit separately for 
the trial of causes and the transaction of business in special term. The 
judges of said circuit court may sit in general term, for the purpose of 
making rules of court, and for the transaction of such other business as 
may be provided by law, at such time as they may determine ; but shall have 
no power to review any order, decision or proceeding of the court in 
special term. The St. Louis court of appeals shall have exclusive jurisdic- 
tion of all appeals from, and writs of error to circuit courts of St. Charles, 
Lincoln and Warren counties, and the circuit court of St. Louis county, in 
special term, and all courts of record having criminal jurisdiction in said 
counties. 

Sec. 28. In any circuit comppsed of a single county, the general assem- 
bly may, from time time, provide for one or more additional judges, as the 
business shall require ; each of whom shall separately try cases and per- 
form all other duties imposed upon circuit judges. 

Sec. 29. If there be a vacancy in. the office of judge of any circuit, or 
if the judge be sick, absent, or from any cause unable to hold any term, or 
part of term of court, in any county in his circuit, such term, or part of 
term of court, may be held by a judge of any other circuit; and at the re- 
quest of the judge of any circuit, any term of court, or part of term in his 
circuit, may be held by the judge of any other circuit, and in all such cases, 
or in any case where the judge cannot preside, the general assembly shall 
make such additional provision for holding court as may be found necessary. 
Sec. 30. The election of judges of all courts of record shall be held as 
is or may be provided by law, and in case of a tie or contested election be- 
tween the candidates, the same shall be determined as prescribed by law. 
Sec. 31. The general assembly shall have no power to establish crim- 
inal courts, except in counties having a population exceeding fifty thousand. 
Sec. 32. In case the office of judge of any court of record becomes va- 
cant by death, resignation, removal, failure to qualify, or otherwise, such 
vacancy shall be filled in the manner provided by law. 

Sec. 33. The judges of the supreme, appellate and circuit courts, 
and of all other courts of record receiving a salary, shall, at stated times, 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 145 

receive such compensation for their services as is or may be prescribed by 
law^ ; but it shall not be increased or diminished during the period for which 
they were elected. 

Sec. 34. The general assembly shall establish in every county a pro- 
bate court, which shall be a court of record, and consist of one judge, who 
shall be elected. Said court shall have jurisdiction over all matters per- 
taining to probate business, to granting letters testamentary and of admin- 
istration, the appointment of guardians and curators of minors and persons 
of unsound mind, settHng the accounts of executors, administrators, cura- 
tors and guardians, and the sale or leasing of lands by administrators, 
curators and guardians; and, also, jurisdiction over all matters relating to 
apprentices: Provided^ That until the general assembly shall provide by 
law for a uniform system of probate courts, the jurisdiction of probate 
courts heretofore estabhshed shall remain as now provided by law. 

Sec. 85. Probate courts shall be uniform in their organization, juris- 
diction, duties and practice, except that a separate clerk may be provided 
for, or the judge may be required to act, ex-officio, as his own clerk. 

Sec. 36. In each county there shall be a county court, which shall be 
a court of record, and shall have jurisdiction to transact all county and 
such other business as may be prescribed by law. The court shall consist 
of one or more judges, not exceeding three, of whom the probate judge 
may be one, as may be provided by law. 

Sec. 37. In each county there shall be appointed, or elected, as many 
justices of the peace as the public good may require, whose powers, duties 
and duration in office shall be regulated by law. 

Sec. 38. All writs and process shall run, and all prosecutions shall be 
conducted in the name of the "state of Missouri;" all writs shall be 
attested by the clerk of the court from which they shall be issued; and all 
indictments shall conclude " against the peace and dignity of the state." 

Sec. 39. The St. Louis court of appeals and supreme court shall 
appoint their own clerks. The clerks of all other courts of record shall 
be elective, for such terms and in such manner as may be directed by law ; 
■provided^ that the term of office of no existing clerk of any court of record, 
not abolished by this constitution., shall be affected by such law. 

Sec. 40. In case there be a tie, or a contested election between can- 
didates for clerk of any court of record, the same shall be determined 
in such manner as may be directed by law. 

Sec. 41. In case of the inability of any judge of a court of record to 
discharge the duties of his office with efficiency, by reason of continued 
sickness, or physical or mental infirmity, it shall be in the power of the 
general assembly, two thirds of the members of each house concurring, 
with the approval of the governor, to remove such judge from office ; but 
each house shall state on its respective journal the cause for which it shall 
wish his removal, and give him notice thereof, and he shaU have the right 
to be heard in his defense, in such manner as the general assembly shall 
by law direct. 

Sec. 42. All courts now existing in this state, not named or provided 
for in this constitution, shall continue until the expiration of the terras of 
office of the several judges; and as such terms expire, the business of said 
court shall vest in the court having jurisdiction thereof in the counties 
■where said courts now exist, and all the records and papers shall be trans- 
ferred to the proper courts. 
10 



146 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

Sec. 43. The supreme court of the state shall designate what opin- 
ions delivered by the court, or the judge thereof, may be printed at the ex- 
pense of the state; and the general assembly shall make no provision for 
payment b}'- the state for the publication of any case decided by said court, 
not so designated. 

Sec. 44. All judicial decisions in this state shall be free for publica- 
tion by any person. 

ARTICLE VII. — IMPEACHMENTS. 

Section 1. The governor, Heutenant governor, secretary of state, 
state auditor, state treasurer, attorney general, superintendent of pub- 
lic schools, and judges of the supreme, circuit and criminal courts, and 
of the St. Louis court of appeals, shall be liable to impeachment for high 
crimes or misdemeanors, and for misconduct, habits of drunkenness, or op- 
pression in office. 

Sec. 2. The house of representatives shall have the sole power of 
impeachment. All impeachments shall be tried by the senate, and, when 
sitting for that purpose, the senators shall be sworn to do justice according 
to law and evidence. When the governor of the state is on trial,, the chief 
justice of the supreme court shall preside. No person shall be convicted 
without the concurrence of two-thirds of the senators present. But judg- 
ment in such cases shall not extend any further than removal from office, 
and disqualification to hold any office of honor, trust or profit under this 
state. The party, whether convicted or acquitted, shall, nevertheless, be 
liable to prosecution, trial, judgment and punishment according to law. 

ARTICLE VIII.— SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS. 

Section 1. The general election shall be held biennially on the Tues- 
da}^ next following the first Monday in November. The first general elec- 
tion under this constitution shall be held on that day, in the year one thou- 
sand eight hundred and seventy-six; but the general assembly may, by 
law, fix a different day, two-thirds of all the members of each house con- 
senting thereto. 

Sec. 2. Every male citizen of the United States, and every male per- 
son of foreign birth, who may have declared his intention to become a citi- 
zen of the United States according to law, not less than one year nor more 
than five years before he offers to vote, who is over the age of twenty-one 
years, possessing the following qualifications, shall be entitled to vote at 
all elections by the people: 

/^rrsl, He shall have resided in the state one year immediately preceding 
the election at which he offers to vote. 

Second^ He shall have resided in the county, city or town where he 
shall offer to vote, at least sixty days immediately preceding the election. 

Sec. 3. All elections b}^ the people shall be by ballot; every ballot voted 
shall be numbered in the order in which it shall be received, and the 
number recorded by the election officers on the list of voters, opposite the 
name of the voter who presents the ballot. The election officers shall be 
sworn or affirmed not to disclose how any voter shall have voted, unless 
required to do so as witnesses in a judicial proceeding: Provided^ That in all 
cases of contested elections the ballots cast may be counted, compared with 
the list of voters, and examined under such safeguards and regulations as 
may be prescribed by law. 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 147 

Sec. 4. Voters shall, in all cases exxept treason, felony or breach of 
the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at elections, 
and in going to and returning therefrom. 

Sec 5. The general assembly shall provide, by law, for the registra- 
tion of all voters in cities and counties having a population of more than 
one hundred thousand inhabitants, and may provide for such registration in 
cities having a population exceeding twenty-five thousand inhabitants and 
not exceeding one hundred thousand, but not otherwise. 

Sec. 6. AH elections, by persons in a representative capacity, shall be 
viva voce. 

Sec. 7. For the purpose of voting, no person shall be deemed to have 
gained a residence by reason of his presence, or lost it by reason of his ab- 
sence, while employed in the service, either civil or military, of this state, 
or of the United States, nor while engaged in the navigation of the waters 
of the state or of the United States, or of the high seas, nor while a student 
of any institution of learning, nor while kept in a poor house or other asy- 
lum at public expense, nor while confined in public prison. 

Sec 8. No person, while kept at any poor house, or other as3-lum, at 
public expense, nor while confined in any public prison, shall be entitled to 
vote at any election under the laws of this state. 

Sec 9. The trial and determination of contested elections of all public 
officers, whether state, judicial, municipal, or local, except governor and 
lieutenant governor, shall be by the courts of law, or by one or more of the 
judges thereof. The general assembly shall, by generallaw, designate the 
court or judge by whom the several classes of election contests shall be 
tried, and regulate the manner of trial and all matters incident thereto; but 
no such law, assigning jurisdiction or regulating its exercise, shall apply to 
any contest arising out of any election held before said law shall take etlect. 

Sec 10. The general assembly may enact laws excluding from the 
right of voting all persons convicted of felony or other infamous crime, or 
misdemeanors connected with the exercise of the right of suffrage. 

Sec 11. No officer, soldier or marine, in the regular army or navy of 
the United States, shall be entitled to vote at any election in this state. 

Sec 12. No person shall be elected or appointed to any office in this 
state, civil or military, who is not a citizen of the United States, and who 
shall not have resided in this state one year next preceding his election or 
appointment. 

ARTICLE IX.— COUNTIES, cities and towns. 

Section 1. The several counties of this state, as they now exist, are 
hereby recognized as legal subdivisions of the state. 

Sec 2. The general assembly shall have no power to remove the 
county seat of any county, but the removal of county seats shall be pro- 
vided for by general law ; and no county seat shall be removed unless two- 
thirds of the qualified voters of the county, voting on the proposition at a 
general election, vote therefor; and no such proposition shall be sub- 
mitted oftener than once in five years. All additions to a town, which 
is a county seat, shall be included, considered and regarded as part of the 
county seat. 

Sec 3. The general assembly shall have no power to establish any 
new county with a territory of less than four hundred and ten square miles, 
nor to reduce any county, now established, to a less area or less population 



148 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

than required for a ratio of representation existing at the time; but when 
a new county is formed, having a population less than a ratio of represent- 
ation, it shall be attached for representative purposes to the county from 
which the greatest amount of territor}- is taken until such ratio shall be 
obtained. No county shall be divided or have any portion stricken there- 
from, without submitting the question to a vote of the people of the county, 
nor unless a majority of all the qualified voters of the county or counties 
thus affected, voting on the question, shall vote therefor ; nor shall any new 
county be established, any line of which shall run within ten miles of the 
then existing county seat of any county. In all cases of the establishment 
of any new county, the new county shall be held for and obliged to pay its 
ratable proportion of all the liabilities then existing of the count}^ or coun- 
ties from which said new county shall be formed. 

Sec. 4. No part of the territory of any county shall be stricken off and 
added to an adjoining county, without submitting the question to the qual- 
ified voters of the counties immediately interested, nor unless a majority of 
all the qualified voters of the counties thus atfected, voting on the question, 
shall vote therefor. When any part of a county is stricken off and attached 
to another county, the part stricken off shall be holden for, and obliged to 
pay its proportion of all the liabilities then existing of the county from 
which it is taken. 

Sec. 5. When any new county, formed from contiguous territory taken 
from older counties, or when any county to which territory shall be added 
taken from an adjoining county, shall fail to pay the proportion of indebt- 
edness of such territory, to the county or counties from which it is taken, 
then it may be lawful for any county from which such territory has been 
taken, to levy and collect, by taxation, the due proportion of indebtedness 
of such territory, in the same manner as if the territory had not been 
stricken off. 

Sec. 6. No county, township, city or other municipalit}^ shall here- 
after become a subscriber to the capital stock of any railroad or other cor- 
poration or association, or make appropriation or donation, or loan its credit 
to, or in aid of any such corporation or association, or to or in aid of any 
college or institution of learning, or other institution, whether created for 
or to be controlled by the state or others. All authority heretofore con- 
ferred for any of the purposes aforesaid by the general assembly, or by 
the charter of any corporation, is hereby repealed: Provided^ however^ 
That nothing in this constitution contained shall affect the right of any 
such municipality to make such subscription, where the same has been au- 
thorized under existing laws by a vote of the people of such municipality 
prior to its adoption, or to prevent the issue of renewal bonds or the use of 
such other means as are or may be prescribed by law, for the liquidation or 
payment of such subscription, or of any existing indebtedness. 

Sec. 7. The general assembly shall provide, by general laws, for the 
organization and classification of cities and towns. The number of such 
classes shall not exceed four ; and the power of each class shall be defined 
by general laws, so that all such municipal corporations of the same class 
shall possess the same powers and be subject to the same restrictions. The 
general assembly shall also make provisions, by general law, whereby any 
city, town or village, existing by virtue of any special or local law, may 
elect to become subject to, and be governed by, the general laws relating 
to such corporations. 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 149 

Sec. 8. The general assembly may provide, by general law, for town- 
ship organization, under which any county may organize whenever a ma- 
jorit}^ of the legal voters of such county, voting at any general election, 
shall so determine ; and whenever any county shall adopt township oro-an- 
ization, so much of this constitution as provides for the management of 
county affairs, and the assessment and collection of the revenue by county 
officers, in conflict with such general law for township organization, may 
be dispensed with, and the business of said county, and the local concerns 
of the several townships therein, may be transacted in such manner as may 
be prescribed by law: Provided, That the justices of the county court in 
such case shall not exceed three in number. 

Sec. 9. In any county which shall have adopted " Township Organiz- 
ation," the question of continuing the same may be submitted to a vote of 
the electors of such count}' at a general election, in the manner that shall 
be provided by law; and if a majority of all the votes cast upon that 
question shall be against township organization, it shall cease in said 
count}^; and all laws in force in relation to counties not having township 
organization shall immediately take effect and be in force in such county. 

Sec. 10. There shall be elected by the qualified voters in each county, 
at the time and places of electing representatives, a sheriff and coroner. 
They shall serve for two years, and until their successors be duly elected 
and qualified, unless sooner removed for malfeasance in office, and shall be 
eligible only four years in any period of six. Before entering on the duties 
of their office, they shall give security in the amount and in such manner 
as shall be prescribed by law. Whenever a county shall be hereafter 
established, the governor shall appoint a sheriff and a coroner therein, who 
shall continue in office until the next succeeding general election, and until 
their successors shall be duly elected and qualified. 

Sec. 11. Whenever a vacancy shall happen in the office of sheriff or 
coroner, the same shall be filled by the county court. If such vacancy hap- 
pen in the office of sheriff' more than nine months prior to the time of 
holding a general election, such county court shall immediately order a 
special election to fill the same, and the person by it appointed shall hold 
office until the person chosen at such election shall be duly qualified; 
otherwise, the person appointed by such county court shall hold office 
until the person chosen at such general election shall be duly qualified. 
If any vacancy happen in the office of coroner, the same shall be filled for 
the remainder of the term by such county court. No person elected or 
appointed to fill a vacancy in either of said offices shall thereby be ren- 
dered ineligible for the next succeeding term. 

Sec 12. The general assembly shall, by a law uniform in its opera- 
tion, provide for and regulate the fees of all county officers, and for this 
purpose may classify the counties by population. 

Sec 13. The fees of no executive or ministerial officer of any county 
or municipality, exclusive of the salaries actually paid to his necessary 
deputies, shall exceed the sum of ten thousand dollars for any one year. 
Every such officer shall make return, quarterly, to the county court of all 
fees by him received, and of the salaries by him actually paid to his depu- 
ties or assistants, stating the same in detail, and verifying the same by his 
affidavit; and for any statement or omission in such return, contrary to 
truth, such officer shall be liable to the penalties of willful and corrupt 
perjury. 



150 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

Sec. 14. Except as otherwise directed by this constitution, the general 
assembly shall provide for the election or appointment of such other 
county, township and municipal officers, as public convenience may 
require; and their terms of office and duties shall be prescribed by law; 
but no term of office shall exceed four years. 

Sec 15. In all counties having a city therein containing over one hun- 
dred thousand inhabitants, the city and county government thereof may 
be consolidated in such manner as may be provided by law. 

Sec. 16. Any city having a population of more than one hundred 
thousand inhabitants, may frame a charter for its own government, con- 
sistent with and subject to the constitution and laws of this state, by 
causing a board of thirteen freeholders, who shall have been for at least 
five years qualified voters thereof, to be elected by the qualified voters ot 
such city at any general or special election; which board shall, within 
ninety days after such election, return to the chief magistrate of such city 
a draft of such charter, signed by the members of such board or a majority 
of them. Within thirty days thereafter, such proposed charter shall be 
submitted to the qualified voters of such city, at a general or special elec- 
tion, and if four-sevenths of such qualified voters voting thereat, shall rat- 
ify the same, it shall, at the end of thirty da3'S thereafter, become the char- 
ter of such city, and supersede any existing charter and amendments 
thereof. A duplicate certificate shall be made, setting forth the charter 
proposed and its ratification, which shall be signed by the chief magistrate 
of such city, and authenticated b}' its corporate seal. One of such certifi- 
cates shall be deposited in the office of thesecretary of state, and the other, 
after being recorded in the office of the recorder of deeds for the county 
in which such city lies, shall be deposited among the archives of such city, 
and all courts shall take judicial notice thereof. Such charter, so adopted, 
ma}^ be amended by a proposal therefor, made b}^ the law-making author- 
ities of such city, published for at least thirty days in three newspapers of 
largest circulation in such city, one of which shall be a newspape-r printed 
in the German language, and accepted by three-fifths of the qualified 
voters of such city, voting at a general or special election, and not other- 
wise; but such charter shall always be in harmony with and subject to the 
constitution and laws of the state. 

Sec 17. It shall be a feature of all such charters that they shall pro- 
vide, among other things, for a mayor or chief magistrate, and two houses 
of legislation, one of which at least shall be elected b}^ general ticket; and 
in submitting any such charter or amendment thereto to the qualified 
voters of such city, any alternative section or article mav be presented for 
the choice of the voters, and may be voted on separately, and accepted or 
rejected separately, without prejudice to other articles or sections of the 
charter or any amendment thereto. 

Sec 18. In cities or counties having more than two hundred thousand 
inhabitants, no person shall, at the same time, be a state officer and an 
officer of an}'^ county, city or other municipality; and no person shall, at 
the same time, fill two municipal offices, either in the same or different 
municipalities; but this section shall not apply to notaries public, justices 
of the peace or officers of the militia. 

Sec 19. The corporate authorities of any county, city, or other munic- 
ipal subdivision of this state, having more than two hundred thousand in- 
habitants, which has already exceeded the limit of indebtedness prescribed 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 151 

in section twelve of article X of this constitution, may, in anticipation of 
the customary annual revenue thereof, appropriate, during any fiscal year, 
toward the s^eneral governmental expenses thereof, a sum not exceeding 
seven-eighths of the entire revenue applicable to general governmental 
purposes (exclusive of the payment of the bonded debt of such county, city 
or municipality) that was actually raised by taxation alone during the pre- 
ceding fiscal year; but until such excess of indebtedness cease, no further 
bonded debt shall be incurred, except for the renewal of other bonds. 

ST. LOUIS. 

Sec. 20, The city of St. L/Ouis may extend its limits so as to embrace 
the parks now without its boundaries, and other convenient and contiguous 
territory, and frame a charter for the government of the city thus enlarged, 
upon the following conditions, that is to say: The council of the city and 
county court of the county of St. Louis, shall, at the request of the mayor 
of the city ofSt. Louis, meet in joint session and order an election, to be held 
as provided for general elections, by the qualified voters of the citv and 
county, of a board of thirteen freeholders of such city or county, whose 
duty shall be to propose a scheme for the enlargement and definition of the 
boundaries of the city, the reorganization of the government of the county, 
the adjustment of the relations between the city thus enlarged and the 
residue of St. Louis county and the government of the citv thus enlarged, 
by a charter in harmony w'ith and subject to the constitution and laws of 
Missouri, which shall, among other things, provide for a chief executive 
and two houses of legislation, one of which shall be elected by general 
ticket, which scheme and charter shall be signed in duplicate by said board 
or a majority of them, and one of them returned to the mayor of the city 
and the other to the presiding justice of the county court within ninety 
days after the election of such board. Within thirty days thereafter the 
city council and county court shall submit such scheme to the qualilied 
voters of the whole county, and such charter to the qualiiied voters of the 
city so enlarged, at an election to be held not less than twenty nor more 
than thirt}' days after the order therefor; and if a majority of such qualified 
voters, voting at such election, shall ratify such scheme and charter, then 
such scheme shall become the organic law of the county and city, and such 
charter the organic law of the city, and at the end of sixty days thereafter 
shall take the place of and supersede the charter of St. Louis, and all 
amendments thereof, and all special laws relating to St. Louis county in- 
consistent with such scheme. 

Sec. 21. A copy of such scheme and charter, with a certificate thereto 
appended, signed by the mayor and authenticated by the seal of the city, 
and also signed by the presiding justice of the county court and authenti- 
cated by the seal of the county, setting forth the submission of such scheme 
and charter to the qualified voters of such county and citv and its ratifica- 
tion, by them, shall be made in duplicate, one of which shall be deposited 
in the office of the secretary of state, and the other, after being recorded in 
the office of the recorder of deeds of St. Louis county, shall be deposited 
among the archives of the city, and thereafter all courts shall take judicial 
notice thereof. 

Sec. 22. The charter so ratified may be amended at intervals of not 
less than two years, by proposals therefor, submitted by the law-making 
authorities of the city to the qualified voters thereof at a general or special 



152 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

election, held at least sixty days after the publication of such proposals, 
and accepted by at least three-fifths of the quahfied voters voting thereat. 

Sec. 23. Such charter and amendments shall always be in harmony 
with, and subject to the constitution and laws of Missouri, except only, 
that provision may be made for the graduation of the rate of taxation for 
city purposes in the portions of the city which are added thereto by the 
proposed enlargement of its boundaries. In the adjustment of the rela- 
tions between city and county, the city shall take upon itse.l iie entire 
park tax; and in consideration of the city becoming the propriccor of all 
the county buildings and propert}' within its enlarged limits, it shall as- 
sume the whole of the existing county debt, and thereafter the city and 
county of St. Louis shall be independent of each other. The city shall be 
exempted from all county taxation. The judges of the county court shall 
be elected by the qualified voters outside of the city. The city, as en- 
larged, shalf be entitled to the same representation in the general assem- 
bly, collect the state revenue, and perform all other functions in relation to 
the state in the same manner as if it were a county, as in this constitution 
defined; and the residue of the county shall remain a legal county of the 
state of Missouri, under the name of the county of St. Louis. Until the 
next apportionment for senators and representatives in the general assem- 
bly, the city shall have six senators and fifteen representatives, and the 
county one senator and two representatives, the same being the number of 
senators and representatives to which the county of St. Louis, as now or- 
ganized, is entitled under sections eight and eleven, of article IV, of this 
constitution. 

Sec. 24. The county and city of St. Louis, as now existing, shall con- 
tinue to constitute the eighth judicial circuit, and the jurisdiction of all 
courts of record, except the county court, shall continue until otherwise 
provided by law. 

Sec. 25. Notwithstanding the provisions of this article, the general 
assembly shall have the same power over the city and county of St. Louis 
that it has over other cities and counties of this state. 

ARTICLE X.— REVENUE AND TAXATION. 

Section 1. The taxing power may be exercised by the general as- 
sembly for state purposes, and by counties and other municipal corpora- 
tions, under authority granted to them by the general assembly, for 
county and other corporate purposes. 

Sec. 2. The power to tax corporations and corporate "property shall 
not be surrendered or suspended by act of the general assembly. 

Sec. 3. Taxes may be levied and collected for public purposes only. 
They shall be uniform upon the same class of subjects within the territorial 
limits of the authority levying the tax; and all taxes shall be levied and 
collected by general laws. 

Sec. 4:. " All property subject to taxadon shall be taxed in proportion 
to its value. 

Sec. 5. All railroad corporations in this state, or doing business 
therein, shall be subject to taxation for state, county, school, municipal and 
other purposes, on the real and personal property owned or used by them, 
and on their gross earnings, their net earnings, their franchises and their 
capital stock. 

Sec. 6. The property, real and personal, of the state, counties and 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 153 

other municipal corporations, and cemeteries, shall be exempt from taxa- 
tion. Lots in incorporated cities or towns, or within one mile of the limits 
of any such city or town, to the extent of one acre, and lots one mile or 
more distant from such cities or towns, to the ex-tent of five acres, with the 
buildings thereon, may be exempted from taxation, when the same are 
used exclusively for religious worship, for schools, or for purposes purely 
charitable; also, such property, real or personal, as may be used exclusively, 
for agricultural or horticultural societies: Provided^ That such exemptions 
shall be only by general law. 

Sec. 7. All laws exempting property from taxation, other than the 
property above enumerated, shall be void. 

Sec. 8. The state tax on property, exclusive of the tax necessary to 
pay the bonded debt ot the state, shall not exceed twenty cents on the 
hundred dollars valuation; and whenever the taxable property of the state' 
shall amount to nine hundred million dollars, the rate shall not exceed fif- 
teen cents. 

Sec. 9. No county, city, town, or other municipal corporation, nor the 
inhabitants thereof, nor the property therein, shall be released or discharged 
from their or its proportionate share of taxes to be levied ior state pur- 
poses, nor shall commutation for such taxes be authorized in any form 
whatsoever. 

Sec. 10. The general assembly shall not impose taxes upon counties, 
cities, towns or other municipal corporations; or upon the inhabitants or 
property thereof, for county, city, town or other municipal purposes; but 
may, by general laws, vest in the corporate authorities thereof, the power 
to assess and collect taxes for such purposes. 

Sec 11. Taxes for county, city, town and school purposes, may be 
levied on all subjects and objects of taxation ; but the valuation of property 
therefor shall not exceed the valuation of the same property in such town, 
cit}^ or school district for state and county purposes. For county purposes 
the annual rate on property, in counties having six million dollars or less, 
shall not, in the aggregate^ exceed fifty cents on the hundred dollars valua- 
tion; in counties having six million dollars and under ten million dollars, 
said rate shall not exceed forty cents on the hundred dollars valuation ; in 
counties having ten million dollars and under thirty million dollars, said 
rate shall not exceed fifty cents on the hundred dollars valuation;, and in 
counties having .thirty million dollars or more, said rate shall not exceed 
thirt3'-five cents on the hundred dollars valuation. For city and town pur- 
poses the annual rate on property in cities and towns having thirty thou- 
sand inhabitants or more, shall not, in the aggregate, exceed one hundred 
cents on the hundred dollars valuation; in cities and towns having less 
than thirty thousand and over ten thousand inhabitants, said rate shall 
not exceed sixtv cents on the hundred dollars valuation; in cities and 
towns having less than ten thousand and more than one thousand inhabi- 
tants, said rate shall not exceed fifty cents on the hundred dollars valuation; 
and in towns having one thousand inhabitants or less, said rate shall not 
exceed twenty-five cents on the hundred valuation. For school purposes in 
districts, the annual rate on property shall not exceed forty cents on the 
hundred dollars valuation: Provided, The aforesaid annual rates for school 
purposes may be increased, in districts formed of cities and towns, to an 
amount not to exceed one dollar on the hundred dollars valuation; and in 
other districts to an amount not to exceed sixty-five cents on the hundred 



154 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

dollars valuation, on the condition that a majority of the voters who are 
tax-payers, voting at an election held to decide the question, vote for said 
increase. For the purpose of erecting public buildings in counties, cities 
or school districts, the rates of taxation herein limited may be increased 
when the rate of such increase and the purpose for which it is intended 
shall have been submitted to a vote of the people, and two-thirds of the 
qualified voters of such county, city, or school district, voting at such elec- 
tion shall vote therefor. The rate herein allowed to each county shall be 
ascertained bv the amount of taxable property therein, according to the 
last assessment for state and county purposes, and the rate allowed to each 
city or town by the number of inhabitants, according to the last census 
taken under the authority of the state, or of the United States; said re- 
strictions, as to rates, shall apply to taxes of every kind and description^ 
whether general or special, except taxes to pay valid indebtedness now ex- 
isting or bonds which may be issued in renewal of such indebtedness. 

Sec. 12. No county, city, town, township, school district or other polit- 
ical corporation or subdivision of the state, shall be allowed to become 
indebted in anj^ manner or for any purpose to an amount exceeding in any 
year the income and revenue provided for such year, without the assent of 
two-thirds the voters thereof, voting at an election to be held for tliat 
purpose; nor in cases requiring such assent shall any indebtedness be 
allowed to be incurred to an amount including existing indebtedness, in 
the aggregate, exceeding five per centum on the value of the taxable prop- 
erty therein, to be ascertained by the assessment next before the last as- 
sessment for state and county purposes, previous to the incurring of such 
indebtedness: Provided, That with such assent any county may be allowed 
to become indebted to a larger amount for the erection of a court house or 
jail: And provided further. That any county, cit}^, town, township, school 
district or other poHtical corporation, or subdivision of the state, incurring 
any indebtedness, requiring the assent of the voters as aforesaid, shall, be- 
fore or at the time of doing so, provide for the collection of an annual tax, 
sufficient to pay the interest on such indebtedness as it falls due, and also 
to constitute a sinking fund for pa3^ment of the principal thereof, within 
twenty years from the time of contracting the same. 

Sec. 13. Private property shall not be taken or sold for the payment 
of the corporate debt of a municipal corporation. 

Sec. 14. The tax authorized by the sixth section of the ordinance 
adopted June sixth, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, is hereby 
abolished, and hereafter there shall be levied and collected an annual tax 
sufficient to pay the accruing interest upon the bonded debt of the state, 
and to reduce the principal thereof each year by a sum not less than two 
hundred and fifty thousand dollars; the proceeds of which tax shall be paid 
into the state treasury, and appropriated and paid out for the purposes 
expressed in the first and second subdivisions of section forty-three of arti- 
cle IV of this constitution. The funds and resources now in the state in- 
terest and state sinking funds shall be appropriated to the same purposes;, 
and whenever said bonded debt is extinguished, or a sum sufficient there- 
for has beeo raised, the tax provided for in this section shall cease to be 
assessed. 

Sec. 15. All moneys now, or at any time hereafter, in the state treas- 
ury, belonging to the state, shall, immediately on receipt thereof, be 
deposited by the treasurer to the credit of the state for the benefit of the 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 155 

funds to which they respectively belong, in such bank or banks as he may, 
from time to time, with the approval of the governor and attornev gen- 
eral, select; the said bank or banks giving security, satisfactory to the gov- 
ernor and attorney general, for the safe keeping and payment of such 
deposit, ^hen demanded by the state treasurer on his checks; such bank 
to pay a bonus for the use of such deposits not less than the bonus paid by 
other banks for similar deposits; and the same, together with such interest 
and profits as may accrue thereon, shall be disbursed by said treasurer for 
the purposes of the state, according to law, upon warrants drawn by the 
state auditor, and not otherwise. 

Sec. 16. The treasurer shall keep a separate account of the funds, and 
the number and amount of warrants received, and from whom: and shall 
publish, in such manner as the governor may designate, quarterly state- 
ments, showing the amount of state moneys, and where the same are kept 
or deposited. 

Sec. 17. The making of profit out of state, county, city, town or school 
district money, or using the same for any purpose not authorized b}^ law, 
by any public officer, shall be deemed a felony, and shall be punished as 
provided by law. 

Sec. is. There shall be a state board of equalization, consisting of the 
governor, state auditor, state treasurer, secretary of state and attorney 
general. The duty of said board shall be to adjust and equalize the valu- 
ation of real and personal propert}^ among the several counties in the state, 
and it shall perform such other duties as are or may be prescribed bylaw. 

Sec. 19. No moneys shall ever be paid out of the treasmy of this 
state, or any of the funds under its management, except in pursuance of 
an appropriation by law ; nor unless such payment be made, or a warrant 
shall have issued therefor, within two years after the passage of such ap- 
propriation act; and every such law, making a new appropriation, or con- 
tinuing or reviving an appropriation, shall distinctly specify the sum appro- 
priated, and the object to which it is to be applied ; and it shall not be suffi- 
cient to refer to any other law to fix such sum or object. A regular state- 
ment and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money 
shall be published from time to time. 

Sec. 20. The moneys arising from any loan, debt or liability, con- 
tracted by the state, or any county, city, town, or other municipal corpora- 
tion, shall be applied to the purposes for which they were obtained, or to 
the repayment of such debt or liability, and not otherwise. 

Sec. 21. No corporation, company or association, other than those 
formed for benevolent, religious, scientific, or educational purposes, shall be 
created or organized under the laws of this state, unless the persons named 
as corporators shall,'at or before the filing of the articles of association or 
incorporation, pay into the state treasury fifty dollars for the first fifty 
thousand dollars or less of capital stock, and a further sum of five dollars 
for ever}^ additional ten thousand dollars of its capital stock. And no such 
corporation, compan}* or association shall increase its capital stock without 
first paying into the treasury five dollars for every ten thousand dollars of 
increase: Provided, That nothing contained in this section shall be con- 
strued to prohibit the general assembly from levying a further tax on the 
franchises of such corporation. 



156 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

ARTICLE XI.— EDUCATION. 

Section 1. A general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence being 
essential to the preservation of the rights and liberties of the people, the 
general assembly shall establish and maintain free public schools for the 
gratuitous instruction of all persons in this state between the ag#s of six 
and twenty years. 

Sec. 2. The income of all the funds provided by the state for the sup- 
port of free public schools, shall be paid annually to the several county 
treasurers, to be disbursed according to law ; but no school district, in 
which a free public school has not been maintained at least three months 
■during the year for which the distribution is made, shall be entitled to 
receive anv portion of such funds. 

Sec. 3. ' Separate free public schools shall be established for the educa- 
tion of children of African descent. 

Sec. 4. The supervision of instruction in the public schools shall be 
vested in a " board of education," whose powers and duties shall be pre- 
scribed by law. The superintendent of public schools shall be president 
of the board. The governor, secretary of state and attorney-general shall 
be ex-officio members, and with the superintendent, compose said board 
of education. 

Sec. 5. The general assembly shall, whenever the public school fund 
will permit, and the actual necessity of the same may require, aid and 
maintain the state university, now established, with its present depart- 
ments. The government of the state university shall be vested in a board 
of curators, to consist of nine members, to be appointed by the governor, 
by and with the advice and consent of the senate. 

Sec. 6. The proceeds of all lands that have been, or hereafter may be 
granted by the United States to this state, and not otherwise appropriated 
by this state or the United States; also, all moneys, stocks, bonds, lands 
and other property now belonging to any state fund for purposes of educa- 
tion; also, the net proceeds of all sales of lands, and other property and 
^fleets that may accrue to the state by escheat, from unclaimed dividends 
and distributive shares of the estates of deceased persons; also, any pro- 
ceeds of the sales of the public lands which may have been or hereafter 
may be paid over to this state, (if congress will consent to such appropria- 
tion); also, all other grants, gifts or devises that have been, or hereafter 
may be, made to this state, and not otherwise appropriated by the state or 
the" terms of the grant, gift or devise, shall be paid into the state treasury, 
and securely invested and sacredly preserv^ed as a public school fund; the 
annual income of w^hich fund, together with so much of the ordinary reve- 
nue of the state as may be by law set apart for that purpose, shall be faith- 
fully appropriated for establishing and maintaining the free public schools 
and the state university in this article provided for, and for no other uses 
or purposes whatsoever. 

Sec. 7. In case the public school fund now provided and set apart by 
law, for the support of free public schools, shall be insufficient to sustain a 
free school at least four months in every year in each school district in this 
state, the general assembly may provide for such deficiency in accordance 
with section eleven of the article on revenue and taxation ; but in no case 
shall there be set apart less than twenty-five per cent, of the state revenue 
€xclusive of the interest and sinking fund, to be applied annually to the 
support of the public schools. 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 157 

Sec. 8. All moneys, stocks, bonds, lands and other property belonging 
to a county school fund; also, the net proceeds from the sale of estrays; 
also, the clear proceeds of all penalties and forfeitures, and of all fines 
collected in the several counties for any breach of the penal or mili- 
tary laws of the state, and all moneys which shall be paid by persons as 
an equivalent for exemption from military duty, shall belong to and be 
securely invested, and sacredly preserved in the several counties, as a 
county public school fund; the income of which fund shall be faithfully 
appropriated for establishing and maintaining free public schools in the 
several counties of this state. 

Sec. 9. No part of the public school fund of the state shall ever be 
invested in the stock or bonds, or other obligations of any other state, or 
of any county, city, town or corporation; and the proceeds of the sales of 
any lands or other property which now belong, or may hereafter belong, 
to said school fund, shall be invested in the bonds of the state of Missouri,, 
or of the United States. 

Sec 10. All county school funds shall be loaned only upon unincum- 
bered real estate security, of double the valve of the loan, with personal 
security in addition thereto. 

Sec. 11. Neither the general assembly, nor any county, city, town, 
township, school district or other municipal corporation, shall ever make 
an appropriation, or pay from any public fund whatever anything in aid of 
any religious creed, church or sectarian purpose ; or to help to support or 
sustain any private or public school, academy, seminary, college, univers- 
ity or other institution of learning, controlled by any religious creed, 
church or sectarian denomination whatever; nor shall any grant or 
donation of personal property or real estate ever be made by the state, or 
any county, city, town or other municipal corporation, for any religious 
creed, church or sectarian purpose whatever. 

ARTICLE XII.— CORPORATIONS. 

Section 1. All existing charters, or grants of special or exclusive priv- 
ileges, under which a bona fide organization shall not have taken place, 
and business been commenced in good faith, at the adoption of this con- 
stitution, shall thereafter have no validity. 

Sec 2. No corporation, after the adoption of this constitution, shall be 
created by special laws; nor shall any existing charter be extended, 
changed or amended by special laws, except those for charitable, penal or 
reformatory purposes, which are under the patronage and control of the 
state. 

Sec 3. The general assembly shall not remit the forfeiture of the 
charter of any corporation now existing, or alter or amend such forfeited 
charter, or pass any other general or special laws for the benefit of such 
corporations. 

Sec 4. The exercise of the power and right of eminent domain, shall 
never be so construed or abridged as to prevent the taking, by the general 
assembly, of the property and franchises of incorporated companies already 
organized, or that may be hereafter organized, and subjecting them to the 
public use, the same as that of individuals. The right of trial by jury 
shall be held inviolate in all trials of claims for compensation, when in the 
exercise of said right of eminent domain, any incorporated company shall 
be interested either for or against the exercise of said right. 



158 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

Sec. 5. The exercise of the police power of the state shall never be 
abridged, or so construed as to permit corporations to conduct their busi- 
ness in such manner as to infringe the equal rights of individuals, or the 
general well-being of the state. 

Sec 6. In all elections for directors or managers of any incorporated 
company, each shareholder shall have the right to cast as many votes in 
the aggregate as shall equal the number of shares so held by him or her 
in said company, multiplied by the number of directors or managers to be 
elected at such election ; and each shareholder may cast the whole number 
of votes, either in person or by proxy for one candidate, or distribute such 
votes among two or more candidates; and such directors or managers shall 
not be elected in any other manner. 

Sec 7. No corporation shall engage in business, other than that ex- 
pressly authorized in its charter or the law under which it may have been 
or hereafter may be organized, nor shall it hold any real estate for any 
period longer than six years, except such as may be necessary and proper 
for carrying on its legitimate business. 

Sec 8. No corporation shall issue stock or bonds, except for money 
paid, labor done or property actually received, and all fictitious increase of 
stock or indebtedness shall be void. The stock and bonded indebtedness 
of corporations shall not be increased, except in pursuance of general law, 
nor without the consent of the persons holding the larger amount in value 
of the stock first obtained at a meeting called for the purpose, first giving 
sixty days public notice, as may be provided by law. 

Sec 9. Dues from private corporations shall be secured by such means 
as may be prescribed by law, but in no case shall any stockholder be indi- 
vidually liable in any amount over or above the amount of stock owned 
by him or her. 

Sec 10. No corporation shall issue preferred stock without the con- 
sent of all the stockholders. 

Sec 11. The term "corporation," as used in this article, shall be Con- 
strued to include all joint stock companies or associations having any pow- 
ers or privileges not possessed by individuals or partnerships. 

RAILROADS. 

Sec 12. It shall not be lawful in this state for any railway company 
to charge for freight or passengers a greater amount, for the transportation 
of the same, for a less distance than the amount charged for any greater 
distance, and suitable laws shall be passed by the general assembly to en- 
force this provision; but excursion and commutation tickets maybe issued 
at special rates. 

Sec 13. Any railroad corporation or association, organized for the 
purpose, shall have the right to construct and operate a railroad between 
any points within this state, and to connect at the state line with railroads 
of other states. Every railroad company shall have the right, with its 
road, to intersect, connect with, or cross any other railroad, and shall receive 
and transport each the other's passengers, tonnage and cars, loaded or 
empty, without delay or discrimination. 

Sec 14. Railways heretofore constructed, or that may hereafter be 
constructed in this state are hereby declared public highways, and railroad 
companies common carriers. The general assembly shall pass laws to 
correct abuses and prevent unjust discrimination and extortion in the rates 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 159 

of freight and passenger tariffs on the different railroads in this state; and 
shall, from time to time, pass laws establishing reasonable maximum rates 
of charges for the transportation of passengers and freight on said railroads, 
and enforce all such laws by adequate penalties. 

Sec. 15. Every railroad or other corporation, organized or doing busi- 
ness in this state under the laws or authority thereof, shall have and main- 
tain a public office or place in this state for the transaction of its business, 
where transfers of stock shall be made, and where shall be kept, for public 
inspection, books in which shall be recorded the amount of capital stock 
subscribed, the names of the owners of the stock, the amounts owned by 
them respectively, the amount of stock paid, and by whom, the transfer of 
said stock, with the date of transfer, the amount of its assets and liabilities, 
and the names and places of residence of its officers. The directors of 
every railroad company shall hold one meeting annually in this state, pub- 
lic notice of which shall be given thirty days previously, and shall report 
annually, under oath, to the state auditor, or some officer designated by 
law, all of their acts and doings, which report shall include such matters 
relating to railroads as may be prescribed by law. The general assembly 
shall pass laws enforcing, by suitable penalties, the provisions of this sec- 
tion. 

Sec. 16. The rolling stock and all other movable property belonging 
to any railroad company or corporation in this state, shall be considered 
personal property, and shall be liable to execution and sale in the same 
manner as the personal property of individuals; and the general assembly 
shall pass no law exempting any such property from execution and sale. 

Sec. 17. No railroad or other corporation, or the lessees, purchasers or 
managers of any railroad corporation, shall consolidate the stock, property 
or franchises ot such corporation, with, or lease or purchase the works or 
franchises of, or in any way control any railroad corporation owning or hav- 
ing under its control a parallel or competing line; nor shall any officer of 
such railroad corporation act as an officer of any other railroad corporation 
owning or having the control of a parallel or competing line. The ques- 
tion whether railroads are parallel or competing lines shall, when demanded, 
be decided by a jury, as in other civil issues. 

Sec. 18. If any railroad company organized under the laws of this 
state shall consolidate, by sale or otherwise, with any railroad company 
organized under the laws of any other state, or of the United States, the 
same shall not thereby become a foreign corporation; but the courts of this 
state shall retain jurisdiction in all matters which may arise, as if said con- 
solidation had not taken place. In no case shall any consolidation take 
place, except upon public notice of at least sixty days to all stockholders, 
in such manner as may be provided by law. 

Sec. 19. The general assembly shall pass no law for the benefit of a 
railroad or other corporations, or any individual or association of individ- 
uals, retrospective in its operation, or which imposes on the people of any 
county or municipal subdivision of the state, a new liability in respect to 
transactions or considerations already past. 

Sec 20. No law shall be passed by the general assembly granting the 
right to construct and operate a street railroad within any city, town, vil- 
lage, or on any public highway, without first acquiring the consent of the 
local authorities having control of the street or highway proposed to be 



1(;0 CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 

occupied by such street railroad ; and the franchises so granted shall not 
be transferred without similar assent first obtained. 

Sec. 21. No railroad corporation in existence at the time of the adop- 
tion of this constitution shall have the benefit of any future legislation, 
except on condition of complete acceptance of all the provisions of this 
constitution applicable to railroads. 

Sec. 22. No president, director, officer, agent, or employe of any rail- 
road company shall be interested, directly, or indirectly, in furnishing ma- 
terial or supplies to such company, or in the business of transportation as 
a common carrier of freight or passengers over the works owned, leased, 
controlled or worked by such company. 

Sec, 23. No discrimination in charges or facilities in transportation 
shall be made between transportation companies and individuals, or in 
favor of either, by abatement, drawback or otherwise ; and no railroad com- 
pany, or any lessee, manager or employee thereof, shall make any prefer- 
ence in furnishing cars or motive power. 

Sec 24. No railroad or other transportation compan}?- shall grant fi-ee 
passes or tickets, or passes or tickets at a discount, to members of the gen- 
eral assembly, or members cf the board of equalization, or any state, or 
county, or municipal officers; and the acceptance of such pass or ticket, by 
a member of the general assembl}'-, or any such officer, shall be a forfeiture 
of his office. 

BANKS. 

Sec. 25. No state bank shall hereafter be created, nor shall the state 
own or be liable for any stock in any corporation, or joint stock company, 
or association for banking purposes, now created or hereafter to be cre- 
ated. 

Sec 26. No act of the general assembly authorizing or creating cor- 
porations or associations with banking powers (except banks of deposit 
or discount,) nor amendments thereto, shall go into effect, or in any man- 
ner be enforced, unless the same shall be submitted to a vote of the quali- 
fied voters of the state, at the general election next succeeding the pass- 
age of the same, and be approved by a majority of the votes cast at such 
election. 

Sec 27. It shall be a crime, the nature and punishment of which shall 
be prescribed by law, for any president, director, manager, cashier or other 
officer of any banking institution, to assent to the reception of deposits, or 
the creation of debts by such banking institution, after he shall have had 
knowledge of the fact that it is insolvent, or in failing circumstances ; and 
any such officer, agent or manager, shall be individually responsible for 
such deposits so received, and all such debts so created with his assent. 

ARTICLE XIII.— MILITIA. 

Section 1. All able-bodied male inhabitants of this state between the 
ages of eighteen and forty-five years, who are citizens of the United States, 
or have declared their intention of become such citizens, shall be liable to 
military duty in the militia of this state: Provided^ That no person who is 
religiously scrupulous of bearing arms, can be compelled to do so, but may 
be compelled to pay an equivalent for military service, in such manner as 
shall be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 2. The general assembly, in providing for the organization, 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 160A 

equipment and discipline of the militia, shall conform, as nearly as practi- 
cable, to the regulations for the government of the armies of the United 
States. 

Sec. 3. Each company and regiment shall elect its own company and 
regimental officers; but if any company or regiment shall neglect to elect 
such officers within the time prescribed by law, or by the order of the gov- 
ernor, they may be appointed by the governor. 

Sec. 4. Volunteer companies of infantry, cavalry and artillery, may 
be formed in such manner and under such restrictions as may be provided 
by law. 

Sec. 5. The volunteer and militia forces shall in all cases, except trea- 
son, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their 
attendance at musters, parades and elections, and in going to and returning 
from the same. 

Sec. 6. The governor shall appoint the adjutant general, quarter- 
master general and his other staff officers. He shall also, with the advice 
and consent of the senate, appoint all major generals and brigadier generals. 

Sec. 7. The general assembly shall provide for the safe keeping of 
the public arms, military records, banners and relics of the state. 

ARTICLE XIV. — MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. 

Section 1. The general assembly of this state shall never interfere 
with the primary disposal of the soil by the United States, nor with any 
regulation which congress may find necessary for securing the title in such 
soil to bona fide purchasers. No tax shall be imposed on lands the prop- 
erty of the 'United States; nor shall lands belonging to persons residing 
out of the limits of this state ever be taxed at a higher rate than the lands 
belonging to persons residing within the state. 

Sec. 2. No person shall be prosecuted in any civil action or criminal 
proceeding for or on account of any act by him done, performed or exe- 
cuted between the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and 
sixty-one, and the twentieth day of August, one thousand eight hundred 
and sixty-six, by virtue of military authority vested in him, or in pursu- 
ance of orders from any person vested with such authority by the govern- 
ment of the United States, or of this state, or of the late Confederate 
states, or any of them, to do such act. And if any action or proceedings 
shall have been, or shall hereafter be instituted against any person for the 
doing of any such act, the defendant may plead this section in bar thereof. 

Sec. 3. No person who shall hereafter fight a duel, or assist in the 
same as a second, or send, accept, or knowingly carry a challenge therefor, 
or agree to go out of this state to fight a duel, shall hold any office in this 
state. 

Sec. 4. No person holding an office of profit under the United States, 
shall, during his continuance in such office, hold any office of profit under 
this state. 

Sec. 5. In the absence of any contrary provision, all officers now or 
nereafter elected or appointed, subject to the right of resignation, shall 
hold office during their official terms, and until their successors shall be 
duly elected or appointed and qualified. 

Sec. 6. All officers, both civil and military, under the authority of this 
state, shall, before entering on the duties of their respective offices, take 
and subscribe an oath, or affirmation, to support the constitution of the 



160b constitution of Missouri. 

United States and of this state, and to demean themselves faithfully in 
office. 

Sec. 7. The general assembly shall, in addition to other penalties, 
provide for the removal from office of county, city, town and township 
officers, on conviction of willful, corrupt or fraudulent violation or neglect 
of official duty. 

Sec. 8. The compensation or fees of no state, county or municipal 
officer shall be increased during his term of office; nor shall the term of 
any office be extended for a longer period than that for which such officer 
was elected or appointed. 

Sec. 9. The appointment of all officers not otherwise directed by this 
constitution, shall be made in such manner as may be prescribed by law. 

Sec. 10. The general assembly shall have no power to authorize lot- 
teries or gift enterprises for any purpose, and shall pass laws to prohibit the 
sale of lottery or gift enterprise tickets, or tickets in any scheme in the 
nature of a lottery, in this state; and all acts or parts of acts heretofore 
passed by the legislature of this state, authorizing a lottery or lotteries, 
and all acts amendatory thereof, or supplemental thereto, are hereby 
avoided. 

Sec. 11. It shall be the duty of the grand jury in each county, at least 
once a year, to investigate the official acts of all officers having charge of 
public funds, and report the result of their investigations in writing to the 
court. 

Sec. 12. Senators and representatives shall, in all cases, except trea- 
son, felony, or breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during the 
session of the general assembly, and for fifteen days next before the com- 
mencement and after the termination of each session; and for any speech 
or debate in either house they shall not be questioned in any tether place. 

ARTICLE XV. — MODE of amending thb constitution. 

Section 1. This constitution may be amended and revised only in 
pursuance of the provisions of this article. 

Sec. 2. The general assembly may, at any time, propose such amend- 
ments to this constitution as a majority of the members elected to each 
house shall deem expedient; and the vote thereon shall betaken by yeas 
and nays, and entered in full on the journals. The proposed amendments 
shall be published with the laws of that session, and also shall be published 
weekly in some newspaper, if such there be, within each county in the 
state, for four consecutive weeks next preceding the general election then 
next ensuing. The proposed amendments shall be submitted to a vote of 
the people, each amendment separately, at the next general election there- 
after, in such manner as the general assembly may provide. If a major- 
ity of the qualified voters of the state, voting for and against any one of 
said amendments, shall vote for such amendment, the same shall be deemed 
and taken to have been ratified by the people, and shall be valid and 
binding, to all intents and purposes, as a part of this constitution. 

Sec. 3. The general assembly may at any time authorize, by law a 
vote of the people to be taken upon the question whether a convention 
shall be held for the purpose of revising and amending the constitution of 
this state; and if at such election a majority of the votes on the question 
bein favor of a convention, the governor shall issue writs to the sheriffs of 
the different counties, ordering the election of delegates to such a conven- 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 160C 

tion, on a day not less than three and within six months after that on which 
the said question shall have been voted on. At such election each senato- 
rial district shall elect two delegates for each senator to which it may then 
be entitled in the general assembly, and every such delegate shall have 
the qualifications of a state senator. The election shall be conducted in 
conformity with the laws regulating the election of senators. The dele- 
gates so elected shall meet at such time and place as may be provided by 
law, and organize themselves into a convention, and proceed to revise and 
amend the constitution ; and the constitution when so revised and amend- 
ed, shall, on a day to be therein fixed, not less than sixty days or more than 
six months after that on which it shall have been adopted by the conven- 
tion, be submitted to a vote of the people for and against it, at an election 
to be held for that purpose; and, if a majority of all the votes given be in 
favor of such constitution, it shall, at the end of thirty days after such elec- 
tion became the constitution of this state. The result of such elec- 
tion shall be made kno^n by proclamation by the governor. The general 
assembly shall have no power, otherwise than in this section specified, to 
authorize a convention for revising and amending the constitution. 

SCHEDULE. 

That no inconvenience may arise from the alteration and amendments 
in the constitution of this state, and to carry the same into complete effect, 
it is hereby ordained and declared: 

Section 1 , That all laws in force at the adoption of this constitution, 
not inconsistent therewith, shall remain in full force until altered or re- 
pealed by the general assembly; and, all rights, actions, prosecutions, 
claims and contracts of the state, counties, individuals or bodies corporate 
not inconsistent therewith, shall continue to be as valid as if this constitution 
had not been adopted. The provisions of all laws which are inconsistent 
with this constitution, shall cease upon its adoption, except that all laws 
which are inconsistent with such provision of this constitution, as require 
legislation to enforce them, shall remain in force until the first day of July, 
one thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven, unless sooner amended or 
repealed by the general assembly. 

Sec. 2. That all recognizances, obligations and all other instruments, 
entered into or executed before the adoption of this constitution, to this 
state or to any subdivision thereof, or any municipality therein ; and all 
fines, taxes, penalties and forfeitures, due or owing to this state, or any 
such subdivision or municipality; and all writs, prosecutions, actions and 
causes of action, except as herein otherwise provided, shall continue and 
remain unaffected by the adoption of this constitution. All indictments 
which shall have been found or may hereafter be found, for any crime or 
offense committed before this constitution takes efiect, may be proceeded 
upon as if no change had taken place, except as otherwise provided in 
this constitution. 

Sec. 3. All county and probate courts, as now constituted and organ- 
ized, shall continue with their jurisdiction, until the general assembly 
shall by law conform them in their organization to the requirements of this 
constitution. 

Sec. 4. All criminal courts organized and existing under the laws of 
this state, and not specially provided for in thio constitution, shall continue 
to exist until otherwise provided by law. 

Sec. 5. All courts of common pleas existing and organized in cities 



160d constitution of Missouri. 

and towns having a population exceeding three thousand five hundred in- 
habitants, and such as by the law of their creation are presided over by a 
judge of a circuit court, shall continue to exist and exercise their present 
jurisdiction, until otherwise provided by law. All other courts of common 
pleas shall cease to exist at the expiration of the present terms of office of 
the several judges thereof. 

Sec. 6. All persons now filling any office or appointment in this state, 
shall continue in the exercise of the duties thereof, according to their re- 
spective commissions or appointments, unless otherwise provided by law» 

Sec. 7. Upon the adoption of this constitution, all appeals to, and 
writs of error from the supreme court, shall be returnable to the supreme 
court at the city of Jeflerson. 

Sec. 8. Until the general assembly shall make provision for the pay- 
ment of the state and railroad indebtedness of this state, in pursuance of 
section fourteen of article ten of this constitution, there shall be levied 
and collected an annual tax of one-fifth of one per centum on all real estate 
and other property and eft'ects subject to taxation, the proceeds of which 
shall be applied to the payment of the interest on the bonded debt of this 
state as it matures, and the surplus, if any, shall be paid into the sinking 
fund and thereafter applied to the payment of such indebtedness, and to 
no other purpose. 

Sec. 9. This constitution shall be submitted to the people of this state 
for adoption or rejection, at an election to be held for that purpose only, on 
Saturday, the thirtieth day of October, one thousand eight hundred and 
seventy-five. Every person entitled to vote under the constitution and 
laws of this state shall be entitled to vote for the adoption or rejection of 
this constitution. Said election shall be held, and said qualified electors 
shall vote at the usual places of voting in the several counties of this state; 
and said election shall be conducted, and returns thereof made, according 
to the laws now in force regulating general elections. 

Sec. 10. The clerks of the several county courts in this state, shall, at 
least five days before said election, cause to be delivered to the judges of 
election in each election district or precinct, in their respective counties, 
suitable blank poll books, forms of return and five times the number of 
properly prepared printed ballots for said election, that there are voters in 
said respective districts, the expense whereof shall be allowed and paid by 
the several county courts, as other county expenditures are allowed and 
paid. 

Sec. 11. At said election the ballots shall be in the following form: 
New constitution ticket, {erase the clause you do not favor ^ New consti- 
tution, — Yes. New constitution, — No. Each of said ticket sshall be 
counted as a vote for or against this constitution, as the one clause or the 
other may be canceled with ink or pencil by the voter, and returns thereof 
shall be made accordingly. If both clauses of the ticket be erased, or if 
neither be erased, the ticket shall not be coimted. 

Sec. 12. The returns of the whole vote cast for the adoption and 
against the adoption of this constitution shall be made by the several 
clerks, as now provided by law in case of the election of state officers, to 
the secretary of state, within twenty days after the election; and the re- 
turns of said votes shall, within ten days thereafter, be examined and 
canvassed by the state auditor, state treasurer and secretary of state, or 
any two of them, in the presence of the governor, and proclamation shall 
be made by the governor forthwith of the result of the canvass. 



CONSTITUTION OF MISSOURI. 160b 

Sec. 13. If, upon such canvass, it shall appear that a majority of the 
votes polled were in favor of the new constitution, then this constitution 
shall, on and after the thirtieth day of November, one thousand eight hun- 
dred and seventy-five, be the supreme law of the state of Missouri, and the 
present existing constitution shall thereupon cease in all its provisions* 
but if it shall appear that a majority of the votes polled were against the 
new constitution, then this constitution shall be null and void, and the 
existing constitution shall continue in force. 

Sec. 14. The provisions of this schedule required to be executed prior 
to the adoption or rejection of this constitution, shall take effect and be in 
force immediately. 

Sec. 15. The general assembly shall pass all such laws as may be 
necessary to carry this constitution into full effect. 

Sec. 16. The present secretary of state, state auditor, attorney-general, 
and superintendent of public schools, shall, during the remainder of their 
terms of office, unless otherwise directed by law, receive the same com- 
pensation and fees as is now provided by law; and the present state treas- 
urer shall, during the remainder of the term of his office, continue to be 
governed by existing law, in the custody and disposition of the state 
funds, unless otherwise directed by law. 

Sec. 17. Section twelve of [the] bill of rights shall not be so construed 
as to prevent arrests and preliminary examination in any criminal case. 

Done in convention, at tbe capitol, in the city of Jefferson, on the second day of August, 
in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, and of the inde- 
pendence of the United States the one hundredth. 

WALDO P. JOHNSON, President, St. Clair county. 
N. W. WATKINS, Vice President, Scott county. 
Adams, Washington, Cooper. Lktcher, Wm. H., Saline. 

Allen, DeWitt C, Clay. Lay, Alfred M., Cole. 

Alexander, A. M., Monroe. Mabrey, Pinckney, Ripley. 

Black, Francis K., Jackson. Masset, B. P., Newton. 

Boone, Henry, DeKalb. Maxey, James Harvey, Howell, 

Bradfield, George W.. Laclede. McAfee, Charles B., Greene. 

Broadhead, James O., St. Louis. McKee, Archibald V., Lincoln. 

Brokmeyer, Henry C, St. Louis. McCabe, Edward, Marion. 

Carleton, George W., Pemiscot. McKillop, Malcomb, Atchison. 

Chrisman, William, Jackson. Mortell, Nicholas A., St. Louis. 

Conway, Edmund V., St. Francois. Mudd, Henry Thomas, St. Louis. 

CoTTEY, Louis F., Knox. Nickerson, Edmund A., Johnson. 

Crews, T. W. B., Franklin. Norton, Elijah Hise, Platte. 

Crockett, Samuel R., Vernon. Pipkin, Philip, Jetierson. 

Davis, LowNDEY Henry, Cape Girardeau. Priest, William, Platte. 
Dryden, Leonidas J., Warren Pulitzer, Joseph, St. Louis. 

Dysart, Benjamin Robert, Macon. Ray, John, Barry. 

Edwards, John F. T., Iron. Rider, J. H., Bollingei;. 

Edwards, James C, St. Louis. Ripey, J. R., Schuyler. 

Eitzen, Charles D., Gasconade. Roberts, James C, Buchanan. 

Farris, James L., Ray. Ross, J. P., Morgan. 

Fyan, Robert W. Webster. Ross, John W., Polk. 

Gantt, Thomas Tasker, St. Louis. Rucker, John Fleming, Boone. 

Gottschalk, Louis, St. Louis. Shackelford, Thomas, Howard. 

Hale, John B., Carroll. Shanklin, John H., Grundy. 

Halliburton, W., Sullivan. Shields, George H., St. Louis. 

Hammond, Charles, Chariton. Spaunhorst, Henry J., St. Louis. 

Hardin, Neil Cameron, Pike. Switzler, William F., Boone. 

HoLLiDAY, J. A., Caldwell. Taylor, John H., Jasper. 

Hyer, John, Dent. Taylor, Amos Riley, St. Louis. 

Johnson, Horace B., Cole. Todd, Albert, St. Louis. 

Johnston, T. J., Nodoway. Wagner, L. J , Scotland. 

Lackland, Henry Clay, St. Charles. Wallace, Henry C, Lafayette. 

Attest • G. N. NOLAN, Secretary. 

J. Boyle Adams, Assistant Secretary 



Abstract of Missouri State Laws. 



BILLS OF EXCHANGE. 



A bill of CTcchange is a written order from one person to another, direct- 
ing the person to whom it is addressed to pay to a third person a certain 
sum of money therein named. 

The person making the bill is called the maker. The person to whom 
it is directed is called the drawee, and the person in whose favor the bill 
of exchange is made payable, is called the payee, and the person who 
acceepts a bill of exchange, is called the acceptor. 

A bill of exchange may be negotiable or non-negotiable; if negotiable, it 
may be transferred either before or after acceptance. To make it negotia- 
ble it must be payable to the order of the payee, or to the bearer, or must 
contain other equivalent or operative words of transfer. 

Bills of exchange containing no words of transfer, are non-negotiable. 

The usual form of accepting bills of exchange, is by writing " accepted " 
across the bill, and signing the acceptor's name. 

After such acceptance the acceptor becomes liable for the payment of 
the bjll upon its maturity. 

No person within this state shall be charged as an acceptor of a bill of 
exchange unless his acceptance shall be in writing signed by himself, or 
his lawful agent. 

If such acceptance be written on a paper other than the bill, it shall not 
bind the acceptor. Except in favor of a person to whom such acceptance 
shall have been shown, and who upon the faith thereof shall have received 
the bill for a valuable consideration. 

An unconditional promise in writing to accept a bill before it is 
drawn, will be binding upon the acceptor in favor of any person who 
upon the faith of such written promise shall have received the bill for a 
valuable consideration. 

Every holder of a bill presenting the same for acceptance, may require 
that the acceptance be written on the bill, and a refusal to compl}- with 
such request, shall be deemed a refusal to accept, and the bill may be pro- 
tested for non-acceptance. 

Every person upon whom a bill of exchange may be drawn, and to 
whom the same shall be delivered for acceptance, who shall destroy such 
bill or refuse within twenty-four hours after such delivery, or within such 
period as the holder may allow to return the bill accepted or non-accepted 
to the holders, shall be deemed to have accepted the same. 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 161 

When any bill of exchange expressed to be for value received, drawn 
or negotiated within this state, shall be duly presented for acceptance or 
payment, and protested for non-acceptance or non-payment, there shall be 
allowed and paid to the holders by the drawer and endorsers having due 
notice of the dishonor of the bill, damages in the following cases: Firsts 
if the bill shall have been drawn by "axiy person, at any place within this 
state, at the rate of four per centum on the principal sum specified in the 
bill. Second^ if the bill shall have been drawn on any person, at any 
place out of this state, but within the United States or territories thereof, 
at the rate of two per centum on the principal sum s'[)ecified in the bill. 
Thirds if the bill shall have been drawn on any person, at any part or 
place without the United States and their territories, at the rate of 
twenty per centum on the principal sum specified in the bill. 

If any bill of exchange expressed to be for value received, shall be 
drawn on any person, at any place within this state, and accepted, and 
payment shall not be duly made by the acceptor, there shall be allowed 
and paid to the holder, by the acceptor, damages in the following cases: 
First, if the bill be drawn by any person, at any place within this state, 
at the rate of four per centum on the principal sum therein specified. 
Second, if the bill be drawn by any person, at any place without this 
state, but within the United States or territories, at the rate of ten per 
centum on the principal sum therein specified. 

The damages herein allowed shall be recovered only by the holder of 
a bill, who shall have purchased the bill or acquired some interest therein, 
for valuable consideration. In cases of non-acceptance or non-payment 
of a bill, drawn at an}' place within this state, on any person at a place 
within the same, no damages shall be recovered, if payment of the prin- 
cipal sum, with interest and charges of protest, be paid within twenty 
days after demand, or notice of the dishonor of the bill. 

If the contents of a bill be expressed in the money of account of the 
United States, the amount due and the damages therein, shall be ascer- 
tained and determined without any reference to the rate of exchange 
existing between this state and the place on which the bill shall have been 
drawn, at the time of demand of payment or notice of the dishonor of the 
bill. 

If the contents of such bill be expressed in the money of account or 
currency of any foreign country, then the amount due, exclusive of dam- 
ages, shall be ascertained and determined by the rate of exchange, or the 
value of such foreign currency at the time of payment. 

Every bill of exchange, draft or order drawn either within this state or 

elsewhere upon any person residing within this state, payable on its face 

at sight, or on demand, shall be deemed and considered to be due and 

payable on the day it is presented, or demanded, any usage or custom 

11 



162 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS- 

here or elsewhere to the contrary notwithstanding, and if not so paid, 
may be protested for non-payment. 

If in any suit founded upon any negotiable promissory note or bill of 
exchange, or in which such bill or note is produced, might be allowed in 
the defense of any suit, it appear on the trial that such note or bill was 
lost while it belonged to the party claiming the amount due thereon, 
parol or other evidence of the contents thereof, may be given on such 
trial, and such party shall be entitled to recover the amount due thereon 
as if such note or bill had been produced. 

To entitle a party to such recovery, he or some responsible person for 
him, shall execute a bond to the adverse party in a penalty at least double 
the amount of such note or bill, with two sufficient securities, to be 
approved by the court in which the trial shall be had, conditioned to 
indemnify the adverse party against all claims by any other person on 
account of such note or bill, and against all costs and expenses by reason 
of such claim. 

BILLS OF EXCHANGE AND PROMISSORY NOTES. 

A promissory note is a written promise to pay a certain sum of money 
at a future time, unconditionally. 

The person to whom the money is payable is called the payee. 

The maker is the one who promises to pay the money when the note 
becomes due. 

A note payable to bearer is negotiated or transferred by mere delivery, 
and the possession of the note is prima facie proof of title. 

A note payable to the order of a particular person is transferred or 
negotiated by writing the name of the person upon the back of the note, 
which is called an endorsement. The person making the endorsement 
is called the endorser. The person for whose benefit it is made is called 
the endorsee. 

Every promissory note for the payment of money to the payee therein 
named, or order or bearer, and expressed to be for value received, shall be 
due and payable as therein expressed and shall have the same effect and 
be negotiable in like manner as inland bills of exchange. 

The payee and endorsers of every such negotiable note payable to them 
or order, and the holder of every such note payable to bearer may main- 
tain actions for the sums of money therein mentioned, against the makers 
and endorsers of them in like manner as in cases of inland bills of exchange, 
and not otherwise. 

Such negotiable promissory note made payable to the order of the 
maker thereof, or to the order of a fictitious person shall, if negotiated by 
the maker, have the same effect and be of the same validity as against the 
maker, and all persons having knowledge of the facts, as if payable to 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 163 

"bearer. Provided, That negotiable note in the hands of the purchaser of 
the same from the makers by way of discount or investment if protested 
for non-paj^ment at maturity, shall not be subjected to damages. 

When the day of payment of any bond, bill of exchange, or promissory 
note, shall according to its terms, be a Sunday, Christmas day. Thanks- 
giving day (State or National), New Years day, or a Fourth of July, its 
payment shall be deemed due and be demandable on such day next before 
its day of payment, according to its terms, as shall not be one of the days 
above specified. 

A notarial protest is evidence of a demand and refusal to pa}- a bill of 
exchange or negotiable promissory note, at the time and in the manner 
stated in such protest. 

FORM OF NEGOTIABLE NOTE. 

$1,000. Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 1, 1869. 

Thirty days after date, I promise to pay Richard Roe, or order, 
One Thousand Dollars, value received, with interest after due at the rate 
of ten per cent per annum. Louis Roy. 

NON-NEGOTIABLE NOTE. 

$100.00. Kansas City, Mo., Aug, 1, 1869. 

Thirty days after date, I promise to pay Richard Roe, 
One Hundred Dollars, value received, with interest from date, at the rate 
of ten per cent per annum. Louis Roy. 

INTEREST. 

The legal rate of interest is six per cent. 

Parties may agree in writing for the payment of interest not exceeding 
ten per cent. 

Money due upon judgments or order of court, shall draw interest from 
the day of rendering the same. All such judgments and orders for money 
upon contracts, bearing more than six per cent., shall bear the same inter- 
est borne by such contracts. All other judgments and orders for money 
shall draw six per cent. 

If a greater rate of interest than ten per cent, is contracted for, and suit 
brought upon the same, judgment will be entered for six per cent., and 
the whole interest shall be set apart for, and become a part of the com- 
mon school fund. 

Parties may contract in writing for the payment of interest upon inter- 
est; but interest shall not be compounded oftener than once a year. 
Where a different rate is not expressed, interest upon interest shall be at 
the same rate as interest on the principal debt. 



164 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

DESCENTS AND DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY. 

Property in this slate shall be distributed in the following course, sub- 
ject to the payment of debt^; and the widow's dower: 

First. To the children or their descendants in equal parts. 

Second. If there be no children or their descendants, then to the father, 
mother, brothers and sisters, and their descendants, in equal parts. 

Third. If there be no children, or their descendants, father, mother, 
brother or sister, or their descendants, then to the husband or wife. 
If there be no husband or wife, then to the grandfather, grandmother, 
uncles and aunto, and their descendants, in equal parts. 

FourtJi. If there be no children or their descendants, father, mother, 
sister, brother or their descendants, husband or wife, grandfather, grand- 
mother, uncles, aunts, nor their descendants, then to the great-grandfather, 
great-grandmother, and their descendants, in equal parts, and so on in 
other cases without end, passing to the nearest lineal ancestors and their 
children, and their descendants, in equal parts. 

Posthumous children, or descendants of the intestate, shall inherit in 
like manner as if born in the lifetime of the intestate. This does not 
apply to anyone other than the children or descendants of the intestate 
unless they are in being and capable in law to take as heirs at the time of 
the intestate's death. 

If there be no children or their descendants, father, mother, brother or 
sister, nor their descendants, huvsband or wife, nor any paternal or mater- 
nal kindred capable of inheriting, the whole shall go to the kindred of the 
wife or husband of the intestate in the like course as if such wife or hus- 
band had survived the intestate and then died entitled to the estate. 

If any of the children receive any real or personal estate in the lifetime 
of the intestate by way of advancement, shall choose to come into par- 
tition with the other heirs, such advancement shall be brought into 
hatchpot with the estate descended. 

Maintaming, educating, or giving money to a child under majority 
without any view to a portion or settlement, shall not be deemed an 
advancement. 

Bastards shall inherit and be capable of transmitting inheritance on the 
part of their mother, and such mother may inherit from her bastard 
child or children in like manner as if they had been lawfully begotten of 
her. 

The issues of all marriages decreed null in law or dissolved by divorce 
shall be legitimate. 

Persons of color shall inherit as above set forth, providing it shall 
appear to the court that they are residents of this state, or if residents of 
some other state, are free persons. 

The children of all parents who were slaves, and who were living 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 165 

together in good faith as man and wife at the time of the birth of such 
children, shall be deemed to be the legitimate children of such parents, 
All children of any one mother who was a slave at the time of her birth 
shall be deemed lawful brothers and sisters for the purposes of this 
chapter. 

WILLS. 

The term will, or last will and testament, means the disposition of one's 
property, to take effect after death. No exact form of words is neces- 
sary in order to make a will good at law. 

Every person of twenty-one years of age and upward, of sound mind, 
may, by last will, devise all his estate, real, personal and mixed, and all 
interest therein, saving the widow her dower. Every person over the 
age of eighteen years, of sound mind, may by last will, dispose of his 
goods and chatties. Every wall must be in writing, signed by the testator 
or by some person by his direction, in his presence, and shall be attested 
by two or more competent witnesses, subscribing their names to the will 
in the presence of the testator. 

No will in writing, except in cases hereinafter mentioned, nor any part 
thereof, shall be revoked, except by a subsequent will in writing, or by 
burning, canceling, tearing or obhterating the same by the testator, or in 
his presence, and by his consent and direction. 

If, after making a will disposing of the whole estate of the testator, 
such testator shall marry, and die, leaving issue by such marriage living 
at the time of his death, or shall leave issue of such marriage born to 
him after his death, such will shall be deemed revoked, unless provisions 
shall have been made for such issue by some settlement, or unless such 
issue shall be provided for in the will, and no evidence shall be received to 
rebut the presumption of such revocation. 

A will executed by an unmarried woman shall be deemed revoked by 
her subsequent marriage. 

If a person make his will and die leaving children not provided for, 
although born after making the will, he shall be deemed to die intestate, 
and such children shall be entitled to such proportion as if he had died 
intestate. All other heirs or legatees must refund their proportionate part. 

The county court or clerk thereof in vacation subject to the confirma- 
tion or rejection of the court, shall take the proof of the last will of the 
testator. 

GENERAL FORM OF WILL FOR REAL AND PERSONAL 

PROPERTY. 

I, Richard Johnson, of Carroll county, in the state of Missouri, being 
of sound mind and memory, and of full age, do hereby make and publish 
this, my last will and testament, hereby revoking all former wills by me 
made. 



166 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

Firs<t. I direct the payment of all lawful claims against my estate, to 
be made out of the proceeds of the sale of my personal property. 

Second. I give, devise and bequeath to my eldest son, John B. Johnson, 
the sum of five thousand dollars of bank stock, in the First National 
Bank of Lexington, Missouri, and the farm owned by myself in the town- 
ship of , in the county of Saline, consisting of 100 acres, with all 

the houses, tenements and improvements thereunto belonging, to have 
and to hold unto my said son, his heirs and assigns forever. 

Third. I give, devise, and bequeath to each of my daughters, Mary E. 
Johnson and Clara B. Johnson, each five thousand dollars in bank stock,, 
in the First National Bank, of Lexington, Missouri; and also, each one 

quarter section of land owned by myself, situated in the township of , 

Ray county, Missouri. 

Fourth. I give, devise and bequeath to my son, Frank R. Johnson, the 
farm owned by myself, situated in Chariton county, Missouri, consisting 
of six hundred and forty acres, together with all stock, houses, and 
improvements, thereunto belonging. 

Fifth. I give to my wife, Elizabeth Johnson, all my household furni- 
ture, goods, chattels and personal property about my house, not hitherto 
disposed of, including six thousand dollars of bank stock, in the First 
National Bank of Lexington, Missouri, and the free and unrestricted use, 
possession and benefit of the home farm, so long as she may live — said 
farm being my present place of residence. 

Sixth. I give and bequeath to my mother, Martha Johnson, the income 
from rents of my store building, at No. 905 Pine street, St. Louis, Mis- 
souri, during the term of her natural life, said building and land therewith 
to revert to my sons and daughters, in equal proportions, upon the demise 
of my said mother. 

Seventh. It is also my will and desire that at the death of my wife, Eliz- 
abeth Johnson, that the above mentioned homestead may revert to my 
above named children, or to the lawful heirs of each. 

Eighth. I appoint as my executors of this, my last will and testament, 
my wife, Elizabeth Johnson, and my eldest son John B. Johnson. 

In witness whereof, I, Richard Johnson, to this, my last will and testa- 
ment, have hereunto set m}* hand and seal, this fourth day of June, 
' eighteen hundred and seventy-five. Richard Johnson. 

Signed and declared by Richard Richard Johnson, as and for his last 
will and testament, in the presence of each other, have subscribed our 
names hereunto, as witnesses thereof. 

Edward Davison, Sedalia^ Missouri. 
Frederick ]ones, Marshall., Missouri, 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 167 

CODICIL. 

Whereas^ I, Richard Johnson, did, on the fourth day of June, one 
thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, make my last will and testa- 
ment, I do now, by this writing add this codicil to. my said will, to be 
taken as part thereof. 

Whereas, By the dispensation of Providence, my daughter, Clara B. 
Johnson, has deceased, March the first, eighteen hundred and seventy- 
six; and whereas, a son has been born to me, which son is now christened 
David S. Johnson, I give and bequeath unto him my gold watch, and all 
right, interest and title in lands and bank stock, and chattels bequeathed 
to my deceased daughter, Clara B., in the body of this will. 

In witness whereof, I hereunto place my hand and seal, this tenth day 
of March, eighteen hundred and seventy-seven. Richard Johnson. 

Signed, sealed, published and declared to us, by the testator, Richard 
Johnson, as and for a codicil, to be annexed to his will and testament; and 
we, at his request and in his presence, and in the presence of each other 
have subscribed our names as witnesses thereto, at the date hereof. 

Peter Brown, Lexington, Missouri. 
Robert Burr, Richmond, Missouri. 

TAXES. 

For the support of the government of th^ state, the payment of the 
public debt, and the advancement of the public interest, taxes shall be 
levied on all property, real and personal, except as stated below: 

Xo tax shall be assessed for or imposed by any city, county, or other 
nmnicipal corporation, or for their use upon the following property: All 
houses, necessary furniture and equipments thereof, used exclusively for 
public worship, and the lot of ground on which the same may be erected. 
All orphan or other asylums, for the relief of the sick or needy, with their 
furniture and equipments, and the lands on which they are erected and 
used therewith, so long as the same shall be held and used for that pur- 
pose only; all universities, colleges, academies, schools, and all other sem- 
inaries of learning, with the furniture and equipments, and land thereto, 
belonging or used immediately therewith, and their endowment fund, 
when not invested in real estate, so long as the same shall be employed 
for that purpose only. Provided, That the land hereby exempted from 
taxation, belonging to any of the last named institutions, in any city or 
town, shall not exceed two acres, and in the county, not exceed five acres. 
And further -provided. That such property, so exempted, shall not be 
under rent to any person, corporation, or society, and shall not, in any 
way or manner, be paying or yielding any rent or profit. Cemeteries 
and graveyards set apart and used for that purpose only. All real estate 
and other property belonging to any incorporated agricultural society, so 



168 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

long as the same shall be employed for the use of such society and none 
other. All libraries and their furniture and equipments, belonging to any 
library association or society. Nothing in this section shall be construed 
as to exempt from municipal or local taxation any description of property, 
when the same is held for the purpose of pecuniary profit or speculation. 

Lots in incorporated cities or towns, or within one mile of the limits of 
such city or town, to the extent of one acre, and lots, one mile distant 
from such cities or towns, to the extent of five acres, with the buildings 
thereon, when the same are used exclusively for religious worship, for 
schools, or for purposes purely charitable, shall be exempt from taxation 
for state, county, or local purposes. 

There shall be annually assessed and collected on the assessed value of 
all the real estate and personal property subject by law to taxation in the 
state one-fifth of one per centum for state revenue and one-fifth of one 
per centum for the payment of all state indebtedness. 

The assessor or his deputy or deputies shall, between the first days of 
August and January, and after being furnished with the necessary books 
and blanks by the county clerk, at the expense of the county, proceed to take 
a list of the taxable personal property in his county, town, or district, and 
assess the value thereof in the manner following, to-wit: He shall call at 
the office, place of doing business, or residence of each person required 
by this act to list property, ^nd shall require such person to make a cor- 
rect statement of all taxable property owned by such person, or under 
the care, charge, or management of such person, except merchandise, 
which may be required to pay a license tax, being in any county in this 
state, in accordance with the provisions of this act, and the person listing 
the property shall enter a true and correct statement of such property in 
a printed or written blank prepared for that purpose, which statement, 
after being filled out, shall be signed and sworn to, to the extent required 
by this act, by the person listmg the property, and delivered to the 
assessor, and such assessor's book shall be arranged and divided into two 
parts: The "land list" and the "personal property list." If any tax- 
payer shall fail or neglect to pay such collector his taxes at the time and 
place required by such notices, then it shall be the duty of the collector 
after the first day of January then next, to collect and account for as 
other taxes, an additional tax, as a penalty, of one per cent per month 
upon all taxes collected by him after the first day of January, as afore- 
said, and in computing said additional tax or penalty a fractional part of 
a month shall not be counted as a whole month. Collectors shall on the 
day of their annual settlement with the county court, file with said court a 
statement under oath of the amount so received, and from whom received, 
and settle with the court therefor; -provided, however, that said interest 
shall not be chargeable against persons who are absent from their homes 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 169 

and engaged in the military service of this state, or of the United 
States, or against any taxpayer who shall pay his taxes to the col- 
lector at any time before the first day of January in each year; ■provided 
that the provisions of this section shall apply to the city of St. Louis so 
far as the same relates to the addition of said interest, which in said city 
shall be collected and accounted for by the collector as other taxes, for 
which he shall receive no compensation. 

Every county collector shall on or before the fifteenth day of each 
month pay to the state treasurer all taxes or licenses received by him 
prior to the first day of the month. 

The sheriff's deed executed to the purchaser of real estate under a sale 
for delinquent taxes, which shall be acknowledged before the circuit court 
of the county or city as in ordinary cases; shall convey a title in fee to 
such purchaser of the real estate therein named, and shall be prima facie 
evidence of title, and the matters and things therein stated are true. 

COURTS OF RECORD— THEIR JURISDICTION. 

SUPREME COURT. 

At the general election, in the year one thousand eight hundred and 
sixty-eight, all the judges of the supreme court shall be elected by the 
qualified voters of the state and shall enter upon their office on the first 
Monday of January, next ensuing. At the first session of the courts there- 
after, the judges shall by lot determine the duration of their several terms 
-of office, which shall be respectively, two, four and six years, and shall 
certif}^ the result to the secretary of state ; at the general election every 
two years after said election, one judge of said court shall be elected to 
hold office for the period of six years from the first Monday of January 
next ensuing. The judge having at any time the shortest term to serve, 
shall be the presiding judge of the court. 

The supreme court shall hold two sessions annually in the capitol, at the 
seat of government, on the second Monday in January and the first Mon- 
day in July; two sessions annually at the city of St. Joseph, on the third 
Monday of February and August, and two sessions annually at the city of 
St, Louis, on the third Mondays in March and October. 

CIRCUIT COURT. 

The circuit courts in the respective counties in which they may be held 
shall have power of jurisdiction as follows: First, as courts of law in all 
criminal cases which shall not be otherwise provided by law. Second, 
exclusive original jurisdiction in all civil cases which shall not be cogniza- 
ble before the county court and justices of the peace and not otherwise 
provided by law. Third, concurrent original jurisdiction with justices of 
the peace in all actions founded upon contract, when the debt, or balance 



170 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

due, or damages claimed, exclusive of interest, shall exceed fifty dollars 
and not exceed ninety dollars ; in all actions on bonds and notes for the 
payment of any sum of money exceeding fifty dollars, exclusive of interest, 
and not exceeding one hundred and fifty dollars; and in all actions for 
injuries to persons, or to personal or real property, wherein the damages 
claimed shall exceed twenty and not exceed fifty dollars. Fourth, appel- 
late jurisdiction from the judgments and orders of county court and justices 
of the peace; in all cases not expressly prohibited bylaw, and shall possess 
a superintending control over them. Fifth, a general control over exec- 
utors, administrators, guardians, curators, minors, idiots, lunatics, and per- 
sons of unsound mind. 

COUNTY COURTS. 

The county courts shall be composed of three members, to be styled 
" the justices of the county court," and each county where the court is 
composed of three justices, may be districted by the county court, if they 
think the good of the county will be promoted thereby, into three dis- 
tricts, as near equal in population as practicable without dividing munic- 
ipal townships, and each district shall elect and be entitled to one of the 
justices of the county court. 

The justices of the county court shall be elected by the qualified elec- 
tors in the several counties in this state, and shall hold their offices for the 
term of six years, and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. 

The several county courts shall, when not otherwise provided by law, 
have exclusive original jurisdiction in all cases relative to the probate of 
last wills and testaments; the granting letters testamentary, and of 
administration, and repealing the same; appointing and displacing the 
guardians of orphans, minors, and persons of unsound mind; in binding 
out apprentices, and in the settlement and allowance of accounts of exec- 
utors, administrators and guardians. To hear and determine all disputes 
and controversies whatsoever, respecting wills, the right of executorship, 
administration and guardianship, or respecting the duties or accounts of 
executors, administrators or guardians, and all controversies and disputes 
between masters and their apprentices. To hear and determine all suits 
and other proceedings, instituted against executors or administrators 
upon any demand against the estate of their testator or intestate, when 
such demand shall not exceed one hundred dollars; and concurrent juris- 
diction with the circuit court in all such cases, when the demand shall 
exceed that sum, subject to appeal in all cases to the circuit court in such 
manner as may be provided by law. 

The said courts shall moreover have the control and management of 
the property, real and personal, belonging to the courts, and shall have 
full power and authority to purchase or receive by donation, any prop- 
erty, real or personal, for the use and benefit of the county. To sell and 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 171 

cause to be conveyed, any real estate, goods or chattels belonging to the 
county, appropriating the proceeds of such sale to the use of the same, 
and to audit and settle all demands against the county. 

PROBATE COURT. 

A probate court is a court of record, consisting of one judge, and has 
jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to probate business, to granting 
letters testamentary, and of administration; the appointment of guar- 
dians and curators of minors and persons of unsound mind; settling the 
accounts of executors, administrators, curators and guardians, and the 
sale or leasing of lands by administrators, curators, and guardians, and 
over all matters relating to apprentices; and such judges shall have the 
power to solemnize marriages. 

LIMITATION OF ACTIONS. 

CRIMINAL PROCEDURE. 

OfTenses punishable with death or imprisonment in the penitentiary dur- 
ing life, may be prosecuted at any time after the offense shall have been 
committed. 

For felonies other than above mentioned, within three years after the 
commission of the oftense. 

For any oftense other than felony or fine or forfeiture, within one year 
after the commission of the oftense. 

Actions and suits upon statute for penalty or forfeiture given in whole 
or part, to any person who will prosecute within one year after the com- 
missions of the offense. 

When penallv is given in whole or in part to the state, or countyor city 
or the treasurer of the same, suit must be brought within two years. 

Actions upon any statute for any penalty or forfeiture given in whole or 
in part to the party aggrieved within three years. 

Actions against moneyed corporations, or against the directors or stock- 
holders of the same, shall be brought within six years of the discovery. 

LIMITATION OF PERSONAL ACTI.ONS. 

Civil actions other than those for the recovery of real property, must 
be commenced within the periods here prescribed. 

Actions upon any writing, whether sealed or unsealed, for the paj'^- 
ment of money or property, within ten years. 

Actions brought on any covenant of warranty in deed, or conveyance 
of land, within ten years. 

Actions on any covenant of seizure aontained in any such deed, within 
ten years. 

Actions upon contracts, obligations, or liabilities express or implied, 
except as above mentioned, and except upon judgments or decrees of a 
court of record, within five vears. 



172 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

Actions upon liability created by statute, other than penalty or forfeiture, 
five years. 

Actions for trespass on real estate, five years. 

Actions for taking, detaining, or injuring any goods or chattels, includ- 
ing actions for the recovery of specific personal property, or for any other 
injury to the person or rights of another not arising on contract and not 
otherwise enumerated, five years. 

Actions for relief on the ground of fraud, five years. 

Actions against a sheriff', coroner, or other public officer upon a liability 
incurred by doing an act in his official capacity, or the omission of an 
official duty, non-payment of money collected, etc., three years. 

Actions upon a statute for a penalty or forfeiture where the action is 
given to the party aggrieved, or to such party and the state, three years. 

Actions for libel, slander, assault and battery, false imprisonment, or 
criminal conversation, two years. 

LIMITATIONS OF ACTIONS RELATING TO REAL PROPERTY. 

Actions for the recovery of any lands, tenements, or hereditaments, or 
for the recovery of the possession thereof, shall be commenced by any 
person whether citizen, denizen, alien, resident or non-resident, unless 
his ancestor, predecessor, grantor, or other person under whom he claims 
was seized or possessed of the premises in question, within teti years 
before the commencement of such actions, except in case of military bounty 
lands, which must be brought within two years. 

No entry upon an}^ lands, tenements or hereditaments shall be valid as a 
claim, unless the action be commenced thereon within one year after the 
making of such entr^', and within ten years from the time when the right 
to make such entry accrued. 

If any person entitled to bring an action as above stated, shall be under 
twenty-one years of age, or imprisoned for less than life, or insane, or a 
married woman, the time during such disability shall continue, shall not be 
deemed any portion of the time limited for the commencement of such 
action or the making of such entry after the time so limited, and may be 
brought in three years after the disability is removed. 

If any person having the right to bring such action or make such entry, 
die during the disabihty mentioned, and no determination be had of the 
right, title, or action to him accrued, his heirs or any one claiming under 
him, may commence such action within three years. 

JURIES. 

SELECTION OF GRAND JURY. 

A grand jury shall consist of twelve men, and, unless otherwise ordered, 
as hereinafter provided, it shall be the duty of the sheriff of each county 
in the state to summon within the time prescribed by law a panel of 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 173 

grand jurors, consisting of twelve good and lawful men, selected from 
the different townships of his county, as near as may be in proportion to 
the number of male citizens in each, to be returned to each regular term 
of the courts in his county having criminal jurisdiction. 

Every juror, grand and petit, shall be a male citizen of the state, 
resident in the county, sober and intelligent, of good reputation, over 
twenty-one years of age, and otherwise qualified. 

In all counties having a population less than twenty thousand inhabit- 
ants, every juror, grand and petit, shall be a male citizen of the state, 
resident in the county, sober and intelligent, of good reputation, over 
twenty-one years of age, and otherwise qualified. 

No exception to a juror on account of his citizenship, non-residence, 
state, or age, or other legal disability, shall be allowed after the jury is 
sworn. 

No person being a member of any volunteer fire department duly 
organized and ready for active service; no person employed in any paid 
fire department, and no person exercising the functions of a clergyman, 
practitioner of medicine, or attorney-at-law, clerk or other officer of any 
court, ferry-keeper, postmaster, overseer of roads, coroner, constable, 
miller, professor or other teacher in any school or institution of learning, 
judge of a court of record, or any person over the age of sixty-five years 
shall be compelled to serve on any jury. 

No person shall be summoned to serve at more than one term of court, 
either as grand or petit juror, within the period of one year in any court 
of record. Each person summoned under this act shall receive one dollar 
and fifty cents per day for every day he shall serve as such, and five cents 
for every mile he may necessarily travel in going from his place of resi- 
dence to the court house and returning to the same, to be paid out of the 
county treasury. 

All persons duly summoned as grand or petit jurors may be attached 
for non-attendance, and fined by the court for contempt in any sum not 
exceeding fifty dollars, in the discretion of the court. 

In all suits which hereafter may be pending in any court of record in 
this state the clerk shall, if a jury be sworn to try the same, tax up as 
other costs against the unsuccessful party a jury fee of six dollars, which 
shall be collected by the sheriff', and paid into the hands of the county 
treasurer, who shall keep an account thereof, in a separate book to be 
provided for that purpose, and the money so collected and paid in shall 
constitute a jury fund. 

Grand jurors shall not be compelled to serve on a petit jury during the 
same term. 

In all civil cases in courts of record, where a jury is demanded, there 
shall be summoned and returned eighteen qualified jurors; but in appeal 



174 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

cases the number shall be the same as allowed by law in the courts from 
which the appeals are taken, and the number of peremptory challenges in 
addition. 

In the trial of civil causes, each party shall be entitled to challenge per- 
emptorily three jurors. 

MARRIED WOMEN. 

The homestead of every housekeeper or head of a family, consisting of 
a dwelling-house and appurtenances, and the land used in connection there- 
with, which shall be used by such housekeeper or head of a family as such 
homestead, shall be exempt from attachment and execution. Such home- 
stead in the country shall not include more than 160 acres of land or exceed 
the total value of $1,500; and in cities having a population of 40,000 or 
more such homestead shall not include more than eighteen square rods of 
ground, or exceed the total value of three thousand dollars; and in cities 
or incorporated towns and villages having a less population than 40,000, 
such homestead shall not include more than thirty square rods of ground, 
or exceed the total value of $1,500. After the filing by the wife of her 
claim upon the homestead as such, the husband shall be debarred from 
and incapable of selling, mortgaging or alienating the homestead in any 
manner whatever. 

A husband and wife may convev the real estate of the wife, and the 
wife may relinquish her dower in the real estate of her husband, by their 
joint deed, acknowledged and certified as herein provided, but no covenant 
expressed or implied in such deed shall bind the wife or the heirs except 
so far as may be necessary effectually to convey from her or her heirs all 
her right, title and interest expressed to be conveyed therein. 

A married woman may convey her real estate or relinquish her dower 
m the real estate of her husband by a power of attorney authorizing its 
conveyance, executed and acknowledged by her jointly with her husband, 
as deeds conveying real estate by them are required to be executed and 
acknowledged. 

If any married woman shall hold real estat'e in her own right, and her 
husband, by criminal conduct toward her, or by ill usage, shall give such 
married woman cause to live separate and apart from her husband, such 
woman may by her next friend petition the circuit court, setting forth such 
facts, and therein pray that such estate may be enjoyed by her for her 
sole use and benefit.^ 

Any personal property, including rights in action, belonging to any 
woman at her marriage, or which may have come to her during coverture 
by gift, bequest or inheritance, or by purchase with her separate money 
or means, or be due as the wages of her separate labor, or have grown 
out of any violation of her personal rights, shall, together with all income, 
increase and profits thereof, be and remain her separate property, and 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOyRI STATE LAWS. 175 

under her sole control, and shall not be liable to be taken by any process 
of law for the debts of her husband. 

EXEMPTIONS FROM EXECUTION. 

Whenever the personal property of any homestead or head of a family 
shall be attached or taken in execution, the debtor therein shall claim that 
the same, or any part thereof, is the product of such homestead, the officer 
taking the same shall cause appraisers to be appointed and sworn, as in 
the case of the levy of execution on real estate, and such appraisers shall 
decide upon such claim and settle the products of such homestead to such 
debtor accordingly, and the proceedings therein shall be stated by such 
officer in his return. 

Any policy of insurance heretofore or hereafter made by any insurance 
company on the life of any person, expressed to be for the benefit of any 
married woman, whether the same be effected by herself or by her hus- 
band, or b}^ any third person in her behalf, shall inure to her separate use 
and benefit and that of her children, if any, independently of her husband 
and of his creditors and representatives, and also independently of such 
third person effecting the same in his behalf, his creditors and representa- 
tives. 

The following property only shall be exempt from attachment and exe- 
cution when owned by any person other than the head of a family: Firsts 
the wearing apparel of all persons. Second^ the necessary tools and 
implements of trade of any mechanic while carrying on his trade. 

The following property, when owned by the head of a family, shall be 
exempt from attachment and execution. Firsts ten head of choice hogs, 
ten head of choice sheep, or the product thereof, in wool, yarn or cloth ; 
two cows and calves, two plows, one axe, one hoe and one set of plow 
gears and all necessary farm implements for the use of one man. Second^ 
working animals of the value of one hundred and fifty dollars. Thirds 
the spinning wheel and cards, one loom and apparatus necessary for man- 
ufacturing cloth in a private family. Fourth^ all the spun yarn, thread 
and cloth, manufactured for family use. Fifths any quantity of hemp, flax 
and wool not exceeding twenty-five pounds each. Sixth, all wearing 
apparel of the family, four beds with their usual bedding, and such other 
household and kitchen furniture not exceeding the value of one hundred 
dollars, as may be necessary for the family, agreeably to an inventory 
thereof to be returned on oath, with the execution, by the officer whose . 
duty it may be to levy the same. Seventh, the necessary tools and imple- 
ments of trade of any mechanic, while carrying on his trade. Eighth, 
all arms and equipments required by law to be kept. Ninth, all such 
provisions as may be found on hand for family use, not exceeding one 
hundred dollars in value. Tenth, the bibles and other books used in a 



176 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

family, lettered grave stones, and one pew in a house of worship. 
Eleventh^ all lawyers, physicians and ministers of the gospel shall have 
the privilege of selecting such books as may be necessary in their profes- 
sion, in the place of other property herein allowed at their option ; that 
doctors of medicine in lieu of the property exempt from execution, 
may be allowed to select their medicines. In all cases of the sale of per- 
sonal property, the same shall be subject to execution against the pur- 
chaser on a judgment for the purchase price thereof, and shall in no case 
be exempt from such judgment and execution for the purchase price as 
between the vendor, his assignee, heir or legal representative and pur- 
chaser. 

FENCES. 

All fields and inclosures shall be inclosed by hedge, or with a fence 
sufficiently close, composed of posts and rails, posts and palings, posts and 
planks, posts and wires, palisades or rails alone, laid up in the manner com- 
monly called a worm fence, or of turf with ditches, on each side, or of 
stone or brick. 

All hedges shall be at least four feet high, and all fences composed of 
posts and rails, posts and palings, posts and wire, posts and planks or pal- 
isades shall be at least four and a half feet high ; those composed of turf 
shall be at least four feet high and with ditchtfs on either side, at least 
three feet wide at the top and three feet deep; and what is commonly 
called a worm fence shall be at least five feet high to the top of the rider, 
or if not ridered shall be five feet to the top of the top rail or pole and 
shall be locked with strong rails, poles or stakes; those composed of stone 
or brick shall be at least four and a half feet high. 

Wherever the fence of any owner of real estate now erected or con- 
structed, serves to enlose the lands of another, or which shall become a 
part of the fence enclosing the land of another, on demand made by the 
person owning such fence, such other person shall pay the owner one- 
half the value of so much thereof as serves to enclose his land; and upon 
such payment shall own an undivided half of such fence. 

Provided^ The person thus benefitted shall have the option to build 
within eight months from date of such demand, a lawful fence half the 
distance along the line covered by the above mentioned fence. The 
demand shall be made in writing and served on the party interested, his 
agent or attorney, or left with some member of the family over fourteen 
years of age, at his usual place of abode. If the party notified fails to 
comply with the demand within the specified time, the party making the 
demand may, at his option, proceed to enforce the collection of one-half 
the value of such fence, or remove his fence without any other or further 
notice. 

Every person owning a part of a division fence, shall keep the same in 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 177 

good repair, according to the requirements of the act, and upon neglect 
or refusal to do so, shall be liable in double damages to the party injured 
thereby. 

If the parties interested shall fail to agree as to the value of one-half 
of such fence, the owner of the fence may apply to a justice of the peace 
of the township, who shall, without delay, issue an order to three disinter- 
ested householders of the township, not of kin to either party, reciting the 
complaint, and requiring them to view the fence, estimate the value 
thereof, and make return under oath to the justice on the day named in 
the order. 

If the person thus assessed or charged with the value of one-half of 
any fence, shall neglect or refuse to pay over to the owner of such fence 
the amount so awarded, the same may be recovered before a justice of the 
peace or other court of competent jurisdiction. 

ROADS, HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES. 

The overseers of highways in each road district in each township, shall 
have care and superintendence of all highways and bridges therein, and 
it shall be their duty to have all highways and bridges kept in good repair, 
and to cause to be built all such bridges as public necessity may require, 
said bridges to be built by contract, let to the lowest responsible bidder, 
and to be paid for out of any money in the overseer's hands, or in the 
treasury for road or bridge purposes. But in no case shall the overseer 
take such contract, either for himself or by his agent. 

It shall be the duty of the overseer of highways to name all residents 
of the district against whom a land or personal tax is assessed, giving 
them two days notice to work out the same upon the highways, and he 
shall receive such tax in labor from every able bodied man, or his or her 
substitute, at the rate of $1.50 per day, and in proportion for a less 
amount, provided that any person may pay such tax in money. The 
township board of directors shall have the power to assess upon all real 
estate and personal property in their township made taxable by law for 
state and county purposes, a sufficient tax to keep the roads and highways 
of the various road districts in their township in good repair, which tax 
shall be levied as follows: for every one mill tax upon the dollar levied 
upon real and personal property, as valued on the assessor's roll of the 
previous year, the township board of directors shall require one day's 
work of each person subject to work on roads and highways, and no 
more. 

SUPPORT OF THE POOR. 

Poor persons shall be relieved, maintained and supported by the county 
of which they are inhabitants. 

Aged, infirm, lame, blind, or sick persons who are unable to support 
12 



178 ABSTRACT OF MfSSOURI STATE LAWS. 

themselves, and where there are no other persons required by law and 
able to maintain them, shall be deeifted poor persons. 

No person shall be deemed an inhabitant within the meaning of this 
chapter, who has not resided for the space of twelve months next preced- 
ing the time of any order being made respecting such person in the county, 
or who shall have removed from another county for the purpose of impos- 
ing the burden or keeping such person on the county where he or she last 
resided for the time aforesaid. 

LANDLORDS AND TENANTS. 

Every landlord shall have a lien on the crops grown on the demised 
premises in any year for the rent that shall accrue for such year; and such 
lien shall continue for eight months after such rent shall become due and 
payable, and no longer. When the demised premises or any portion 
thereof are used for the purpose of growing nursery stock, the lien shall 
exist and continue in such stock until the same shall have been removed 
from the premises and sold. 

No tenant for a term, not exceeding two years, or at will, or by suffer- 
ance, shall assign or transfer his term, or interest, or any part thereof to 
another, without the written assent of the landlord, or person holding 
under him. 

Either party may terminate a tenancy from year to year, by giving 
notice in writing of his intention to terminate the same, of not less than 
three months next before the end of the year. 

A tenancy at will, or by sufferance, or for less than one year, may be 
terminated by the person entitled to the possession, by giving one month's 
notice, in writing to the person in possession, requiring him to remove. 
All contracts or agreements for the leasing, renting, or occupation of stores, 
shops, houses, tenements, or other buildings in cities, towns, or villages, not 
made in writing, signed by the parties thereto, or their agents, shall be 
held and taken to be tenancies from month to month ; and all such tenan- 
cies may be terminated by either party thereto, or his agent, giving to the 
other party or his agent one month's notice in writing, of his intention to 
terminate such tenancy. 

No notice to quit shall be necessary from or to a tenant whose time is 
to end at a certain time, or where by special agreement, notice is dis- 
pensed with. 

A landlord may recover a reasonable satisfaction for the use and occu- 
pation of any lands or tenements, held by any person under an agreement 
not made by deed. 

Property exempt from execution shall be also exempt from attachment 
for rent, except the crops grown on the demised premises on which the 
rent claimed is due. 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS- 179 

If any tenant for life or years, shall commit waste during his estate or 
term, of any thing belonging to the tenement so held, without special 
license in writing, so to do, he shall be subject to a civil action for such 
waste and shall lose the thing so wasted and pay treble the amount at 
which the waste shall be assessed. 

BILL OF SALE. 
A bill of sale is a written agreement to another party for a considera- 
tion to convey his right and interest in the personal property. The pur- 
chaser must take actual possession of the property, or the bill of sale 
must be acknowledged and recorded. 

COMMON FORM OF BILL OF SALE. 

Know all men by these 'presents^ That I, David Franklin, of Lexington, 
Missouri, of the first part, for and in consideration of three hundred dollars, 
to me m hand paid by Albert Brown, of the same place, of the second 
part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have sold, and by this 
instrument do convey unto the said Brown, party of the second part, his 
executors, administrators and assigns, my undivided half of forty acres of 
corn now growing on the farm of William Mason, in the township of Jackson, 
Lafayette county, Missouri; one pair of horses, twenty head of hogs, and six 
cows belonging to me and in my possession at the farm aforesaid ; to have and 
to hold the same unto the party of the second part, his heirs, executors, and 
assigns, forever. And I do for myself and legal representatives agree 
with the said party of the second part, and his legal representatives, to 
warrant and defend the sale of the aforementioned property and chattels, 
unto the said party of the second part, and his legal representatives, 
against all and every person whatsoever. 

In witness whereof, I have hereunto affixed my hand this first day of 
June, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six. 

David Franklin. 

BENEVOLENT, RELIGIOUS, AND EDUCATIONAL ASSOCI- 
ATIONS. 
Any lodge of Free Masons, or Odd Fellows, division of Sons of Tem- 
perance or any other association organized for benevolent or charitable 
purposes, or any library company, school, college, or other association, 
organized for the promotion of literature, science, or art, or any gymnastic 
or other association, organized for the purpose of promoting bodily or 
mental health, and all societies, organized for the purpose of promoting 
either of the objects above named, and for all similar purposes, by what- 
ever name they may be known, consisting of not less than three persons, 
may be constituted and declared a body politic and corporate, with all the 
privileges, and subject to all the liabilities and restrictions contained in this 
act. Acts 1868, page 28. 



180 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

All associations incorporated under the provisions of the above law shall 
file a copy of all amendments to their articles of association, certified as 
such under their seal, with the clerk of the circuit court, within sixty days 
after their passage. 

Any number of persons, not less than three in number, may become an 
incorporated church, religious society, or congregation, by complying 
with the provisions of this chapter, exxept that it will be sufficient if the 
petition be signed h}^ all the persons making the application, and when so 
incorporated, such persons and their associates and successors shall be 
known by the corporate name specified in the certificate of incorporation, 
and shall be entitled to all the privileges, and capable of exercising all the 
powers conferred, or authorized to be conferred by the constitution of this 
state upon such corporation. Acts 1871-2, P. 16, Sec. 1. 

Any such corporation shall have power to raise money in any manner 
agreed upon in the articles of association. 

INTOXICATING LIQUORS. 

A dramshop-keeper is a person permitted by law to sell intoxicating 
liquors in any quantit}^ not exceeding ten gallons. 

No person shall directly or indirectly sell intoxicating liquors in any 
quantity less than one gallon without taking out a license as a dramshop- 
keeper. 

Application for a license as a dramshop-keeper shall be made in writing 
to the county court, and shall state where the dramshop is to be kept, and 
if the court shall be of opinion that the applicant is a person of good 
character, the court may grant a license for six months. 

Any sale, gift or other disposition of intoxicating liquors made to any 
minor without the permission or consent herein required, or to any hab- 
itual drunkard, b}^ any clerk, agent, or other person acting for any dram- 
shop-keeper, druggist, merchant, or other person, shall be deemed and 
taken to be as the act of such dramshop-keeper, druggist, merchant, or 
other person. 

Intoxicating liquors may be sold in any quantity not less than a quart 
at the place where made, but the maker or seller shall not permit or suffer 
the same to be drank at the place of sale, nor at any place under the 
control of either or both. Any person convicted of a violation o^ the 
provisions of this section shall be fined a sum not less than $40 nor more 
than $200. Provided, that nothing herein contained shall be so con- 
strued as to affect the right of any person having a wine and beer house 
license to sell wine and beer in any quantity not exceeding ten gallons at 
any place. 

Any dramshop-keeper, druggist, or merchant selling, giving away or 
otherwise disposing of any intoxicating liquors to any habitual drunkard, 



ABSTRACT OP" MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 181 

after such dramshop-keeper, druggist, or merchant shall have been noti- 
fied by the wife, father, mother, brother, sister, or guardian of such per- 
son not to sell, give away or furnish to such person any intoxicating 
liquors, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction 
thereof, shall be fined in any sum not less than $40 nor more than $200, 
and upon conviction of any dramshop-keeper it shall work a forfeiture of 
his license to keep a dramshop, and also debar him from again obtaining 
a license for that purpose. 

GENERAL WARRANTY DEED. 

This Indenture., made on the. . . .day of. . . . A. D. one thousand eight 
hundred and . . . . , by and between .... of ... . part .... of the first part, and 
.... of the . . . . of . . . . , in the state of ... . part . . of the second part. 

WITNESSETH, That the said part . . of the first part, in consideration of 
the sum of . . . .";;;^dollars, to.... paid by the said part., of the second 
part, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, do . . by these pres- 
ents, grant, bargain, and sell, convey, and confirm, unto the said part . . of 
the second part, .... heirs and assigns, the following described lots, tracts, 

or parcels of land, lying, being and situated in the of ... . and state of 

. . . . , to-wit : 

[Give description of property.] 

To have and to hold the premises aforesaid, with all and singular, the 
rights, privileges, appurtenances, immunities, and improvements thereto 
belonging, or in any wise appertaining unto the said part, .of the second 
part, and unto .... heirs and assigns, forever; the said .... hereby cov- 
enanting that .... will warrant and defend the title to the said premises 
unto the said part . , of the second part and unto .... heirs and assigns 
forever, against the lawful claims and demands of all persons whom- 
soever. 

In witness whereof, the said part . . of the first part ha . . hereunto set . . 
hand . . and seal . . the day and year first above written. 

Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of us. 

[seal] 

[seal] 

state of MISSOURI, 



of ... . f • Be it remembered, that on this .... 

day of . ... A. D. 18 .... , before the undersigned, a within and for the 

.... of ... . and state of ... . personally came .... who are personally known 
to me to be the same persons whose names are subscribed to the fore- 
going instrument of writing as parties thereto, and they acknowledged 
the same to be their act and deed for the purposes therein mentioned. 

And the said being by me first made acquainted with the contents of 

said instrument, upon an examination separate and apart from .... hus- 
band . . . . , acknowledged that executed the same, and relinquishes 



182 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

.... dower, in the real estate therein mentioned, freely and without fear, 

compulsion or undue influence on the part of said husband . . . . ; and 

I certify that my term of office as a notary public will expire 18 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my 
official seal, at my office in ... . this day and year first above written. 



QUIT-CLAIM DEED. 

This indenture, made on the .... day of , A. D. one thousand eight 

hundred and , by and between , of the county of , and state of 

. . . . , part of the first part, and . . . . , of the county of . . . . , and state of 
, part of the second part, 

Witnesseth, That the said part of the first part, in consideration of the 
sum of .... loo dollars, to .... paid by the said part of the second part, 
the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, do by these presents, 
remise, release, and forever quit-claim unto the said part of the second 
part, the following described lots, tracts, or parcels of land, lying, being 
and situate in the county of . . . . , and state of . . . ., to wit: [Give descrip- 
tion of property.] 

* [This deed of quit-claim being made in release of, and satisfaction for 
a certain deed .... dated the . . day of . . . ., 18. . ; recorded in the recor- 
der's office, within and for the county of .... aforesaid, in deed book . . , 
at pages . . . . ] 

To have and to hold the same, with all the rights, immunities, privileges 
and appurtenances thereto belonging, unto the said part of the second 
part, and .... heirs and assigns, forever; so that neither the said part 
of the first part nor .... heirs, nor any other person or persons for .... 
or in .... name or behalf, shall or will hereafter claim or demand any 
right or titk; to the aforesaid premises, or any part thereof, but they and 
every of them shall, by these presents, be excluded and forever barred. 

In witness whereof. That said part of the first part ha hereunto set 
.... hand and seal , the day and year first above written. 
Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of us. 

[seal] 

[seal] 

[Acknowledgment same as in General Warranty Deed.] 

MORTGAGE DEED. 

Know all men by these presents, that, .... of the county of . . . . , in the 
state of ... . for and in consideration of the sum of ... . dollars, to the said 
.... in hand paid by .... of the county of .... in the state of .... ha . . 

* Omit 'bis clause in case this deed is not made in release of some other instrument. 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 183 

granted, bargained and sold, and by these presents do . . grant, bargain 

and sell, unto the said the following described situated in the 

county of . . . . in the state of . . . . that is to say: 

[Give description of property.] 
To have and to hold the property and premises hereby conveyed, with 
all the rights, privileges and appurtenances thereunto belonging, or in 
anywise appertaining, unto said .... heirs and assigns forever; upon this 
express condition, whereas, the said. . . .on the. . . .day of . . . . A. D. one 
thousand eight hundred and .... made, executed and delivered to the said 
.... certain .... described as follows, to- wit : 

[Give description of notes, time of payment, etc.] 

Now, if the said executor or administrator, shall pay the sum of 

money specified in said .... and all the interest that may be due thereon, 

according to the tenor and effect of said then this conveyance shall be 

void, otherwise it shall remain in full force and virtue in law. 

In witness whereof, . . . . , the said grantor .... and mortgagor .... ha . . 

hereunto subscribed .... name and affixed .... seal .... this .... day of 

. .., A. D. 18... 

[seal.] 

.' [seal.] 

[Acknowledgment same as General Warranty Deed.] 

CHATTEL MORTGAGE. 

Know all men by these presents, That. . . .of the county of . . . ., and 
state of . . . . , in consideration of the sum of . . . . foo dollars, to ... . paid by 
.... of the county of . . . . and state of .... do sell and convey to said .... 
the following goods and chattels, to-wit: 

[Here describe goods.] 

Warranted free of incumbrances, and against any adverse claims: 

Upon condition. That .... pay to the said .... the sum of . . . . loo dollars, 

and interest, agreeably to note . . dated on the .... day of , 18 . . , 

and made payable to the said as follows, to-wit:. .. .then this deed 

shall be void, otherwise it shall remain in full force and effect. 

The parties hereto agree That, until condition broken, said property 

may remain in possession of but after condition broken, the said .... 

may at ... , pleasure take and remove the same, and may enter into any 
building or premises of the said .... for that purpose. 

Witness our hands and seals, this day of . . . A. D. 18 . . 

Signed, sealed and delivered in 
presence of us. . . [seal.] 

[seal.] 

State of Missouri, ) 
County of ( ^^• 

Be it remembered, That on the. . . .day of , ... A. D. 18. ., before the 
undersigned, a . . . . within and for the county aforesaid, personally came 



J§4: ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

who .... personally known to me to be the same person .... whose 

name .... subscribed to the foregoing chattel mortgage as part 

thereto, and acknowledged the same to be ... . act and deed for the uses 
and purposes therein mentioned. 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and affixed 
my seal, at my office in .... in said county, the day and yea^ afore- 
said. My term of office as notary public will expire on the . . . day of 

....18.. 

HOUSE LEASE. 

This article of agreement witnesseth, That. . . .ha. .this day rented to 
... .in the present condition thereof , the .... for the period of.... from 

the day 18. ., on the following terms and conditions, to-wit: 

For the use and rent thereof, the said .... hereby promise .. to pay said 
.... or to ... . order .... dollars, per .... for the whole time above stated, 

and to pay the same at the of each ; that will not 

sub-let or allow any other tenant to come in with or under .... without 
the written consent of said . . . . ; that .... will repair all injuries or dam- 
ages done to the premises by him or them during. . . .occupancy, or pay 
lor the same ; that all of ... . property, whether subject to legal exemption 
or not, shall be bound, and subject to the payment of rents and damages 
thereof; that .... will take good care of the buildings and premises and 
keep them free from tilth, from danger of fire or any nuisance and from 
all uses forbidden in any fire insurance policy issued thereon, .... and pro- 
tect, defend and indemnify the said .... from all damages .... and charges 
for such, that the houses and premises shall be kept clean, fairly treated 
and left so; that in default of the payment of any. . . .installment of rent 
for .... day . . after the same becomes due, .... will, at the request of the 
said. . . .quit and render to. . . .the peaceable possession thereof; but, for 
this cause, the obligation to pay shall not cease, and, finally at the end of 
... .term. .. .will surrender to said .... heirs or assigns, the peaceable 
possession of the said house and premises, with all the keys, bolts, latches 
and repairs, if any, in as good condition as ... . received the same, the 
usual wear and use and providential destruction or destruction by fire 
excepted. 

In witness whereof, the parties have set .... hand .... and seal .... to 
.... cop . . hereof to be retained by ... . 

Dated this day of 18.. 

[seal,.] 

MECHANICS' LIENS. 

Every mechanic or other person who shall do or perform any work or 
labor upon, or furnish any materials, fixtures, engine, boiler or machinery 
for any building, erection or improvements upon land, or for repairing the 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 185 

same under or by virtue of any contract with the owner or proprietor, or 
his agent, trustee, contractor or sub-contractor, shall be entitled to a lien 
upon such building, erection, or improvement, and upon the land belong- 
ing to such owner or proprietor on which the same are situated. The 
original contractor must within six months, and every journeyman and 
day laborer within thirty days, and of every other person seeking to 
obtain the benefit of the provisions of this chapter, within four months 
after the indebtedness shall have accrued, file with the clerk of the cir- 
cuit court of the proper county, a just and true account of the demand due 
him or them, after all just credits have been given, which is to be a lien 
upon such building or improvement, and a true description of the property 
or so near as to identify the same upon which the lien is intended to apply, 
with the name of the owner or contractor, or both, if known to be the 
person filing the lien which shall in all cases be verified by the oath of 
himself or some credible person for him. 

Every person except the original contractor, who may wish to avail 
himself of the benefits of the provisions of this chapter, shall give ten days 
notice before filing of the lien as herein required, to the owner, owners, or 
agent, or either of them, that he or they hold a claim against such build- 
ing or improvements, setting forth the amount and from whom the same is 
due. 

All mechanics' lien holders shall stand on equal footing, without refer- 
ence to date of filing, and upon sale of property they shall take pro rata 
on the respective liens. 

We only attempt to give an outline of the law of mechanics' liens to aid 
the general business man. Should any complicated questions arise, it is 
best to consult an attornev in regard to the san>e. 

MECHANIC'S LIEN. 
Now, at this day, come .... and with a view to avail .... of the benefit 
of the statute relating to mechanics' liens, file . . the account below set 
forth for work and labor done, and materials furnished by .... under 
contract with .... upon, to and for the buildings and improvements 
described as follows, to-wit: 

(Give description of buildings.) 
and situated on the following described premises, to-wit: 

(Give description of the property upon which the building is erected.) 
said premise, buildings, and improvements, belonging to and being 
owned by .... which said account, the same being hereby filed, in order 
that it may constitute a lien upon the buildings, improvements, and prem- 
ises above described, is as follows: 

[Set the account out in full.] 

State of Missouri, county of . . . . , ss., being duly sworn, on his 

oath says that the foregoing is a just and true account of the demand due 



ltJ6 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

for work and labor done, and materials furnished by upon, to 

and for the buildings and improvements hereinbefore described, after all 
just credits have been given; that said work and labor were done, and 
said materials furnished upon, to and for said buildings and improvements 

by .... at the instance and request of, and under contract with that 

the foregoing description is a true description of the property upon, to and 
for which said materials were furnished, and said work and labor done, 
and to which this lien is intended to apply, or so near as to identify the 

same ; that said demand accrued within months prior to the filing of 

this lien, and that on the day of , 18 . . , and at least ten days 

prior to the filing of this lien .... gave notice to .... of his claim against 

the amount thereof, from whom due, and of intention to file a lien 

therefor; that said .... as affiant is informed and believes, the owner. . 
of the above described premises, and the buildings and improvements 
thereon, which said premises, buildings, and improvements are intended 
to be charged with this lien. 

Subscribed and sworn to before me this day of . . . . , 18 . . 



BILL OF SALE OF GOODS. 

Know all men by these presents, that .... of .... for and in considera- 
tion of the sum of dollars to . . in hand paid by of the 

receipt whereof . . do hereby acknowledge, by these presents do bargain 
and sell unto the said .... all the goods, household stufi', implements and 
furniture, and all other goods and chattels whatsoever mentioned in the 
schedule hereunto annexed: To have and to hold all and singular the 
said goods, household stuff", and furniture, and other premises above bar- 
gained and sold or intended so to be, to the said .... and . . assigns for- 
ever. And .... the said .... for ... . and . . heirs, all and singular, the 
goods and chattels of whatever description, unto the said .... and . . 
assigns against .... the said .... and against all and every other person 
and persons whomsoever, shall and will warrant and forever defend 
by these presents. Of all and singular which said goods, chattels, 
and property, .... the said have put the said .... in full pos- 
session by delivery to . ., the said .... one .... at the sealing and delivery 
of these presents, in the name of the whole premises hereby bargained 

and sold, or mentioned, or intended so to be unto . . , the said as 

aforesaid. 

In witness whereof, . . have hereunto set . . hand . . and affixed . . seal 
this day A. D. 18 . . 

Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of [l. s.} 



Note. — If the bill of sale is to be recorded in the county recorder's oflSce, it must be 
acknowledged before some officer authorized to take acknowledgment of deeds — other- 
wise not. 



abstract of missouri state laws. 187 

State of Missouri, 



County of '' 

Be it remembered, that on this day of . . . . , A. D. 18 . . , before the 

undersigned, a . . . . within and for the county of and state of Mis- 
souri, personally came .... who . . personally known to me to be the 
same person . . whose name . . subscribed to the foregoing instrument 
of writing, as part . . thereto, and acknowledged the same to be . . 
voluntary act and deed for the purposes therein mentioned. 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my 
official seal, at my office in .... the day and year above written. 



DEFINITION OF COMMERCIAL TERMS. 

$ means dollars, being a contraction of U. S., which was formerly 

placed before any denomination of money, and meant, as it means now. 
United States currency. 

£ means pounds, English money. 

@ stands for at or to \ lb for pounds, and bbl. for barrels ; ^ for per 
or by the. Thus, butter sells at 20 @ 30c f fc, and flour at $8@12 f bbl, 

°jo for per cent., and jj for number. 

May 1. Wheat sells at $1.20@$1.25, "seller June." Seller June 
means that the person who sells the wheat has the privilege of delivering 
it at any time during the month of June. 

Selling short, is contracting to deliver a certain amount of grain or 
stock, at a fixed price, within a certain length of time, when the seller has 
not the stock on hand. It is for the interest of the person selling " short" 
to depress the market as much as possible, in order that he may buy and 
fill his contract at a profit. Hence the " shorts" are called " bears." 

Buying long; is to contract to purchase a certain amount of grain or 
shares of stock at a fixed price, deliverable within a stipulated time, 
expecting to make a profit by the rise in prices. The " longs" are termed 
"bulls," as it is for their interest to " operate " so as to "toss" the prices 
upward as much as possible. 

ORDERS. 

Orders should be worded simply, thus: 
Mr. F. H. Coats: St. Louis, Sept. 15, 1876. 

Please pay to H. Birdsall twenty-five dollars, and charge to 

F. D. SiLVA. 

RECEIPTS. 
Receipts should always state when received and what for. thus: 



188 ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 

$100. St. Louis, Sept. 15, 1876. 

Reeived of J. W. Davis, one hundred dollars, for services 
rendered in grading his lot in Sedalia, on account. 

Thomas Brady. 
If receipt is in full, it should be so stated. 

BILLS OF PURCHASE. 

W. N. Mason, Marshall, Missouri, Sept. 18, 1876. 

Bought of A. A. Graham. 

4 Bushels of Seed Wheat, at $1..50 $6 00 

2 Seamless Sacks " 30 60 



Received payment, $6 60 

A. A. Graham. 

ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT. 

An agreement is where one party promises to another to do a certain 
thing in a certain time for a stipulated sum. Good business men always 
reduce an agreement to writing, which nearly always saves misunder- 
standings and trouble. No particular form is necessary, but the facts must 
be clearly and explicitly stated, and there must, to make it valid, be a 
reasonable consideration. 

general form of agreement. 

This agreement, made the second day of June, 1878, between John 
Jones, of Marshall, county of Saline, state of Missouri, of the first part, 
and Thomas Whitesides, of the same place, of the second part — 

WITNESSETH, That the said John Jones, in consideration of the agree- 
ment of the party of the second part, hereinafter contained, contracts and 
agrees to and with the said Thomas Whiteside, that he will deliver in good 
and marketable condition, at the village of Slater, Missouri, during the month 
of November, of this year, one hundred tons of prairie hay, in the fol- 
lowing lots, and at the following specified times, namely: Twenty-five 
tons by the seventh of November, twenty-five tons additional by the 
fourteenth of the month, twenty-five tons more by the twenty-first, and 
the entire one hundred tons to be all delivered by the thirtieth of November. 

And the said Thomas Whitsides, in consideration of the prompt fulfill- 
ment of this contract, on the part of the party of the first part, contracts 
to and agrees with the said John Jones, to pay for said hay five dollars per 
ton, for each ton as soon as delivered. 

In case of failure of agreement by either of the parties hereto, it is 
hereby stipulated and agreed that the party so failing shall pay to the 
other, one hundred dollars, as fixed and settled damages. 

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands, the day and year 
first above written. John Jones. 

Thomas Whiteside. 



ABSTRACT OF MISSOURI STATE LAWS. 189 

AGREEMENT WITH CLERK FOR SERVICES. 

This agreement, made the first day of May, one thousand eight hun- 
dred and seventy-eight, between Reuben Stone, of Marshall, county of 
Saline, State of Missouri, party of the first part, and George Barclay, of 
Sedalia, county of Pettis, state of Missouri, party of the second part — 

WITNESSETH, That said George Barclay agrees faithfully and diligently 
to work as clerk and salesman for the said Reuben Stone, for and during 
the space of one year from the date hereof, should both live such length of 
time, without absenting himself from his occupation ; during which time he, 
the said Barclay, in the store of said Stone, of Marshall, will carefully and 
honestly attend, doing and performing all duties as clerk and salesman 
aforesaid, in accordance and in all respects as directed and desired by the 
said Stone. 

In consideration of which services, so to be rendered by the said Bar- 
clay, the said Stone agrees to pay to said Barclay the annual sum of one 
thousand dollars, payable in twelve equal monthly payments, each upon 
the last day of each month ; provided that all dues for days of absence 
from business by said Barclay, shall be deducted from the sum otherwise 
by the agreement due and payable by the said Stone to the said Barclay. 
Witness our hands: Reuben Stone. 

George Barclay. 



Practical Rules for Every Day Use. 



How to find the gain or loss -per cent, when the cost and selling price are 
given. 

Rule. — Find the difference between the cost and selling price, which 
will be the gain or loss. 

Annex two ciphers to the gain or loss, and divide it by the cost price; 
the result will be the gain or loss per cent. 

How to change gold into currency. 

Rule. — Multiply the given sum of gold by the price of gold. 

Hozv to chano^e currency into gold. 

Divide the amount of currency by the price of gold. 

How to find each partner'' s share of the gain or loss in a co-partnership 
business. 

Rule. — Divide the whole gain or loss by the entire stock, the quotient 
will be the gain or loss per cent. 

Multiply each partner's stock by this per cent., the result will be each 
one's share of the gain or loss. 

How to find gross afid net weight and price of hogs. 

A short and simple method fior finding the net weighty or price of hogs ^ 
when the gross weight or price is given, and vice versa. 

Note. — It is generally assumed that the gross weight of hogs diminished by 1-5 or 20 
per cent, of itself gives the net weight, and the net weight increased by ^ or 25 per cent, of 
itself equals the gross weight. 

To find the net weight or gross price. 

Multiply the given number by .8 (tenths.) 

To find the or OSS zveight or net price. 

Divide the given number by .8 (tenths.) 

How to find the capacity of a granary, bin, or wagon-bed. 

Rule. — Multiply (by short method) the number of cubic feet by 6308, 
and point off' one decimal place— the result will be the correct answer in 
bushels and tenths of a bushel. 

J^or only an approximate answer, multiply the cubic feet by 8, and point 
ofTone decimal place. 

How to find the contents of a corn-crib. 

Rule. — Multiply the number of cubic feet by 54, short method, or 
by 4^ ordinary method, and point off one decimal place — the result will 
be the answer in bushels. 

Note, — In estimating corn in the ear, quality and the time it has been cribbed must be 
taken into consideration, since corn will shrink considerably during the winter and spring. 
This rule generally holds good for corn measured at the time it is cribbed, provided it is 
sound and clean. 



PRACTICAL RULES FOR EVERY DAY USE. 191 

How to find the contents of a cistern or tank. 

Rule. — Multiply the square of the mean diameter by the depth (all in 
feet) and this product by 5681 (short method), and point off one decimal 
place — the result will be the contents in barrels of 31^ gallons. 

How to find the contents of a barrel or cask. 

Rule. — Under the square of the mean diameter, write the length (all 
in inches) in reversed order, so that its units will fall under the tens; 
multiply by short method, and this product again by 430 ; point ofi one 
decimal place, and the result will be the answer in wine gallons. 

How to measure boards. 

Rule. — Multiply the length (in feet) by the width (in inches) and divide 
the product by 12 — the result will be the contents in square feet. 

How to ?neasure scantlings^ Joists^ planks, sills, etc. 

Rule. — Multiply the width, the thickness, and the length together, (the 
width and thickness in inches, and the length in feet), and divide the 
product by 12 — the result will be square feet. 

How to find the number of acres in a body of land. 

Rule. — Multiply the length by the width (in rods) and divide the pro- 
duct by 160 (carrying the division to 2 decimal places if there is a remain- 
der); the result will be the answer in acres and hundredths. 

When the opposite sides of a piece of land are of unequal length, add 
them together and take one-half for the mean length or width. 

How to find the number of square yards in afioor or wall. 

Rule.— Multiply the length by the width or height (in feet), and divide 
the product by 9, the result will be square yards. 

How to find the number of bricks required in a building. 

Rule. — Multiply the number of cubic feet by 22|^. 

The number of cubic feet is found by multiplying the length, height 
and thickness (in feet) together. 

Bricks are usually made 8 inches long, 4 inches wide, and two inches 
thick; hence, it requires 27 bricks to make a cubic foot without mortar, 
but it is generally assumed that the mortar fills 1-6 of the space. 

How to find the number of shingles required in a roof. 

Rule. — Multiply the number of square feet in the roof by 8, if the 
shingles are exposed 4|^ inches, or by 7 1-5 if exposed 5 inches . 

To find the number of square feet, multiply the length of the roof by 
twice the length of the rafters. 

To find the length of the rafters, at one-fourth pitch, multiply the 
width of the building by .56 (hundredths); at one-third pitch by .6 
(tenths); at two-fifths pitch, by .64 (hundredths); at one-half pitch, 
by .71 (hundredths). This gives the length of the rafters from the apex 
to the end of the wall, and whatever they are to project must be taken 
into consideration. 



192 PRACTICAL RULES FOR EVERY DAY USE. 

j^OTE. — By 34 or 3^ pitch is meant that the apex or comb of the roof is to be ^ or J^ 
the width of the building higher than the walls or base of the rafters. 

How to reckon the cost of hay. 

Rule. — Multiply the number of pounds by half the price per ton, and 
remove the decimal point three places to the left. 

How to measure gram. 

Rule. — Level the grain; ascertain the space it occupies in cubic 

feet; multiply the number of cubic feet by 8, and point off one place to 

the left. 

Note.— Exactness requires the addition, to every three hundred bushels, of one extra 
bushel. 

The foregoing rule may be used for finding the number of gallons, by 
multiplying the number of bushels by 8. 

If the corn in the box is in the ear, divide the answer by 2 to find the 
number of bushels of shelled corn, because it requires 2 bushels of ear 
corn to make 1 of shelled corn. 

Rapid rules for measuring land without instruments. 

In measuring land, the first thing to ascertain is the contents of any 
given plot in square vards ; then, given the number of yards, find out the 
number of rods and acres. 

The most ancient and simplest measure of distance is a step. Now, an 
ordinary-sized man can train himself 'to cover one yard at a stride, on the 
average, with sufficient accuracy for ordinary purposes. 

To make use of this means of measuring distances, it is essential to ' 
walk in a straight line ; to do this, fix the eye on two objects in a line 
stright ahead, one comparatively near, the other remote; and, in walking, 
keep these objects constantly in line. 

Farmers and others by adopting" the following simple and ingenious con- 
trivance^ may always carry with them the scale to construct a correct yard 
measure. 

Take a foot rule, and commencing at the base of the little finger of the 
left hand, mark the quarters of the foot on the outer borders of the left 
arm, pricking in the marks with indelible ink. 

To find how many rods in length will make an acre, the width being 
given. 

Rule. — Divide 160 by the width, and the quotient will be the answer. 

How to find the number of acres in any plot of land, the number of rods 
being given. 

Rule. — Divide the number of rods by 8, multiply the quotient by 5, 
and remove the decimal point two places to the left. 
The diameter being given, to find the circu?nference. 

Rule. — Multiply the diameter by 3 1-7. 

Ho7v to find the diameter when the circumference is given. 

Rule. — Divide the circumference by 3 1-7. 



PRACTICAL RULES FOR EVERY DAV USE, 193 

To find Jwxu many solid feet a round stick of timber of the same thick' 
ness throughotit ivill contain wh^n sqiMred. 

Rule. — Square half the diameter in inches, muhiply b}' ^, multiply by 
the length in teet, and divide the product by 144. 

Ge?ieral rule for measuring timber, to find the solid contents in feet. 

Rule. — Multiply the depth in inches by the breadth in inches, and then 
multiply by the length in feet, and divide by 144. 

To find the mmiber of feet of timber in trees zvith the bark on. 

Rule. — Multiply the square of one-fitlh of the circumference in inches 
by twice the length in feet, and divide by 144. Deduct 1.10 to 1.15 
according to the thickness of the bark. 

Howard's 7iezv rule for computing interest. 

Rule. — The reciprocal of the rate is the time for which the interest on 
any sum of money will be shown b}- simply removing the decimal point 
two places to the left; for ten times that time, remove the point one place 
to the left; for 1-10 of the same time, remove the point three places to the 
left. 

Increase or diminish the results to suit the time efiven. 

Note. — The reciprocal of the rate is tbund by inverting the rate; thus 3 per ceat. per 
month, inverted, becomes % of a month, or ten days. 

When the rate is expressed by one figure, always write it thus: 3-1, 
three ones. 

Mule for converting English into American cu?'rency. 

Multiply the pounds, with the shillings and pence stated in decimals, by 
400 plus the premium in fourths, and divide the product by 90. 

U. S. GOVERNMENT LAND MEASURE. 

A township — 36 sections each a mile square. 

A section — 640 acres. 

A quarter section, half a mile square — 160 acres. 

An eight section, half a mile long, north and south, and a quarter of a 
mile wide — 80 acres. 

A sixteenth section, a quarter of a mile square — 40 acres." 

The sections are all numbered 1 to 36, commencing at the north-east 
comer. 

The sections are divided into quarters, which are named by the cardinal 
points. The quarters are divided in the same way. The description of 
a forty-acre lot wculd read: The south half of the west half of the 
south-west quarter of section 1, in township 24, north of range 7 west, 
or as the case might be ; and sometimes will fall short, and sometimes 
overrun the number of acres it is supposed to contain. 

13 



194 



PRACTICAL RULES FOR EVERY DAY USE. 



SURVEYORS' MEASURE. 

7 92-100 inches make 1 link. 

25 links " 1 rod. 

4 rods " 1 chain. 

80 chains " 1 mile. 

Note.— A chain is 100 links, equal to 4 rods or 66 feet. 

Shoemakers formerly used a subdivision of the inch called a barleycorn; 
three of which made an inch. 

Horses are measured directly over the fore feet, and the standard of 
measure is four inches — called a hand. 

In biblical and other old measurements, the term span is sometimes 
used, which is a length of nine inches. 

The sacred cubit of the Jews was 24.024 inches in length. 

The common cubit of the Jews was 21.704 inches in length. 

A pace is equal to a yard or 36 inches. 

A fathom is equal to 6 feet. 

A league is three miles, but its length is variable, for it is strictly speaking 
\ nautical term, and should be three geographical miles, equal to 3.45 stat- 
^miki. Wt when used on land, tlireeadituae miles we Mid !• be m league. 

In cloth measure an aune is equal to 1 J yards, or 45 inches. 

An Amsterdam ell is equal to 26.796 inches. 

A Trieste ell is equal to 25.284 inches. 

A Brabant ell is equal to 27.116 inches. 

HOW TO KEEP ACCOUNTS. 

Every farmer and mechanic, whether he does much or little business^ 
should keep a record of his transactions in a clear and systematic manner. 
For the benetit of those who have not had the opportunity of acquiring a 
primary knowledge of the principles of book-keeping, w^e here present a 
simple form of keeping accounts which is easily comprehended, and well 
adapted to record the business transactions of farmers, mechanics and 
laborers. 

1875. A. H. JACKSON. Dr. Cr. 



Jan. 10 


To 


17 
Feb. 4 


To 


4 


To 


March 8 

8 
" 13 

" 27 


To 


April }) 


To 




May 6 

24 


By 

To 


4 


Bv 



7 bushels wheat 

shoeing span of horses . . 

14 bushels oats 

5 ft), butter 

new harrow 

sharpening 2 plows 

new double-tree 

cow and calf 

half ton of hay 

cash 

repairing corn-planter . . . 

one sow with pigs 

cash, to balance account , 



at $1.25 



.at $ .45 
at .25 



$ 8.75 

'6.30 
1.25 



48.00 
6.25 



17.50 



$88.05 



2.50 



18.00 

.40 

2.25 



25.00 
4.75 

35.15 

$88.05 



PRACTICAL, RULBS FOR JEVERY DAY USE. 



195 



1875. 



CASSA MASON. 



Dr. Cr. 



March 

March 

March 

May 

May 

June 

June 

July 

Aug. 
Aug. 
Sept. 



Bv 3 day's labor 

To 2 shoats 

To 18 bushels corn 

By 1 months labor 

To cash 

By 8 days mowing 

To 50 lbs. flour 

To 27 lbs. meat 

By 9 days harvesting 

By 6 days labor 

To cash 

To cash to balance account , 



.at $1.25 
.at 3.00 
at .45 



• at $1.50 



.at$ .10 
,at 2.00 
• at 1.50 



$ 6.00 
8.10 



10.00 



2.75 
2.70 



20.00 

18.20 



$6 



M.ii) 



$ 3.75 
25.66 

12.66 



18.00 
9.00 



'67.75 



INTEREST TABLE. 

A SiXPLIC KnLK TOR ACCUBATELT COMPUTING INTEREST AT ANY GiVEN PeR CeNT FOR ANY LENGTH 

OP Time. 

Multiply the principal (amount of money at interest) by the time reduced to days; then divide this 
product by the quotient obtained by dividing: 360 ( the number of days in the interest year) by the per 
cent of interest, and the quotient thus obtained will be the required interest. 

ILLUSTRATION. Solution. 

Require the interest of $462.50 lor one month and eighteen days at 6 per cent. An S'102..'50 

interest month is 30 days ; one month and eighteen days equal 48 days. $4i)-.2.50 .48 

multiplied by .48 gives 82-.i3.0000; StiO divided bv 6 (the per ceni of interest) gives 

60, and 222.0000 divided by (iO will give the exact interest, which is gS.IO. If the :'.ri)00a 

rate of interest in the above example were 12 per cent, we would divide the $222.- 6(360 1 185000 

0000 by 30 (because 360 divided by 12 gives 30) ; if 4 per cent, we would divide by 90 ; V — 

if 8 per cent, by 45, and in like manner tor any other per cent. ' 60 ) $222.0000 

180 

4.20 
420 



00 



MISCELLANEOUS TABLE. 



12 units or things, 1 dozen. 1 196 poands, 1 barrel of flour. ] 24 sheets of paper, 1 quire. 
Id dozen, 1 gross. I 300 pounds, 1 barrel of pork. I 20 quires of paper, 1 ream, 

ao things, 1 score. | 56 poands, 1 firkiu of batter. | 4 ft. wide, 4 ft. high, and S ft. long, 1 cord wood. 



196 NAMES OF THE STATES AND THEIR SIGNIFICATION. 

NAMES OF THE STATES OF THE UNION, AND THEIR 

SIGNIFICATIONS. 

Virginia. — The oldest of the states, was so called in honor of Queen 

o 

Elizabeth, the " Virgin Queen," in whose reign Sir Walter Raleigh made 
his first attempt to colonize that region. 

F'lorida. — Ponce de Leon landed on the coast of Florida on Easter 
Sunday, and called the country in commemoraticn of the da}?^, which was 
the Pasqua Florida of the Spaniards, or " Feast of Flowers." 

Louisiana was called after Louis the Fourteenth, who at one time 
owned that section of the country. 

Alabama was so named by the Indians, and signifies " Here we Rest." 

jllississippi is likewise an Indian name, meaning " Long River." 

Arkansas, from Kansas, the Indian word for " smoky water." Its pre- 
fix was really arc, the French word for "bow." 

The Carolinas were originally one tract, and were called " Carolana," 
after Charles the Ninth of France. 

"^Georgia o^^9,\x.% name to George the Second of England, who first 
established a colony there in 1732. 

Tennessee is the Indian name for the " River of the Bend," i. <?., the 
Mississippi which forms its western boundary. 

Kentucky is the Indian name for "at the head of the river." 

6>///(> means " beautiful ; " iWzr/?, "drowsy ones;" Minnesota, *^ cloudy 
water," and Wisconsin, " wild-rushing channel." 

Jllinois is derived from the Indian word lllini, men, and the French 
suffix ois, together signifying " tribe of men." 

^Michigan was called by the name given the lake, jish-weir, which was 
so styled from its fancied resemblance to a fish trap. 

Iiiissouri is from the Indian word " muddy," which more properly 
applies to the river that flows through it. 

Oregon owes its Indian name also to its principal river. 

Cortez named California. 

.}fassachusetts is the Indian for " the country around the great hills." 

Connecticut, from the Indian Quon-ch-ta-Cut, signifying " Long River." 

Maryland, after Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles the First, of Eng- 
land. 

JVeii' York was named by the Duke of York. 

Pennsylvania means " Penn's woods," and was so called after William 
Penn, its original owner. 

Dclazvare after Lord De la Ware. 

JVezu ycrsey, so called in honor of Sir George Carteret, who was gov- 
ernor of the island of Jersey, in the British channel. 

Maine was called after the province of Maine, in France, in compliment 
of Queen Henrietta of England, who owned that province. 



SUGGESTIONS TO THOSE PURCHASING BOOKS BY SUBSCRIPTION. 197 

Vermoni, from the French words vert mont, signifying green mountain. 

New Hamfshire^ from Hampshire county, in England. It was formerly 
called Laconia. 

The little state of Rhode Island owes its name to the island of Rhodes, 
in the Mediterranean, which domain it is said to greatly resemble. 

Texas is the American word for the Mexican name by which all that 
section of the country was called before it was ceded to the United States. 

SUGGESTIONS TO THOSE PURCHASING BOOKS BY SUB- 
SCRIPTION. 

The business of -publishing books by subscription, having so often been 
brought into disrepute by agents making representations and declarations 
not authorized by the publisher, in order to prevent that as much as possi- 
ble, and that there may be more general knowledge of the relation such 
agents bear to their principal, and the law governing such cases, the fol- 
lowing statement is made: 

A subscription is in the nature of a contract of mutual promises, by 
which the subscriber agrees to pay a certain sum for the work described ; 
the consideration is concurrent that the publisher shall publish the book 
named, and deliver the same, for which the subscriber is to pay the price 
named. The nature and character of the work is described by the pros- 
pectus and sample shown. These should be carefully examined before sub- 
scribing, as they are the basis and consideratidn of the promise to pay, and 
not the too often exaggerated statements of the agent, who is merely 
employed to solicit subscriptions, for which he usually paid a commission 
for each subscriber, and has no authority to change or alter the conditions 
upon which the subscriptions are authorized to be made by the publisher. 
Should the agent assume to agree to make the subscription conditional, or 
modify or change the agree?nent of the publisher, as set out by the pros- 
pectus and sample, in order to bind the principle, the subscriber should see 
that such condition or changes are stated over or in connection zvith his 
signature, so that the publisher may have notice of the same. 

*» All persons making contracts in reference to matters of this kind, or any 
other business, should remember that the law as written is, that they can 
not be altered, varied or rescinded verbally, but if done at all, must be done 
in zvriting. It is therefore important that all persons contemplating sub- 
scribing shotdd distinctly understand that all talk before or after the sub- 
scription is made is not admissible as evidence, and is no part of the contract. 

Persons employed to solicit subscri-ptions are known to the trade as can- 
vassers They are agents appointed to do a particidar business in a pre- 
scribed mode, and luzve no authority to do it in any other way to the 
prejudice of their principal, nor can they bind their principal in any 
other matter. They cannot collect money, or agree that pa3aTient may be 
made in anything else but money. They cannot extend the time of payment 
beyond the time of delivery, nor bind their principal for the payment of 
expenses incurred in their business. 

It would save a great deal of trouble, and often serious loss, if persons, 
before signing their names to any subscription book, or any written instru- 
ment, would examine carefully zvhat it is; if they cannot read themselves, 
call on some one disinterested who can. 



History of Ray County, Missouri. 



TOPOGRAPHY. 

Boundary^ Geographical Position, and Physical /features. — Ray county, 
Missouri, is situated in the northwestern part of the state, and is bounded 
as follows : 

North by Caldwell county; east by Carroll county; south by the Mis- 
souri river, separating it from Lafayette and Jackson counties, and west 
by Clay and Clinton counties. 

Richmond, the county seat of Ray county, is in longitude seventeen 
degrees west from Washington, ninety-four degrees west from Greenwich, 
and the northern part of the county is crossed by parallel thirty-nine 
degrees, thirty minutes of north latitude. It embraces all that portion of 
Missouri lying between the range line separating ranges twenty-five and 
twenty-six, and the range line separating ranges twenty-nine and thirty, 
west of the fifth principal meridian, and extending from the township line 
between townships fifty-four and fifty-five, north, southward to the middle 
of the main channel of the Missouri river. 

The townships bordering on the Missouri river are numbered fifty and 
fifty-one, and are fractional. 

The above limits, greatly less than the original, are the result of 
repeated formations of new counties from the territory allotted to Ray 
by the act establishing it as a county, and include a superficial area of 
561.64 square miles, or 3.59,449.6 acres. 

The twelve congressional townships north of the line between town- 
ships fifty-one and fifty-two are integral, and therefore, aggregate four 
hundred and thirty-two square miles; those south of that line extending 
to the Missouri river, are fractional, as above stated, and contain, in all, 
129.64 square miles. 

Ray county is twenty-four miles in width. The issouri river, as it 
passes the southern border of the county, is quite sinuous, thereby mak- 
ing the distance from its northern to its southern line irregular. The 
greatest length of the county, north and south, is twenty-six and one-half 
miles from the point where the section line between sections seventeen 
and eighteen, township fifty, of range twenty-eiglit, touches the issouri 
river — due northward. 

The longest straight line that may be drawn within the limits of Ray 
county, would extend from the northwest comer of- section six, township 



200 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

fifty-four, range twenty-nine, to the southeast corner of fractional section 
twenty-four, township fifty-one, range twenty-six. 

Ray county is most happily situated in the heart of the most beautiful 
and productive agricultural and mineral region of northwest Missouri. 
Kansas City is distant but forty-four miles from its county seat; St. Joseph 
sixty-seven miles, and St. Louis, the metropolis of the Mississippi valley, 
is only two hundred and thirty-seven miles to the southeastward. 

Natural and artificial lines of transportation are ample and convenient, 
and the great western and southern markets are easily and cheaply 
accessible at all seasons of the year. The citizens of Ray have reason, 
therefore, to rejoice at the fortunate position of their county; and her 
inexhaustible natural resources, coupled with the thrift, industry and 
enterprise of her people, justifv the hope that she will ever retain the 
rank she now deservedly holds, as one of the very first counties of 

Missouri. 

The southern border of the county is laved by the waters of the great 
Missouri — reckoning from its source *o the gulf, as is proper, the longest 
river in the world — and while one might reasonably suppose that the 
low lands bordering on so turbid and sluggish a stream are marshy, sub- 
ject to frequent inundation, and therefore well-nigh valueless, such is — in 
Ray county at least — far from the case. These bottoms are highly cul- 
tivable, and the soil is deep, fertile and enduring. 

Stretching across the southern pa-t of the county — save at one or two 
places where bluffs intervene — at ar average width of about five miles, 
and at from fifteen to thirty feet above the average water mark, they have 
good, natural drainage, and are, at almost all times, most admirably 
adapted to the purposes of husbandry. 

These low lands were overflowed in June, 182T; again in June, 1844, 
and again in April, of the present year, 1881; but they are now— May — 
being prepared for the ensuing crop. It will be observed that the inter- 
vals between overflows are so exceedingly long as to scarcely interfere 
with the cultivation of the bottoms ; and their generous soil seldom fails to 
yield the industrious husbandman a bountiful harvest. 

In the rear, and on the east and west sides of Camden, an old riparian 
hamlet, in sections twenty-six and twenty-seven, township fifty-one, range 
twenty-eight, the " bluffs " rise to a considerable hight, and present a scene 
picturesque and beautiful — especially in the spring-time, when the trees 
that crown their summits, are freighted with exuberant foliage. 

The face of the county is beautifully, as well as conveniently diversified 
with prairie land, woodland, groves, valleys and arable hills or knolls. 
The last mentioned, however, in many places are covered with timber. 
The irregular surface configuration is an advantage to husbandry, making 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 201 

the land self-draining, while, from its peculiar nature, it is capable of re- 
aining moisture during a protracted drought. 

Looking from the summ'it of a towering hill in the suburbs of Richmond, 
the extensive and variegated landscape, stretching away to the north and 
northeastward, dotted here and there with attractive farm-houses, is an 
exceedingly agreeable sight. Far in the distance, " timber ridge " appears 
looming above the intervening hills, and presenting an even, unbroken 
range that charms the beholder. 

In many localities, more particularly on the water courses, the forests 
are dense, and the timber, in abundant variety, is very fine. Oak, elm, 
ash, hickory, pecan, blackwalnut, sugar maple, white maple, linden, Cot- 
tonwood and other kinds are found. 

Abundant and excellent building material occurs throughout the count}% 
though, as yet, it has not been extensively utilized. In various parts of 
the county there are beds of limestone from which rock of almost any de- 
sired size, both durable and agreeable in appearance, might be obtained. 

Ash-blue hydraulic limestone is found two miles northeast of Richmond, 
and similar rock exists at most of the coal banks near Richmond and 
Camden. A strip of limestone countrj^ some five miles in width, and 
about eight miles in length, extends through Grape Grove township, in 
the vicinity of Tinney's Grove. On David Teagarden's land in the north- 
west part of township fifty-three, range twenty-eight, is a limestone quarry. 
The rock is excellent for building purposes, and when first taken fi'om the 
quarry is easih" worked, but becomes hard on exposure to the air. * 

Free-stone is also found in the bluffs along the streams. 

The coal mines of the county are extensive, and worked with great 
profit; but we dismiss them here, with cursor}^ notice, for a fuller descrip- 
tion further on. 

On section nine, township fifty-four, range twenty-six, there is every in- 
dication of lead; indeed a considerable quantity of very rich ore has been 
taken out. The hill in which the ore is found is about three hundred feet 
high. There have also been found in this section, some fair specimens of 
silver and copper ore ; likewise in section twenty-seven, township fifty- 
three, range twenty-eight. 

*The following is Mahon's definition of limes: "Common or air-lime will air-slake 
or slake by having water poured over it, and will only harden in the air. Hydraulic lime' 
slakes thoroughly like common lime, when deprived of its carbonic acid, and does not 
harden promptly under water. Hydraulic cement does not slake, and usually quickly 
hardens imder water. Fat limes give a paste which is unctuous to the sight and touch; 
meagre limes yield a thin paste. Common limes are fat; hydraulic limes are meagre; but 
all meagre limes are not hydraulic. 

"The limestones which yield hydraulic limes and cements, are either argillaceous or mag- 
nesian, or argillo-magnesian. The hydraulic energy differs according to the proportion 
of lime and clay in their composition. It is necessary that a certain proportion of clay 
should enter into the composition of the limestone. These rocks are generally some shade 
of drab, or gray, or of dark grayish-blue ; compact-texture, fracture, even or conchoidal, with 
a clayey or earthy smell and taste. " 
13 



202 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

In township fifty-two, range twenty-nine, are indications of oil; the first, 
second and third sand formations existing the same as in the famous oil 
regions of Pennsylvania. This locality has been prospected, and the indi- 
cations examined by experts, who are confident that, at a depth of from 
seven hundred and forty to eight hundred feet oil will be found. About 
fifteen years ago, a Mrs. Overman, residing on section thirty-four, town- 
ship fifty-two, range twenty-nine, sunk a shaft to the depth of eight hun- 
dred feet; but owing to some defect in the boring, water could not be kept 
out, and the undertaking was not rewarded with success. Samples of the 
drillino-s, however, were examined by experts' and declared to be the same 
as found in all the oil districts of the country. 

Near the mouth of Rocky fork of Crooked river, there are similar gen- 
uine indications of oil. A petroleum company was organized some years 
ao-o for prospecting in that locality, and made several borings, but for 
want of sufficient capital the enterprise proved a failure. At different 
places, where the stream flows over the land of White, Long and Adkins, 
oil is actually seen on the surface of the water. 

Ray county is well watered, being traversed by numerous small streams, 
affording sufficient perennial supply of good fresh water for stock and other 
purposes agriculture and industry. 

The following are the principal streams : Crooked river and its tribu- 
taries, East, Middle and West Fork, flowing across the county from north- 
west to southeast, drain the entire central portion; Wakanda, South 
Wakanda and Cottonwood creek,the northeastern portion; Fishing river, 
Keeny and Rollins creeks, the southwestern, and Willow creek the soulji- 
central portion. The course of all these streams, except Cottonwood creek, 
is southeasterly. 

The Mirsouri bottoms and prairies constitute probably one half of the 
county. The rest consists of small, fertile valleys, low hills, woodland 
and bluffs — the last named being confined to the Missouri river, except at 
a few points along the banks of streams in the interior ^of the county. 

We have thus given a brief topographical outline of the county whose 
history these pages are intended to recite. 

No effort will be made at rhetorical adornment, but we shall endeavor 
to write plainly, and correctly and truthfully, in language to be appre- 
ciated by the people. 



THE PIONEER. 

When the first settlements within what are now the limits of Ray 
county were made, the country was almost wild. Nature was unsubdued. 
The prairies were covered with rank grass. The Indian's bark canoe 
floated on the streams, and the jackal's wail on the midnight air. Wild 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 203 

honey was in the hollows of trees, and a man's life in the hollow of his 
hand. In spring-time, when nature donned her emerald robe, the air was 
freighted with the breath of flowers; feathered warblers thronged the 
wildwood, and the shadowy dale was resonant with the voice of song. 
Birds of plumage were there, but so were birds and beasts of prey — 
the latter sleeping in the da}', but prowling in the night. It is ever 
thus : the enemies of innocence and beauty lurk secluded till opportunity 
offers to steal a blow. The primeval forests, as yet scarcely scathed by 
the hand of husbandry, were inhabited by ferocious, as well as by a 
great variety of harmless wild animals, including almost every species 
of American game. The panther, bear, jackal, lynx, wildcat, catamount, 
wolf and fox were among the destructive denizens of the tangled wild- 
wood. Myriads of wild turkeys flocked in the groves and ravaged the 
little corn-fields. The streams were full of fishes. Bison browsed on the 
prairie, and elk and deer were abroad in the forest. Hunting, trapping, 
and the gathering of wild honey were the most profitable employments. 
The skins of wild animals afforded raiment for the body — their flesh, food. 
Indeed, the pioneer lived largely on the fruits of the chase. Hunting was 
at once a pleasant and profitable pastime. People living from fifteen to 
forty miles apart were considered near neighbors, and numbers of them 
would often assemble, especially in the autumn, to 
"Drive the fleet deer the forest through, 
And homeward wend with evening dew." 

On these occasions everybody was gleeful ; the very dogs were blithesome, 
and leaped for joy; the prancing horse, with beaming eye and distended 
nostril, seemed eager for the fun. Peace prevailed and good fellowship 
reigned supreme. As the cold, gray dawn of a November morning- 
flooded the frost-crowned trees, with a sea of silver the merry hunter 
would 

" Sound! Sound the horn! To the hunter good 
What's the gully deep, or the roaring flood ? 
Right over he bounds, as the wild deer bounds, 
At the heels of his swift, sure, silent hounds. 
Oh, what delights can a mortal lack. 
When he once is firm on his horse's back, 
With his stirrups short and his snaffle strong. 
And the blast of the horn for his morning song?" 

But the sound of the hunter's horn is no longer heard in the land. 
Where it once reverberated the iron horse rends the air from his lungs of 
fire; and the zephyr's wing wafts the din of industry over the felled 
forest, where the jackal screamed and the night-bird piped his plaintive 
strain. 

For several years after the first settlement within the present bounda- 



204 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ries of the county, the Indian, steadily driven before the advancing front 
of civilization, found a safe asylum in the wilds of the west. The first 
families, therefore, who planted themselves here permanently to remain, 
were subi'ected to a close intimacy with the savages. Happily, however, 
they were not seriously molested, as the tribes noted for fell barbarities 
failed to visit this immediate region. 

Pioneer life had its pleasures, but also, its hardships and dangers ; and 
the latter far more than counterbalanced the former. To leave home 
and kindred and friends, the attachments of early associations, the scenes 
of childhood, the influences of education and refinement, and every fond 
endearment that binds one to the place of his birth, oj: to the subjects of 
his parental esteem ; to venture far out on the western border, where ani- 
mated and inanimated nature are alike unreclaimed, to face the perils'Jand 
endure the hardships of frontier life, required a high order of courage — 
a resolution not easily baffled — an iron will. This is quite as it should be; 
those who stock a cpuntry with inhabitants should be of the very 
best character, morally, intellectually and physically. So were the men 
and women who came to people the then remote northwestern frontier 
of Missouri territory — all of which subsequently became, and the richest 
portion of which is now Ray county. 

In writing of the pioneers of this county, the reader will understand 
that our meaning is broad enough to include those who settled within its 
original limits, from the Missouri river to the Iowa line. 

They may have been, as a rule, illiterate, because school advantages 
were extremely meager; some of them — many of them — were wild and 
wayward, for they lived on the "outskirts of civiHzation," and had to 
battle with the hardships of frontier life. The rufflan anon stole into their 
midst, but he was not of them — yet among them and of them were 
Christians; and if there were no church buildings, the groves — "God's 
first temples" — in summer, and the primitive dwelling of some pious 
neighbor in winter, afforded them a sacred fane for the worship of the 
Infinite One. They wore " hodden gray '' — cloth woven by the frugal 
house-wife from nettles, gathered by the boys from the woods and river 
bottoms; aye, they wore even the tanned skins of wild animals; and 
dined on " homely fare." But what of that, they wtre honest men. 

They occasionally fought, it is true, but fought like men — forgave each 
other, and were friends. Prejudice, jealousy or suspicion found no lodg- 
ment in their hearts ; neither was there room there for treachery or decep- 
tion. They spurned all littleness, scorned bickering and smothered the 
flames of rankHng revenge. They worshipped no god but God, and 
looked with contempt on the fawning sycophant, the sharker and the 
charlatan. Of their number, the modern " politician " was not one. 
While their independence of thought gave each an opinion of his own, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 205 

the one respected the views of every other. Individualit}- asserted itself 
in their adherence to different political parties, but they were wedded 
to no organization, and in reality, their test of merit for public official 
position, was the Jeftersonian test. The pioneer is not a time-serv^er; 
he loves independence. 

Among the females, the "common scold" was unknown. A venial 
fault was not expanded to a crime. A neighbor's misfortune caused 
them genuine sorrow. They were frugal, but not sordid; liberal, not 
lavish; cheerful and diligent. Vanity failed to entice them. The}' were 
happy in their homespun garb. They were content to work; The hus- 
band, home at night, " free from care, from labor free," was lulled to rest 
by the stead}- whir of the spinning-wheel. Their ready hands shaped 
fells into garments, drove the shuttle, swayed the batten', whirled the dis- 
taff ^ — ^and their owners were never peevish, because never idle. 

Such was the character, with rare exceptions, of the men and 
women, who left their homes in Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and 
other southern states, to participate in the settlement, ultimately in the 
organization, and to contribute to the growth and prosperity of Ray 
county; from among whom her first officers were chosen, and of whom 
many of her best citizens of to-day are descendants. But they are gone, 
let us hope, to dwell with "just men made perfect." We know that, on 
earth, theirs were the homes of peace and contentment; that they dwelt 
together in harmony, in love. 

" Dwelt in the love of God and of man. Alike were they free from 

Fear, that reigns with the tyrant, and envy, the vice of republics. 

Neither locks had^hey to their doors, nor bars to their windows; 

But their dwellings were open as day and the hearts of their owners." 



EARLY SETTLEMENTS AND SETTLERS. 

The first settlers within the boundaries afterwards embracing Ray 
county, came in the summer of 1815. 

The country was not a wilderness, not a dreary waste; it was a broad 
expanse of diversified area, rich, productive, beautiful; but undeveloped, 
unpolished by the hand of art, undisturbed in the embrace of nature's God. 

The pioneers' old fashioned Virginia wagons, covered with white 
canvas, drawn by three horses, forming a " spike team," guided by a 
single line attached to the rein of the leader's bridle, and in the hands of 
a driver seated on the rear horse at the left wheel, halted on the east 
bank of Crooked river, not far above its mouth. It was August. The 
trees were crowned with luxuriant foliage. The forest was resonant with 
its own music, and redolent of summer's perfume. Spread out before 



206 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the travel-worn immigrant in all its pristine beauty, nature's handiwork 
presented a scene too inviting to pass. The opposite was the more attract- 
ive shore, but the stream was swollen, and how to cross was a problem 
to solve. It was quickly done. Trees were felled, a raft made, and the 
party swimming their horses, passed safe to the other shore, and went 
into camp. Thus, though its privations continued for a time, a long and 
toilsome journey, all the way from the sterile hills of East Tennessee, was 
brought to a welcome ending; and the first white families, who paused 
to remain, west of Grand river from the Missouri to the Iowa line, passed 
the first night within what afterwards became the limits of Ray county. 
Their tents and canvased wagons afforded them sufficient shelter for 
the summer and early fall, but not from the rigors of winter. Quarters 
more substantial and capacious had to be built of logs, and ere this work 
could be completed, autumn's golden glamour was fading in the " sear 
and yellow leaf." Winter was coming on apace, and soon 
" The embattled forests, erewhile armed with gold, 

Their banners bright with every martial hue, 
Stood like some sad, beaten host of old, 

Withdrawn afar in Time's remotest blue."" 

But their hovels were finished in time to shield them from the severity of 
winter, and that season was doubtless passed with little suffering and 
in comparative comfort, considering the proximity of savages and fero- 
cious wild animals. 

The place of the first settlements was called Bufialo, probably because 
frequented b}^ that animal, and was not far from the present site of Har- 
din, in what is now Crooked River township, in the southeastern part 
of the county. 

The settlement at Bufialo, or the Bufialo settlement, more properly, 
perhaps, was made by immigants from Tennessee, Kentucky and Vir- 
' ginia. The very first settler was John Vanderpool, a Tennessean. He 
located, as above stated, on the west side of Crooked river, in August, 
1815. With him was his wife, Ellen Vanderpool, and the following chil- 
dren: Winant, Meaddors, Kinman, Mary, Delilah, Holland, and John. 
Lydia and James were born in Ray countv. The latter, at the age of 
seven years, was drowned in the Missouri river. Winant, Kinman and 
Delilah, are dead; the rest still living. Meaddors is living in Oregon, and 
although ninety years of age, continues to survey land. He, in 1819, 
taught the first school ever taught in Ray county. He also surveyed 
this county, and afterwards Chariton, Clay, Carroll, and Caldwell. His 
life has been one of man}' hardships, of continued labor, yet he is still 
active and energetic. Mary and John also reside in Oregon. Holland, 
to whom the writer is indebted for much interesting information con- 
cerning the early history of the county, is still a resident of Ray, making 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 207 

his home with a friend near Richmond. Ray county has been his home 
from early childhood, and he is now in his seventy-sixth year. No man 
knows any harm of Holland Vanderpool; he is a true Christian, inno- 
cent, emotional and warm-hearted. The entire famil}- is remarkable for 
Iqiigevity. John Vanderpool lived to be quite old, and his father died at 

/he advanced age of one hundred and nine. 
Isaac Martin, who came from Kentucky, Lewis Richards, and Stephen 
and Joseph Field, from Tennessee, settled in the Buffalo neighborhood the 
same year. Isaac Martini became prominent as a local politician; was 
among the first representatives of the county in the general assembly, 
and held other county offices. He was unlettered, but of strong natural 
sense, and was a good neighbor, and a true gentleman. In one of his 
races for the legislature, Martin's competitor was Dr. W. P. Thompson, 
a Virginian, an educated, as well as a most worthy gentleman. A public 
meeting was held at old Bluft'ton. Dr. Thompson made a speech of 
some length, in which he mentioned with an air of pride, that he was 
from Virginia, and modestly referred to his scholarship and the school 
from which he graduated. Martin replied in the following words : 

" Gentletnen and felloio-citizens : I was born in Kentucky. I never went 
to school but three days in my life; the third day I whipped the teaclier and 
left. What little I got was in the Held, and it's right in here;" (pointing to his 
head). 

Martin was a democrat, and was elected. Living in the county at that 
time was a poor old man, named Wallace, a revolutionary soldier, who 
had never received a pension. Approaching Martin, he told him of this 
neglect, whereupon Martin replied: " Old man, I appreciate your serv- 
ices in the cause of independence; rest assured that /'// see that you get 
the pension you justly deserve." The pension was secured through Mar- 
tin's efforts, and the old soldier lived to the end of his few remaining 
years in comparative comfort. 

The following year, 181(), Abraham Linville, Aaron Linville, John 
Proffitt, and a man named Wood, with their families, joined the first set- 
tlers. They were all from Tennessee. 

From this first settlement are derived, of course, the first incidents of 
early history. We mention some of them, as follows: 

The first marriage solemnized between persons living within the pres- 
ent boundaries of Ray county, was that of Winant Vanderpool to Miss 
Nancy Linville, about Christmas, 1815. There being no minister in the 
neighborhood, they were compelled to go many miles eastward to find 
one to perform the ceremony. 

A son born to Katie, wife of John Proflitt, in the year 1810, was the 
first white male child born in the county ; but it died in infancy. 

Missouri, daughter of Winant and Nancy Vanderpool, born in 1816, 



208 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

was the first female child born in what subsequently became Ray count}- 
The father, an Old School Baptist preacher, is now dead. The mother 
as well as the daughter, are still living, the former in Mercer county. 

The first death was that of an infant son, mentioned above, of John 
Proffitt and wife, occurring in 1816, followed soon after by the death oi 
Peggy, daughter of W. and Nancy Vanderpool. Both decedents were 
buried on Crooked river, in the Buffalo settlement. 

Dr. William P. Thompson, from Virginia, an educated, genial, and 
obliging gentleman, was the first practicing physician. He died in 
Grundy county, Missouri. 

Reverend Finis Clark, of the Baptist denomination, Old School, was 
the first preacher. He was a good man; one among many others, 
who wore and wears religion not as a cloak to conceal the designs of a 
wicked heart. The first religious services were held at the house of 
Isaac Martin. In the winter season preaching was held in the neighbors 
dwellings. In the summer time 

* * * " In the darkling wood, 
Amidst the cool and silence, they knelt down, 
And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks 
And supplication." * * * 

Men carried their guns to church, not to shoot their fellow-man, but to 
defend themselves against the attacks of wild animals. They also wore 
leather breeches, hunting-shirts, moccasins, and coon-skin caps. The 
ladies were attired in dresses of cloth, made from nettles, gathered from 
the bottoms, after partially decaying, and " broken," as flax. They also 
wore leathern aprons. 

The first school house was built by the settlers on Ogg's branch, in 
section four, township fifty-one, range twenty-eight. The thing built was 
but a rude, unsightly hut. The logs were unhewn; the roof was of 
rough boards, weighted to the rafters with heavy poles; the chimney was 
made of sticks, and the floor was the naked ground. The seats were 
puncheons, set on pegs, inserted into holes near either end. The writing 
desk was of the same material, but larger, and placed on longer pegs. A 
log, taken from either side of the house, and the apertures closed with 
greased paper, formed the windows. A hobby-horse stood in the corner, 
for the accommodation of refractory pupils. 

In this house, in the spring and summer of 1819, was taught the first 
school ever taught in the county, and Meaddors Vanderpool was the 
teacher. It was a subscription school, and the master was paid in calves, 
buck-skins, and wild honey. 

All the first settlers did their own domestic labor. The weaving of 
cloth was done at home bv mothers and daughters, and, in many cases, as 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 209 

already stated, the cloth was the product of nettles or thistles, with which, 
at that day, the countr}' abounded. 

Corn meal was made by putting the f^rain into a mortar, and pulver- 
izing it by pounding with a pestle. The meal was sifted through home- 
made sieves, formed of buckskin and wire. 

In 1817 the settlei;?, anticipating an attack from the Indians, and for 
their general safety and protection, built, on the Missouri, southeast of 
where Camden now stands, what they called a fort. A circular enclosure, 
made by setting cottonwood posts in the earth, formed the stockade. In 
the center of this was a block-house, made of heavy timber, and provided 
with loop-holes. The fort was called North Bluflton, and was the first 
village founded in Missouri territory west of Grand, and north of the 
Missouri river. It stood close to the river bank, but the stream has long 
since changed its channel, and the site of North Bluffton is overgrown 
with trees and herbage. 

All the settlers entered the fort and lived therein for some time, but 
really to no purpose, as it was never necessary to use it as a barrier of 
defense. The Indians were friendly, and seemed influenced more by a 
desire to pilfer, than by motives of hostility. 

The first settlement was a nucleus around which others were rapidly 
formed. In March, 1818, John, Richard, Samuel, Zachariah, William, 
and Jesse Cleavenger, Isaac Allen, John Hutchings, Lewis, Samuel, and 
Jacob Tarwater, James Wells, and William R. Blythe (a trapper), settled 
in Fishing river bottom, in the southwestern part of the count3\ They, 
too, were all from middle and east Tennessee. 

The next year R. Lewis McCoskrie, a native of Bourbon county, Ken- 
tucky, settled in the same locality: Captain Jacob Riffe, from Casey 
county, Kentucky, a little further to the east, in township fifty-one, range 
twenty-eight, and Dorcdle Rowland and David Fletcher, on sections three 
and ten, township fifty-one, range twenty-nine, respectively. They came 
from Indiana directly: originally from North Carolina. 

The above settlers all came to stay, and were sober, industrious, hon- 
est men. Several of them held county and township ofiices at different 
times. 

John Cleavenger was the first settler between his house and the Iowa line. 
He afterwards became a justice o fthe peace; served two years as sherifl', 
and from 1856 to 1858, represented the county in the state general assem- 
bly. He was a worthy and useful citizen, and many of his descendants 
are yet living in the county. 

Jesse Cleavenger lost his life b}' falling from a second story window of 
a farm house, in which religious services were being held when the acci- 
'dent occurred. 



210 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY 

R. Lewis McCoskrie still lives where he settled sixty-two years ago. 
His name is untarnished. 

Jas. Wells was appointed, by the first state legislature, one of the com- 
missioners to locate the permanent seat of justice of Ray county. 

Capt. Jacob Rifle was widely known and esteemed. His name is yet 
familiar in every part of the county. His marriage to Miss Rutha Mar- 
tin, February 15, 1821, by B. D. Bowmer, a justice of the peace, was 
among the first solemnized in the county; and his son, William C, was 
the first white child born in what is now Richmond township. 

Samuel Cleavenger served several terms as justice of the county court. 

William R. Blythe was twice elected to represent Ray in the general 
assembly, and was her first state senator. 

Isaac Allen became a judge of the county court. The settlement was 
called " the Tarwater settlement," in honor of Jacob Tarwater. 

The physicians who practiced in the neighborhood jn 1818, and thereaf- 
ter, were: Dr. W. P. Thompson, Dr. A. B. Ralph, who is now (April, 
1881,) living at Albany, this county, and Dr. John Sappington, an emi- 
nent physician, who died at his home, near Arrow Rock, in Saline county, 
September 7, 1856. {Dr. Sappington was the originator and proprietor 
of '•'■Saffington^s Anii Fever Pilh^'' which attained immense popularity 
and were extensively sold — in some places passing as a medium of 
exchange— throughout the eastern, middle, western, and southern states.) 

The first ministers were Rev. William Turnage and Rev. Finis Clark, 
Baptists. Services were held at the house of Jacob Tarwater, a pious, 
pure-minded man, in section 10, township 51, 29. 

The school house was a mean little cabin, similar to the one already 
described, situated near the Tarwater place. The teacher was one Mun- 
holland: the number of pupils twent}^ and the tuition $2.50 per quarter 
per pupil, a slight improvement, surely, on the Vanderpool school in the 
matter of compensation. If, in point of fact, less remunerative, it showed 
progression in method, at least. 

The early setders were, of course, compelled to endure many hardships 
and privations. To detail all these would require greater space than the 
plan of this work will allow. Suffice it to say that mills, markets, etc., 
were from forty to seventy miles distant, and, as there were no roads, or 
at best very inferior ones, the mills and markets were accessable only 
with difficulty. 

For a long time the nearest horse-mill was forty miles distant, and sugar 
and coffee (tea being a luxury in pioneer life rarely indulged in,) were to 
be obtained only at Fort Osage, on the south bank of the Missouri, in 
Jackson county. 

In 1818 Isaac Martin built a horse-mill near his residence on Crooked 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 211 

river, and shortly afterward John C. Bates erected a similar mill in Bluft- 
ton. 

These mills had each a capacity of about twenty-five bushels per dav. 
The roads leading to them were poor and lonely, but necessity forced 
persons living from twenty-five to thirty miles away to patronize them. 
Having reached the mill, the applicant was compelled to remain from 
three to five days, waiting for his grain to be ground, meanwhile subsist- 
ing on game and wild honey, using parched corn in lieu of bread. 

Trade in live-stock, other than "swapping" horses, was almost 
unknown. There were few cattle; and they could be bought, when 
found, at from three to twenty dollars, according to age, size or quality. 

The average price of pork, which was exceedingly scarce, was about 
one dollar and fifty cents per hundred weight, and a market for that com- 
modity was not easily found. In fact, the first settlers had no hogs. 
Much time in the early fall was spent in laying in a supply of meat for 
the winter, and venison hams, nicely cured, formed a considerable portion of 
the pioneer's food. 

The wild hog was in the woods, and the pioneer, being an unerring 
marksman, never failed to bring him down, save when his usually faithful 
flintlock " hung fire." 

The streams abounded with fish, and " gigging" was a favorite recrea- 
tion of the early settler. But this pastime could be enjoyed only at night 
and when the streams were clear and shallow. Near the front end of a 
canoe, five or six boards were laid crosswise, thus forming a small plat- 
form, which was covered with mud or mortar. On this a fire was built 
of dry wood, a supply of which for the night was prepared and placed 
in the canoe. One man sat at the rear, and with a paddle noiselessly pro- 
pelled the canoe, while another stood near the front and thrust his long- 
handled gig into the fish as he saw it by the light of the fire. 

But little money was in circulation, and happily little was required. 
The scalps of wolves and foxes, for which the law provided a pecuniary 
reward, were often used to pay taxes; and furs, buckskins, beeswax and 
wild honey were bartered in the stores. Many of the settlers being with- 
out gold or silver, the only mednim receivable by the government in pay- 
ment of lands entered, actually deposited with the land agent, at his office 
in Franklin, doe-skins and beeswax in payment of their indebtedness for 
land. From this fact the skins so deposited acquired the appellation of 
"land office money." 

Bank notes of all the states were in circulation, and were received at par 
as a medium of exchange between the settlers, but were not "land office { 
money." A United States bill was very seldom met with, and gold and 
silver were extremely scarce, being used only in entering land and in the 
payment of expenses incident to the land office. 



212 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Of course none of the vast multitude of labor and time-saving inven- 
tions, wrought out by the ingenuity of man, were in the hands of the early 
settlers, on the wild western borders. All domestic and mechanical labor 
was performed by the settlers. There were few carpenters among them ; 
skilled artisans were scarce; hence, every man was his own mechanic. 
Many agricultural implements; all wearing apparel, and nearly all house- 
hold articles were made at home. Rude and unshapely as they were_, 
they answered every purpose, and nobody complained because they were 
no better. 

The idler was not tolerated; the housewife was untiring: the husband 
provident; the children dutiful. 
Thus lived the First Settlers. 

" Nor you, ye proud, impute to thetn the fault, 
If memory o'er their tomb no trophies raise, , 

Where thro' the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault, 
The pealing anthem swells the note of praise." 



INDIANS. 

The Indians inhabiting this section when first visited b}' white settlers, 
and for several years afterwards, were the Sacs and lowas. They 
claimed the country as their own, and, of course, regarded the whites as 
intruders; yet they were friendl}', and, though perhaps regretfully, with- 
out resistance yielded dominion to the superior, incoming Caucasian. 

A few deeds of blood and plunder were committed by savages who 
occasionally stole into the country from more war-like tribes, but tradition 
has no graver charge to prefer against the Sacs and lowas than begging, 
pilfering and the like. They were not given to such dastardly deeds of 
despoliation and murder as the ancient Iroquois ; nor were the}^ so barbar- 
ous as the neighboring Osage. 

The white men, women and children soon became thoroughly familiar 
with the "poor Indian," and the latter's appearance excited no alarm. 

One day in Jul}', 1818, a band of marauding savages, belonging to the 
Osage tribe, camped in the yard of a Mrs. Macelroy, a widow, living near 
the mouth of Fishing river. The Indians built fires in the yard, and 
began cooking and eating roasting ears, pilfering, shooting pigs, and 
driving awa}-^ the horses. The only inmates of the house were the two 
persons who lived there— the widow and her little son, aged ten. The 
latter was sent to the house of Mr. Martin Parmer, a near neighbor, to 
tell him of the presence of the savages; of their depredations, and to seek 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 213 

his assistance. Parmer, on receiving the message, seized his gun; a 
grown, SQfL did the same, and, accompanied by the boy, the two hastily 
proceeded to the widow's house, on reaching which, the boy entered by 
the back door. By this time all the Indians had left but seven, who were 
still in the yard. Parmer and his son tired upon them, killing two. The 
rest ran into the house, where the mother and son were trembling with 
fear. With their tomahawks, the savages cut off two of the boy's fin- 
gers, and inflicted other severe wounds, but failed to kill him. The elder 
Parmer climbed upon the roof and commenced tearing off the boards, 
whereupon one of the Indians ran out of the house, attempting to escape; 
but Parmer fired upon him from the house-top, and brought the savage 
to the ground. His firearm discharged, Parmer drew a butcher-knife, 
hastily descended, and ran to the wounded Indian. The latter, insolent 
even in the moment of death, turned upon his back and attempted to spit 
in th*i face of his antagonist, when Parmer, with his butcher-knife, cut 
the Indian's throat " from ear to ear." 

The father and son killed three of the four remaining savages; the 
other, though severely wounded, made his escape. The six dead Indians 
were dragged to a deep gully and thrown in. 

This bloody rencounter alarmed the settlers; they expected the Indians 
to seek revenge; the latter, however, showed no disposition to retaliate. 

Stephen Fields, who will be remembered as one of the original settlers 
in the Buffalo neighborhood, about 1820, moved to the blufls, on Crooked 
river, near where the present poor farm is situated. The Indians com- 
menced killing his hogs. At this Fields was greatly enraged, and, taking 
his gun, one morning, went into the woods, and came upon three Indians, 
also with guns. Fields told the Indians they had been killing his hogs, 
and to pnckachee (get awa^F). The savages bitterly denied the accusa- 
tion, but Fields insisted that he was not mistaken; he knew they had 
been killing his hogs. Unable to pacify the old man, the three Indians 
seized him, stripped ofl" his shirt, and, with the ramrod of his own gun, 
flogged him unmercifully, lacerating his back in a horrible manner, 
they told him \.o -puckachec. That he did^ is not a "rash presumption. 

This outrageous affair caused great excitement. Mr. Fields was an 
old man, sixty years of age, and greatly esteemed by his neighbors. The 
people were aroused. A company was raised to follow and punish the 
savages. The latter, anticipating retaliation, decamped long before sun- 
rise the following morning. When their pursuers, about sunrise, reached 
the camp the Indians had deserted, their flres were still burning. Hair, 
bones, feet and flesh of the hogs they had killed were scattered around. 
The indignant whites pursued the Indians as far as Grand river, which 
the latter swam, thus baffling their pursuers. 

Returning to their homes, the whites found, at many places in the 



214 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

woods, venison hams hanging in the trees. They had been hung up by 
the Indians to dry. 

A venerable gentleman, who was living near the scene of the occur- 
rence just related, at the date thereof, who was one of the party of orig- 
inal settlers, and has always lived in the county, assures the writer that 
he remembers of no other deeds of violence committed by the Sacs and 
lowas. They were generally very friendly. 

On one occasion, a party of surveyors (Meaddors and Holland Vander- 
pool being two of the pJirty, the former surveyor-in-chief), was camped 
in the woods. It was a rainy day in autumn, and the men remained in 
their tent for shelter— availing themselves, meauAvhile, of the excellent 
opportunity of washing their leather breeches and hunting shirts. 
About ten days were required in which to complete their survey. The 
party was busily engaged in washing their wearing apparel, when, out of 
the rainfgll, six Indians stepped into the tent. They at once began making 
a variety of significant gestures, such as picking up ashes and putting 
them to their lips, plainly indicating that what they wanted was salt, an 
article of which the party had on hand in a little bag lying in sight, about 
a quart. Their request not being complied with, the Indians proposed to 
exchange for the salt a butcher-knife they had brought along, and their 
powder and bullets, ejaculating, as they held out the articles, "how swap!" 
"how swap!" The reply came, "no swap!" " no swap." Meantime, the 
white men had begun to sniff, and hold their noses, as an odor, not agree- 
able to every olfactor, was permeating the atmosphere of the little tent; 
and suddenly, a big Indian thrust from under his blanket, next to his skin, 
a genuine skunk^ exclaiming, " how swap pon}' cat," " how swap pony 
cat," his companions, at the same time, gabbling like a flock of geese. 
The whites, at once comprehending the ruse, failed to disperse, and again 
replied, "no swap," "no swap." Foiled in this trick, the big Indian at 
once invented another; a mark was made on a tree, some paces in front 
of the tent, at which five of the Indians, standing in the tent door, consec- 
utively shot. No sooner had the fifth fired, than the five ran toward the 
tree, as if to see which had won. This was to attract the white's atten- 
tion — and it did so. In the excitement the big Indian deftly slipped the 
bag of salt under his blanket, and ran in the direction of the mark, but 
he never stopped there. The surveyors were compelled to eat fresh 
meat without salt about ten days. 

It is a well-known fact, that the Indians were exceedingly fond of honey, 
and yet remarkably afraid of bees. Holland Vanderpool and Daniel 
Riggs — youngest son of Timothy — were one day cutting a bee tree in the 
forest. Two Indians came up, but being afraid, not of the men, but of 
bees, stood at some distance looking on. The tree was soon felled to the 
ground, and the large, rich, delicious comb taken from its hollow. While 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 215 

the process of "robbing" was going on, the Indians stood making signs, 
by thrusting out their hands in a grasping manner and returning them to 
their mouths, which stood ajar, to indicate that they wanted some honey. 
Mr. Vanderpool, proverbially generous, took a large piece to each of them. 
They expressed their gratitude by tenderly stroking him on the breast, 
and by the exclamation, " good muck-a-man, " " good muck-a-man. " Be- 
sides being afraid of bees, the Indians were too lazy to cut the trees. 
Laziness is one of the chief characteristics of the Indian. All heavy work 
and drudgery are forced upon the squaws. 

It will be seen, then, that the early settlers of Ray county suffered little 
on account of the Indians. They were fortunate in locating in the midst 
of friendlv tribes— the Sacs and lowas. 



ORGANIZATION. 



Ray county was originally a part of Howard count}', but by act of the 
legislature, approved November 16, 1820, to take effect January- 1, 1821, 
it was formally organized as a separate and distinct county, and named in 
honor of the Hon. John Ray, one of the delegates from Howard county to 
the convention which met in St. Louis, in June, 1820, for the purpose of 
framing a state constitution preparatory to the admission of Missouri into 
the union. 

The legislative act establishing Ray county defined her territory to be, 
" all that part of Howard county west of Grand river to the boundary 
line of this state;" and then went on to declare that all that portion of 
country lying north of the county of Ray, and west of the range line 
dividing ranges twenty-one, and twenty-two, to the northern and western 
boundar}'^ of the state should be attached to said county of Ray for all 
purposes, civil, military and judicial. 

Ray, it should be remembered, was organized while the rich and beau- 
tiful area acquired under the celebrated " Platte Purchase " was yet an 
Indian reservation. It was not till 1836, that that sagacious, far-seeing states- 
man, Thomas H. Benton, succeeded in procuring the passage of a bill 
through congress providing for the removal of the Indians farther west- 
ward, and the adding of their territory to Missouri. When Ray county, 
therefore, was established it extended to the western border of the state, 
or to what has since become that portion of Missouri containing the coun- 
ties of Andrew, Atchison, Buchanan, Holt, Nodaway and Platte, known 
as the " Platte Purchase;" and it then comprised within its limits all that 
broad and beautiful expanse of country now divided into the prosperous 
counties of Worth, Gentry, DeKalb, Clinton, Clay, Ray, Harrison, Mer- 
cer, Grundy, Livingston and Carroll. 



216 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Article VI. of the act organizing Ray county, provides that, " when a 
division of said county of Ray may become necessary, the boundary line 
of said count)'^ shall be as follows, to-wit: Beginning in the middle of the 
main channel of the Missouri river, at the range line between ranges 
twenty-five and twenty-six; thence with said line north to the township 
line dividing townships fifty-five and fifty-six; thence west with said line 
to the line dividing ranges twenty-nine and thirty ; thence south with said 
line to the middle of the main channel of the Missouri river; thence down 
the middle of the, main channel thereof to the place of beginning." 

It will be observed that the present limits of the county correspond with 
those set forth in the above article, save as to the northern boundary line, 
which, in fact, is that separating townships fifty-four and fifty-five, instead 
of those numbered fifty-five and fifty-six. The latter townships are in 
Caldwell county. 

Section XX of "an act defining the Hmits of the several counties in 
this state," approved February 16, 1825, provides as follows: '■'■That all 
that portion of territory bounded as follows, to-wit: Beginning at a point 
in the middle of the main channel of the Missouri river, due south of the 
termination of range line between ranges twent3^-five and twenty-six, 
north of said river, and running thence north, with range line to the town- 
ship line dividing townships ^^/y-//«r£^ 3.nd Jifty-/our\ thence with said line 
west to the range line between ranges twenty-nine and thirty; thence 
south with said range line to the middle of the main channel of the Mis- 
souri river; thence down said river, in the middle of the main channel 
thereof, to the beginning, shall compose the county of Ray: Provided^ 
That all the territorv not included in said boundaries, Iving east of 
the ranges twenty-nine and thirt\% south of the northern boundary 
of the state, west of Chariton county, and north of the Missouri river; and 
all that part of the county of Ray which is stricken otY b}^ the before men- 
tioned boundary line lying north of the before mentioned boundry of said 
county, be attached to, and form part of said county of Ray for all pur- 
poses, civil and military, until otherwise provided by law." 

It will thus be seen that — excluding the territory attached for "civil and 
military purposes" — the above mentioned boundaries are the same as the 
present confines of the county, e.xccft that, this time, the northern limit is 
the township fine separating townships ^"/)'-///;r(f and fifty-four^ whereas, 
Article VI of the act establishing the county provided that when- 
ever it should become necessary to divide the county, its northern 
boundary should be the township line between townships fifty-five and 
fifty-six. This line is the space of one township norths and that mentioned 
in the act of February, 1825, the same distance south of the existing 
northern boundary line — which was fixed December 26, 1836, when Cald- 
well county was formed out of the northern part of Ray. Clay county was 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 217 

erected January 2, 1822, from the western part of Ray, and Carroll Jan- 
uary 2, 1833, from the eastern portion. The formation of these counties, 
together with Caldwell, above mentioned, left Ray with her present 
boundaries. 

Isaac Martin, James Wells, John Harris, John Turner, and Jonathan 
Liggett were appointed by the legislature commissioners, " with full power 
and authority to point out and fix upon the most suitable place in the 
county of Ray, whereon to erect a court house and jail;" and the place 
they, or a majority of them, selected was to be the permanent seat of 
justice for said county of Ray. The act provided that the first courts of 
the county should be holden at the town of Bluffton, unless the com- 
missioners should previously point out another place for holding said 
courts. The commissioners were authorized by law to receive as a dona- 
tion, a good and sufficient title in fee simple to such tract of land or 
town lots as they, or a majority of them, should deem most convenient for 
a county-seat for the county of Ray, containing not less than fifty, nor 
more than two hundred acres of land; and if such donation could not be 
obtained, the commissioners, in that event, were empowered to purchase 
a similar quantity of land, without any reservation whatever, for the pur- 
poses aforesaid. They were to pay in cash, ten dollars per acre. The 
deeds by them received were to be submitted to the circuit court for 
approval, and if approved by the court, the commissioners were to cause 
the land to be laid off in town lots, or squares. They were further 
authorized lo sell said lots, first reserving such as might be necessary for 
public buildings, and the money received from their sale was to be applied, 
first, "to the building of a good and sutiicient jail, and the remainder 
toward the building of a court house and other public buildings." The 
commissioners were notified of their appointment, by the governor, and 
were required to take an oath, or affirmation before some judge, or justice 
of the peace of 'Ray county, to faithfully and impartially discharge the 
duties assigned them, and that they would not select any place for a seat 
of justice, w^herein they, or any one of them, were directly or indirectly 
interested in the soil. They were required to render a true account of 
their proceedings to the circuit court at each term thereof, after their 
several appointments; they were also required to give bond, with at 
least two sufficient sureties, to be approved by the judge of the circuit 
court. 

On and after the first day of January, 1821, the county of Ray was 
vested with all the powers, privileges and immunities of a separate and 
distinct county. It then became lawful for the sheriff, coroner and con- 
stable to " do and perform" all duties which those officers were required 
to do in the county of Howard; and all suits and actions then pending in 
14 



218 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the county of Howard, were to be tried and determined in the same man- 
ner as though no division had taken place; all fees, fines, forfeitures, 
judgments due on the first day of January, or to become due in pursu- 
ance of suits, processes, taxes, or proceedings then commenced, were to 
be collected in the same manner as if the act creating the county of Ray 
had never been passed. Justices of the peace in the county of Ra}-, w^ho 
acted as such while it was included within the county of Howard, had 
full power and authority to proceed in all cases commenced, or judgments 
given before them as justices of the peace for the county of Howard. 
Any person who acted as justice of the peace for that part of the county 
of Howard which fell into the county of Ray, was required to deliver to 
some justice of the peace of the towmship in which he resided " all dock- 
ets, documents, papers, and books," which belonged or related to his 
office of justice, " whole, safe and undefaced." The justice to whom they 
were delivered, receipted for the same, and it became his duty to proceed 
on such dockets, etc., in the same manner as the justice would have done 
had the act never been passed. 

The first circuit court convened at Bluflton, on the Missouri river, in 
February, 1821, and the first county court at the same place in April of 
the same year. A district judge, three county justices, a county and cir- 
cuit clerk, and a sheriff, whose names will be given at the proper place in 
a succeeding chapter, were duly appointed. Thus was the municipal 
machinery of Ray county set in motion ; and, save during a memorable 
period due to no default of her citizens, it has ever since continued to run 
smoothly and without retardation. 



FIRST COUNTY SEAT, AND EARLY MUNICIPAL HISTORY. 

The legislature, as already stated, by the act organizing Ray as a sep- 
arate county, made Bluffton, on the Missouri river, its temporary set of 
justice. There, of course, the courts were to be held, and all county 
business transacted, until the commissioners appointed to select a site for 
the permanent location of the county seat, should have performed that 
duty according to law; and until the title papers, conveying the land 
donated to, or purchased by them should be duly approved by the judge 
of the circuit court as the law provided. Such approval, as the sequel 
will show, was most tardily obtained; and, owing to the difficulty in 
selecting a more eligible place, to which a perfect legal title could be 
given, Blufiton continued to enjoy the distinction of being the " Seat of 
Justice" of a new, but large and prosperous county, for nearly seven 
years. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 219 

Tradition tells many interesting stories of " Old Bluffton," once a smil- 
ing village on the banks of the broad Missouri, 

"Where health and plenty cheered the laboring swain " — 
but it no longer exists, save in name, on the early official records, by 
traditional evidence, and in the memories of the oldest living inhabitants. 
In the latter repositories it must soon perish, as the oldest residents are fast 
joining the "innumerable caravan that travel to the pale realms of shade;" 
by the other means, however, aided — let us indulge the hope — by the 
pages of this volume, it will, no doubt, enjoy a longevity extending far 
beyond the limits of the present generation. In 1821, William B. Martin, 
Robert Nicholson and Timothy Riggs were the tavern-keepers of Blufl- 
ton. They received their licenses— for which each paid a " tax " of ten 
dollars — from the county court. Martin afterwards became a justice of 
the county court, and held other public positions of trust and profit. 
Timothy Riggs was a man of some prominence — a naive^ garrulous, 
good-natured landlord, in whose house the first circuit and county courts 
were held. The records contain no mention of Nicholson and tradition 
fails to hand him down. 

Ray county was organized before the ingenuity of man made the very 
elements subservient to his will. Not yet did the " rail-car snort from 
strand to strand ; " and, in order to reach the seat of justice, on its south- 
ern border, persons in remote parts of the county, which then extended 
northward to the Iowa state line and westward to the Indian reservation, 
were compelled to traverse many miles either afoot or on horseback, as 
necessity required; and were often on the road from four to six days. 
This fact, doubtless, more than any other, made " tavern-keeping " profit- 
able even in the country; and many persons were licensed by the 
county court to "keep tavern," at their residences, in diflferent local- 
ities in the county— a privilege lasting one year, and for which each 
licensee was required to pay a "tax" of ten dollars. Besides those 
already enumerated, Isaac Martin and Martin Parmer were among the 
early " tavern keepers." Of the former we shall have more to say here- 
after. Parmer, familiarly known as " Ring-Tail Painter," was a noted 
pioneer. He came to this county about the year 1816. In the fall of 
1817 he built a log cabin near Grand river, in what is now De Witt town- 
ship, Carroll county, and established himself for the winter to engage in 
trapping. The cabin erected by Parmer is said to have been the first 
ever built within the present limits of Carroll county. Parmer was a 
celebrated Indian fighter, and in another place in these pages it shall be 
our pleasure to give an account of his heroic defense of helpness inno- 
cence. He was exceedingly eccentric in habit, rough in manners, unlet- 
tered, but warm-hearted, brave, generous and daring. He preferred the 
seclusion of the wilderness to the abodes of civilization ; yet he became a 



220 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

politician, joining this pursuit to that of trapper and Indian fighter; and 
was the first man to represent Chariton county in the state general assem- 
bly. He first settled in Howard, afterwards Ray county, where he Hved 
a number of years, endearing himself by deeds of valor, as well as by 
offices of kindness, to all his fellow-pioneers. 

William Turnage, an Old School Baptist, was the village preacher 
of Bluffton. He also conducted religious worship at various places in the 
county. He was among the first settlers, and will be remembered as one 
of the pioneer preachers of the west; a devout and pure-minded man, 
whose earnest exhortations taught many souls to " flee from the wrath to 
come." But Rev. Turnage was not the only minister. Others, whose 
names will be mentioned hereafter, labored with him, and with equal 
fervor and fidelity. 

The first legal judicial tribunal that ever sat in Ray county, was the 
circuit court, and it was held in the town of Bluffton, Monday, the 19th 
day of February, 1821. 

David Todd personally appeared, and produced a commission fi*om the 
governor of Missouri, appointing him judge of the first judicial circuit — 
Ray being one of the counties of that circuit. As this was among the 
first commissions granted by the first governor of the state, it is sub- 
joined in full: 

"Alexander McNaik, Governor of the State of Missouri: To all who 
shall see these Presents^ Greeting: — Know ye, that reposing special trust and 
confidence in the integrity, learning and ability of David Todd, Esq., I have 
nominated, and by and with the advice and consent of the senate, do appoint 
him circuit judge of the first judicial circuit in the state of Missouri, and do 
authorize and empower him to discharge the duties of said office according to 
law. To have and to hold the said office, with all the rights, privileges and 
emoluments thereunto appertaining unto him, the said David Todd, during good 
behavior, unless removed according to law. 

" In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my private seal (there being 
no seal of state yet provided.) 

" Given under my hand at St. Louis, the 5th day of December, A. D., 1830, 
and of the independence of the United States, the 45th. 

"A. McNaik. [seal,] 

"By the governor: 

"Joshua Barton, Secretary of State." 

Hamilton R. Gamble, appointed by the supreme court, commissioned by 
the governor, was the first prosecuting attorney for the first judicial cir- 
cuit. He was present and entered upon the duties of his office. John 
Harris was appointed sheriff, and William L. Smith, clerk. 

The following persons composed the 

FIRST GRAND JURY: 

John Vanderpool, foreman; William Tunnidge, Josiah Barns, Joseph 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 221 

Dickson, William Scott, John Dickson, Daniel Shackelford, Samuel Prew- 
€tt, William Rawlings, Charles Scott, James R. Walker, Jesse Fletcher, 
David Bryant, Daniel Duvall, Samuel Oliphant, William Ragan and Huorh 
Valandingham. 

The grand jury retired and consulted, but having nothing to present 
were discharged. 'Twere better for the country, if modern grand juries 
were sfenerallv discharged for a similar reason. 

At this first term of court, Hamilton R. Gamble, Peyton R. Hayden and 
John T. McKinne}^, were the lawyers present. They were authorized to 
practice in the circuit court of Ra}-, and after allowing Timothy Riggs 
three dollars for the use of his house, the court adjourned till " court in 
course " — having been in session one day. 

The following are the first bills of indictment, and they were presented 
at the second term of the circuit court, held June IS, 1821 : 

The State of Missouri, 

vs. 
Lewis Richards: 

" Indictment for selling less than twenty gallons of whisky, without having 
obtained "a license for retailing spirituous liquors. A true bill." 
The State of Missouri, 

vs. 

LOVELL SnOWDEN AND 

Zadoc Martin: 

" Indictment for an affray. A true bill. " 

Richards plead " not guilty," but a verdict was rendered against him, 
and he was fined one hundred and twenty dollars and costs. The fine, 
however, was subsequently remitted by the governor. 

Snowden and Martin plead " guilty," and were fined five dollars each. 
The first civil suits were instituted in the circuit court as follows: 
February Term^ 1822. 
Samuel Sweet, Plaintiffs \ 

vs. > In case. 

Joel Estes, Defenduni. ) 

October Term, 1822. 
Henry Guest, Plaintiff, \ 

vs. r In case. 

Samuel Crowley, Defendant. ) 

March Term, 182J. 

William Hunter, Plaintiff, \ 

vs. y In trespass. 

Solomon Odell, Defendant. \ 

Among the items of interest connected with the now extinct Bluftton, 
worthy to be noted on the historian's page, is the number of eminent law- 
yers who practiced there. 



222 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Nearly, if not quite all of the following persons who practiced at the 
Bluftton bar, distinguished themselves either as jurists, advocates, orators 
or statesmen: 

Hamilton R. Gamble, Peyton R. Hayden, Jno. T. McKinney, George 
Tompkins, Cyrus Edwards, Dabney Carr, Almstead S. Grundy, Corne- 
lius Burnett, Jno. F. Ryland, Amos Rees and Gen. Dufl^ Green. So 
bright a constellation of forensic talent rarely illumines the court room of 
more modern times. 

A deep interest is always associated w\\.h.Jirst occurrences in the history 
of a country or community — with the Jirst act beginning, or leading to, 
an important era, or great event — with the Jirst person to do a thing 
memorable for its consequences — with Jirst instruments of writing. Men 
of after times love to move backward, " through the vista of departed 
years," to the beginning of universal history, and then, specifically, to the 
first events, acts, things, men and documents of their own nation, state or 
county. The first performers in any great political, social, or military 
epoch are remembered simply because they were first. Even the person 
first to do an act, in itself insignificant, is often held in long remembrance, 
provided it happens to be the Jirst in a series of paramount importance. 
First papers, documents, records, after the lapse of years, are looked upon 
with reverence. So with a particular spot, marking the scene of some 
Jirst important historic event. 

Jamestown, Virginia, is remarkable only because it is the site of the 
first permanent English settlement in America. For that reason, the 
American heart holds its memory dear. 

Sir Isaac Newton was a man of superior mind and great learning, but 
had he not been j^r5/ to ascertain the existence of a great philosophical 
truth, he must have remained in comparative obscurity. 

Columbus was the first white man to set foot on the West Indies, and 
John and Sebastian Cabott, the first to touch the mainland of North 
America ; therefore we cherish their memory. 

Edwin Ruffin, it is said, was the life-long personal and political friend 
of Calhoun, but that is a matter of no interest. On the morning of April 
12, 1861, however, a ball from a Confederate cannon crashed against the 
solid granite walls of Fort Sumter. It was the first shot of the civil war. 
Whether Edwin Ruffin ever fired another is not known, but he fired the 
first, and thereby gained a place in history. 

Things FIRST are always prolific and proper material for the historian's 
pen. This is our apology for having already alluded to matters Jirst in 
the history of Ray county, and for frequent similar mention which will 
occur in the progress of the work. 

Subjoined is the first declaration of intention presented to a Ray county 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 223 

tribunal, to become a citizen of the United States. It was presented and 
filed at the July term, 1823, of the circuit court: 

"This day came into court Patrick Darcey, and presented a petition, 
which is ordered to be recorded by the court, which is in the words fol- 
lowing: 

"To the honorable, the circuit court of Ray county: The petition of 
Patrick Darcey, a native of Swynford, of the parish of Cellscondiff, of 
the county of Mayo, in Ireland — being twenty-four years of age on the 
10th of May, last; and who has lived in the United States of America 
since the month of April, 1820; and wishing to become a naturalized 
citizen of the said states, intending to make his residence in the county 
of Ray, of the state of Missouri, being in height five feet, seven inches 
and one half, with gray eyes, black hair, freckled face, pretty much 
marked with small-pox: And he would respectfully ask of this honor- 
able court to be permitted to avail himself of the several laws of the 
United States, in such cases made and provided, to enable him to become 
a naturalized citizen of the said states; Jand prays that this declaration 
may be entered of record, and, as in duty bound, he will ever pray, and 
so forth. Patrick M. Darcey." 

"Patrick Darcey, the above named declarant, appears in open court and 
makes oath that the facts set forth in his said petition, as above, are true. 
July 15th, 1823. Jon. T. Burch, Clerk." 

"The undersigned, citizens of the state of Missouri, and residents of 
the county of Ray, make oath that they have been personally acquainted 
with Patrick Darcey, the within named declarant, for about six months 
past, that the}^ believe him a well-disposed man, and have heard no 
charges against his general good character. 

W. Black. 
Joseph Porter. 
Wm. L. Black. 
Sworn to in open court, July 15th, 1823. 

Jon. T. Burch, Clerk." 

And so, an " exile of Erin " was the first foreigner to become a natu- 
ralized citizen of Ray. We presume he made a worthy citizen, and a 
useful member of society. If a true representative of the Emerald Isle, 
we knozv he paid his debts and his taxes, and was brave, generous, and 
unselfish. He was afterwards appointed road-overseer, and for the year 
1831 was collector of the county. 

The circuit court continued to meet in Bluftton, at the house of Timothy 
Riggs, till its November term, 1 828, when it adjourned to meet in Rich- 
mond. 

The first term of the county court was held in Bluffton, commencing 
Monday, April 2d, 1821. Like the circuit court, the county court used 
the " tavern " of Timothy Riggs as a court house. 

John Thornton, Isaac Martin and Elisha Camron were the justices. 
The last named, however, did not attend till the January term, 1822, when 
he produced his commission, was sworn in, and took his seat. 



224 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Following is the first entry of record in the proceedings of the court: 

*■'■ State of Missouri : 

" Be it remembered, that upon the first Monday of April, one thousand 
eight hundred and tvvent}--one, being the second day of said month, at the 
town of Bluftton, in the county of Ray, the same time and place being 
those appointed b}- laws passed at the last session of the legislature of said 
state, entitled, 'An act for the division of Howard county and the estab- 
lishment of certain counties- therein,' one of which is the said county of 
Ray, and also entitled, ' An act to establish judicial circuits and districts, 
and appointing the times ot holding courts therein.' John Thornton and 
Isaac Martin, being a majority of the justices of the county court, appeared, 
took their seats, and presented their commissions." 

The commissions were signed by the governor. The justices took the 
usual oath of office before John Shields, a justice of the peace. 

William L. Smith was appointed clerk of the court. As previously 
stated, John Harris was sheriff. 

The county court, at this, its first term, seems to have had considerably 
more business to transact than the circuit court at its first session. Town- 
ships and county roads were established; county and township officers 
appointed; ferry rights, tavern, merchant, dram-shop, and peddler's 
licenses granted; commissioners nominated to "superintend and preserve 
from waste " all school lands in the county, and William Rollins was sum- 
moned to appear at the next term of the court to show cause why his 
children should not be taken in charge by the county court for protection. 

A county court was then, of course, a novelty to most of the citizens, 
for Franklin was many miles away, and few of the denizens on the west- 
ern border ever visited that town; but the judges, though perhaps unlet- 
tered, were men endued with a goodly share of common sense, and per- 
formed their duties in a creditable manner. 

The first public road in the county, established in April, 1821, lead from 
Bluftton to John Thornton's mill. The first ferry license was granted to 
Isaac Martin, to keep a public ferry across Crooked river from his farm 
on the east half of the northwest quarter of section six, township fifty-one, 
range twenty-six. Rates for transportation by said ferry of "persons and 
things " were fixed by the county court. Isaac Martin was also the first 
road overseer. 

On the first Monday in August, 1822, an election was held at the house 
of Andrew Turpin, in Missouriton township, and at that of John Shields, 
in Bluftton township. 

The county was originally divided into two townships, Bluftton and 
Fishing River. The latter, however, was soon sub-divided, and Gallatin 
township formed thereout. Prior to the holding of the election referred 
to, and prior, also, to the May term, 1^22, of the court at which that elec- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 225 

tion was ordered, voting precincts had been established by the court, as 
follows : 

On the " Wyaconda," to be called the " Wyaconda" precinct, to include 
the settlement from Grand river to the middle of range twenty-three. 
Place of holding elections, house of John McGaugh. 

On Crooked river, to be called Crooked River precinct, to include the 
country from the middle of range twenty-three to the Discharge (Willow 
creek). Place of holding election, house of Isaac Martin. 

At Bluffton, to be called Bluftton precinct, including the settlements 
from the Discharge to range line between ranges twenty-nine and thirty. 
Place of holding elections, Bluffton, 

Fishing River township. Place of holding elections, Robertsford. 

The court established the above precincts April 23, 1821, but no elec- 
tion was ever held in them, because previous to the time (August, 1822,) 
appointed for holding the first election, and at its May term, above men- 
tioned, the court reduced the number of townships to two — Bluffton and 
Missouriton — establishing the voting places therein as stated above. 

The first census of the county — an enumeration of the inhabitants only 
— was taken by the sheriff, John Harris, in September, 1821, a service 
for which he received thirty-four dollars. Returns were made to the 
county court, and that body found the population to be 1,789. The 
county's present population, as well as that of intervening years, will be 
given in another place; here, we will only add that it is gratifying to 
know, that, although reduced in area to one-twelfth its size in 1821, the 
number of inhabitants to-day is twelve times as great, and the increase of 
wealth a hundred fold. 

At its May term, 1822, William L. Smith resigned his position as clerk 
of the county court. He was an efficient officer; wrote a large, fair hand, 
and was a gentleman of more than ordinary intelligence. It is, perhaps, 
not traducing his character, to state that he was an old bachelor, and that 
the author finds in the records of the county court, the following entry: 

" Ordered, that the order of this court requiring that William L. Smith, 
the former clerk, should be charged with half the amount of the tax 
imposed upon bachelors for state purposes in 1821, be and the same is 
hereby revoked, and from henceforth discontinued." 

The first death by violence that occurred in the county, of which an 
official took cognizance, was that of James Buchanan, on whose body an 
inquest was held before William Miller, a justice of the peace, August, 
1823. 

The first bridge erected in Ray county, was that across the Discharge 
— now known as Willow creek — on the road leading from Jack's ferry, 
on the Missouri river, to Bluffton. For the erection of this bridge, a poll 



226 HIRTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

tax of eighteen and three-fourths cents was levied, to be collected with 
the county revenue. 

Atfer holding its sessions in Bluftton for seven years, the county court 
adjourned its special term of April 5th, 1828, to meet in Richmond, the 
newly made county seat. George Woodward, the clerk, was ordered to 
move the books, papers, etc., of the county court, to his residence, near 
Richmond, to keep them there, and there to transact the duties of his 
office, until the necessary public buildings could be erected and ready 
for use. 

The basis of what we have written in this chapter is the proceedings of 
the early courts; and we have, besides, told the reader something of the 
first county seat. With that, however, as such — save as necessity requires 
in the succeeding chapter — we are done — but 

* * * u vVhen life is old. 
And many a scene forgot, the heart will hold 
Its memory of this." * * * 



REMOVAL OF THE COUNTY SEAT. 

The commissioners appointed by the general assembly to point out 
and determine upon a site for the permanent location of the county seat, 
were required, by law, to render to the circuit court, at each term thereof,, 
until they accomplished the end of the work assigned them, a full and 
correct account of their proceedings. Accordingly, at the first term of 
the circuit court, February, 1821, they, with the exception of John Tur- 
ner, appeared, took the oath of office and executed bonds in the sum 
of ten thousand dollars, conditioned for the faithful performance of their 
duty. 

The task of the commissioners was far from an easy one. Although 
they labored assiduously, they failed to accomplish the object of their 
appointment, and the same is true of several succeeding commissions. 
Thus careful was Judge Todd that the title to the property, on which was 
to be located the permanent seat of justice, should be genuine, complete 
and " unclouded." 

At the June term, 1821, of the circuit court, John Turner joined his 
co-commissioners, by taking the usual oath, and they then reported to the 
court that they had, in pursuance of their official duty, selected a site 
whereon to permanently locate the seat of justice, and that it was in the 
the tract of land, situated on the Missouri river, owned by Duft' Green 
and Charles Simmons, and upon a part of which tract the town of Bluft- 
ton was laid out ; that the proprietors of said tract of land offered a dona- 
lion of fifty acres for the use of the county, and that the commissioners 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 227 

were ready and willing to accept the same, as soon as the court approved 
the title thereto. The evidences of title were, accordingly, submitted to 
the court for his examination. This report was signed: James Wells, 
Jonathan Liggett, John Harris, John (his mark) Turner, committee. 

Green and Simmons entered into bond in the sum of fifteen hundred 
dollars to make their donation worth that amount; but we find no 
record of the court's opinion as to the title of the property donated, but 
since it was never accepted as the site for the permanent location of the 
county seat, it is certain that the evidences of title were not approved, 
although they were duly signed, delivered and recorded. 

The commissioners, with two notable exceptions, soon began to tire of 
their work. At the February term, 1822, John Harris and James Wells 
resigned. Liggett soon followed their example, and subsequent appointees 
served but a short time, till they either resigned or refused further to act, 
thus keeping up a continuous rotation. 

A second report was not rendered till the July term, 1823, when the 
commissioners presented their report locating the county seat in the town 
of Blufiton, and praying the opinion of the court, as to the validity of the 
title to the property selected. The court suspended his opinion till " court in 
course" — March term, 1824 — when he decided, after having carefully 
viewed and examined the title papers, that the title was incomplete. 

At the November term— same year — the commissioners submitted a 
third report, selecting, this time, a tract of land containing fifty acres, in 
a New Madrid survey, near Bluflton. Again their labors were in vain — 
the court interposing the fatal objection, that the proprietor of the New 
Madrid location could not convey a fee simple title to any portion thereof. 

Thrice frustrated in their efforts ; doubtless, without hope of future suc- 
cess, and weary of prolonged, unrequited endeavor, the commissioners, 
with the exception of the untiring Martin and Turner, abandoned a work 
made memorable for repeated failures. 

The court suppHed the places of those who resigned, by the appoint- 
ment of Samuel Prewitt, Samuel Cleavenger and Abraham Linville, but 
the question of the removal of the county seat was not again seriously 
agitated till the spring of 1826. On Wednesday, the loth of March, the 
commissioners again appeared in open court, and reported that they had 
determined upon a site for the permanent establishment of the seat of jus- 
tice, in the southeast one-fourth of section ten, township fift3'^-one, range 
twenty-eight, west of the fifth principal meridian, on land of Jeremiah 
Crowley. 

The court took time to examine the title to the ground reported, and 
while we have been unable to find his opinion entered of record, it was 
certain!}' rendered, approving the title to Crowley's place; for, only six 
days afterward, Crowley and wife conveyed the same b}^ deed to the com- 



228 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

missioneers, to the use of the county of Ra}^ and subsequently, the 
county court " ordered that the title papers of Jeremiah Crowley, donating 
to the county of Ray, fifty acres of land, for the purposes of a county 
seat for said county, be committed for record." Accordingly on the 8th 
of October, 1827, the deed, having been properly signed and acknowl- 
edged, was duly recorded in the recorder's office. The land donated was 
surveyed on the day of the execution of the deed, by one Weekly Dale> 
and contained fifty-one acres — one acre being reserved for " meeting 
house." But, the county seat was never moved to Crowley's place. At 
its May term, 1829, the count}' court appointed Hardy Holman commis- 
sioner on behalf of the county " to convey back to Jeremiah Crowley, a 
tract of fifty acres, donated by said Crowley to the county of Ray, for the 
purposes of locating thereon a county seat." The law provided that 
when the seat of justice was removed, it should be to some central situa- 
tion. Crowley's place was certainly far from the center of the county. 

Friday, August 18th, 1820, the county court — convened in special ses- 
sion — took up the consideration of the petition of sundry inhabitants of the 
county, praying for a removal of the seat of justice to some more central 
point. From a careful examination of the assessor's books, the court 
found the number of taxable inhabitants to be two hundred and thirty- 
nine, and on counting the legal subscribers to said petition, there were 
found to be one hundred and thirty-eight names of persons legally quali- 
fied to sign the same. This number not being three-iifths of the taxable 
inhabitants of the county — as the amended law then required, — the peti- 
tion was dismissed from further consideration. A change in the law, 
repealing the act of 1821, touching the removal of county seats, required 
the county court, on petitition of three-fifths of the taxable population of a 
county, praying for a removal of the seat of justice, to appoint five per- 
sons, non-residents of the county, desiring a change in the location of its 
county seat, as commissioners to " view, select and report to said court a 
proper situation, near the centre of the county, whereon to locate the seat 
of justice." 

At its November term, Monday, November 6, 1826, the county court 
considered a second petition, numerously signed, praying, as before, a 
removal of the seat of justice to a more central situation- The court was 
satisfied, after examination, that more than three-fifths of the signers were 
legally qualified; they therefore granted the prayer of the petition, and 
appointed the following persons commissioners to "view, select and 
report" a proper site for the permanent location of the county seat: John 
Stepp, James Warren and Markham Triston, of Lafayette county, and 
Elisha Camron and Charles English, of Cla}^ county. 

The commissioners were required to meet at the house of Joseph Cox, 
of Ray county, and " there to discharge the duties enjoined on them by 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 229 

law." The sheriff was ordered to notify each commissioner of his apoint- 
ment. 

Whether this commission ever selected a site for the county seat, or 
whether it ever met, is not known, as the official records contain no further 
mention of it. It is quite certain, however, that it did nothing, as at a 
special term, held in April, 1827, the court again considered a similar peti- 
tion, and, for like reasons, appointed the following new commission: John 
Stepp, Markham Triston and William Owens, of Lafayette county; 
Andrew Robertson and Eppe Tillory, of Clay county. They were 
directed to meet at the residence of John Woolard, of Ray count}^ and the 
sheriff was ordered to advertise said meeting by posting placards in ten of 
the most public places in the county. 

The commissioners met promptly at the appointed time, May 5, 1827, 
and selected as a site on which to locate the permanent seat of justice of 
Ray county, the " Woolard place," in the southwest quarter of fractional 
section thirty, township fifty-two, range twenty-seven; and on the same day, 
in behalf of the county, received a deed thereto from John Woolard, Isaac 
Thornton, William B. Martin, and William Thornton, the proprietors 
thereof. The deed was duly acknowledged May 30, approved by the 
judge of the circuit court July 20, and so certified to the county court; 
filed for record October 2, and recorded October 8, 1827. 

Friday, July 20, 1827, the count}' court convened in special session, for 
the purpose of ordering an election for voting on a proposition to remove 
the county seat to the place selected by the commissioners. Judges of 
election were appointed for the four tow^nships — Bluftton, Missouriton, 
Fishing River, and Crooked River — which then composed the county, and 
the 20th and 21st of the following August were appointed the days for 
holding said election. 

Monday, September 24, 1827, the county court again met in special ses- 
sion to canvass the result of the election. An examination of the poll- 
books of the several townships showed the whole number of " good " 
votes cast to be one hundred and sixty-three, of which one hundred and 
eight are a majority. The court, therefore, declared that " the place peti- 
tioned for, called ' Woolard's place,' should be the permanent seat of jus- 
tice" of Ray county. 

Thus, after a prolonged, varied, and arduous efibrt of more than six 
years, a location for the permanent county seat was legally determined 
upon. But Bluftton, as a county seat, was not immediately abandoned. 
A new town was to be laid out, and the necessary public buildings 
erected — a work requiring twelve months to accomplish; hence, Bluffton 
remained, practically, the seat of justice during that period. 

William S. Miller was appointed commissioner of the new seat of jus- 
tice. 



230 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The land was to be surveyed and laid oft^ into town lots, streets, and 
alleys, by October 15, 1827; and an order was issued, naming Thursday, 
the 25th of that month, as the time — to be continued from day to day — 
for their sale at public auction. It was ordered that the sale be advertised 
in some newspaper, published in the state; and, after bestowing on the 
embryo city the name of Richmond, in honor of the capital metropolis of 
the " Old Dominion," the court adjourned. 

At a special term, held Monday, October 22, 1827, a plat of Richmond, 
accompanied by his report, was submitted to the county court by Com- 
missioner Miller. The survey of the town had been completed, under 
the commissioners' direction, by Thomas N. Aubry, Esq., county sur- 
veyor. 

The court appointed William Thornton superintendent of county build- 
ings; and, at its special term, April 5, 1828, he submitted a plan for a jail, 
which the court accepted, provided the cost thereof would not exceed 
four hundred dollars. The contract for building was let to Sebourn J. 
Miller. # 

The court, having no further business to transact, adjourned, having 
met for the last time in Bluffton. 

The first county court held in the county, outside of that town, con- 
vened Monday, May 5, 1828, at the residence of George Woodw^ard, near 
Richmond. William P. Thompson, Sebourn J. Miller, and Isaac Allen 
were the justices; Larkin Stanley, sherifT, and George Woodward, clerk. 

Thomas Riggs' tavern was a substitute for a court house six years; 
after that the dwelling of George Woodward was improvised, till a court 
house could be erected. The latter was completed and ready for occu- 
pancy March 5, 1829. At the November term, of the preceding year, 
S. J. Miller informed the court that he had completed the jail agreeable to 
his contract. The court found, however, "that the corners to said build- 
ing had not been sawed down." This, Miller guaranteed to have done, 
and the court agreed to receive the jail, and pay the contractor his last 
installment, of $47.25. 

As may be readily inferred, the jail was a log fabric of a ver}- rude and 
primitive kind. The only entrance was by a stairway, on the outside, 
leading to a solitary door that opened into a kind of garret, in the floor of 
which was a trap-door, or hatchway: through this the prisoners, by 
means of a ladder, descended to the " dungeon." 

The court house — for those days — was really " a structure of majestic 
frame." It, too, was built of logs, nicely hewn, and skillfully fitted 
together at the corners; the apertures between them being "chinked" 
with seasoned mulberry blocks, and lined on the inside with "good, 
shaved oak boards." The floor was made of puncheons, and the chimney 
was a delicate wooden one, whose symmetrical framing rose gracefully 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 231 

above the gable end of a board roof; it was provided v^ith a rock back, 
and the hearth and jambs were of the same incombustible material. 

Such is the description of Ray county's first public buildings: the one 
for the culprits' comfort, and the other wherein justice between man and 
man was dispensed at stated periods in every year. But they no longer 
encumber the public square, having given place, years ago, to more com- 
modious buildings of improved architecture; their very logs have crum- 
bled to dust under the withering touch of time's destructive fingers. 

In November, 1828, the county court notified the circuit court, in writ- 
ng, that a "good and sufficient jail" was erected in the town of Richmond, 
and also, that a court house would be ready for use by its next March 
term. The sheriff', therefore, made public proclamation, on the adjourn- 
ment of the circuit court that it would hold its next term in the town 
of Richmond. 

Pursuant to this proclamation, the circuit court convened in Richmond, 
for the first time, Thursday, March 19, A. D., 1829. David Todd was 
still judge; George Woodward, clerk; Larkin Stanley, sheriflT. 

The following persons were on the grand jury: — 

William Black, foreman; Thomas Edwards, Noble Goe, Alex. Bogart, 
Fouche Garner, John Cleavenger, John Turner, John McCrosky, Wil- 
liam Mann, Benjamin Nichols, Robert Gragg, James R. Walker, Jesse 
Tivault, Branick Wilkinson, John Scott, and James Ball. 



FIRST INSTRUMENTS RECORDED. 

MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES. 

State of Missouri, ( 
County of Ray. j 

Knovj all men by these presents. That I, a preacher of the gospel, did 
join in the holy state of matrimony, Owen Thorp and Elizabeth Hiett, 
as man and wife, this 10th day of June, 1821. 

Joel Estes. 
Recorded 18th June, 1821. 

Attest: William L. Smith, Clerk. 

State of Missouri, ) 
County of Ray, > Set. 

Township of Missouriton, ) 

Be it known, That, on this 15th day of February, 1821, I joined in the 
bonds of holy matrimony, Jacob RifTe and Ruth Martin; satisfactory 
proof having been first made of parental consent. 
Given from under my hand the day and date above. 

B. D. BowMER, y. P. 
Recorded on this 20th day of July, 1821. 

William L. Smith, Clerk. 



232 history of ray county. 

State of Missouri, \c^ 
County of Ray, j ^ ' 

I do certify that I joined in the bonds of matrimony, John Woolard and 
Nancy Liles, conformably to the laws of the State. 
Given under my hand this 9th April, 1821. 

Isaac Martin, Justice Ray County Court. 
Recorded on this 17th day of December, 1821. 

Attest: William L. Smith, Clerk. 

State of Missouri, [ c ^ 
County of Ray. \ ^ ' 

I do certify I joined in the bonds of matrimony, Vincent Carlisle and 
Narcissa Black, conformably to the laws of this state. 
Given under my hand the 2d of December, 1821. 

Isaac Martin, J. C. C. 
Recorded on this 17th day of December, 1821. 

Attest: William L. Smith, Clei'k. 

This is to certify. That on the 20th day of December, 1821, I did join 
in the holy state of matrimony, Mr. Robert Morris and Miss Heftsabe 
Pune, both of Gallatin township and county of Ray. 

Given under my hand and seal, the day and date above written. 

John Thornton, y. P. [seal.J 
Recorded on the 7th day of January, 1822. 

Attest: William L. Smith, Clerk. 

FIRST SHERIFF'S COMMISSION. 

Alexander McNair, to all zvho shall sec these -presents, greeting: 
Know ye, that reposing special trust and confidence in the integrity, vig- 
ilance, and ability of John Harris, I do hereby appoint him sheriff of the 
county of Ray, and authorize and empower him to discharge the duties of 
said office according to law. 

To have and to hold the said office, with all the powers, privileges and 
emoluments to the same of right appertaining, unto him, the said John 
Harris, until the next general election, and until a successor be dul}'^ 
qualified. 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto affixed my private seal (there 
being no seal of state yet provided.) 

Given under my hand at St. Louis, the first day of January, A. D. 1821, 
and of the independence of the United States the forty-fifth. 

A. McNair, [seal.] 

By the Governor. 

Joshua Barton, Secretary of State. 

FIRST OFFICIAL BOND. 

Knozu all men by these presents. That we, John Harris, Martin Parmer 
and Thomas Officer are held and firml}- bound unto Alexander McNair, 
governor of the state of Missouri, and his successors in office, in the sum 
of five thousand dollars, current money of the United States, to which 
payment, well and truly to be made, we bind our heirs, executors and 
administrators, jointly and severall)^ firmly by these presents. 

Sealed and dated this 19th day of February, 1821. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 233 

The condition of the above obligation is such, that whereas, the above 
bound John Harris has been legally appointed and commissioned sheriff' 
of the county of Ray in the said state of Missouri, and during the term, 
until the next general election, and until a successor shall be duly qualified. 
Now should he, the said John Harris, faithfully, as sheriff' of the said 
county of Ray, execute, fulfill and discharge all the duties of said office of 
sheriff for and during the time of his continuance therein, then the above 
obligation to be void, else to remain in full force and virtue. 

John Harris, [seal.] 

Martin Parmer, [seal.J 
Thomas Officer, [seal.] 
Acknowledged in open court. David Todd, Judge. 

BOND OP COMMISSIONERS TO SELECT SITE FOR PERMANENT SEAT OF 

JUSTICE. 
Know all men by these J)7'esents^ That we, James Wills, Jonathan Lig- 
gett, John Harris, Isaac Martin, as principals, and John Shields, Martin 
Farmer, Thomas Officer, John Hutchings, of the county of Ray and state 
of Missouri, are held and firmly bound unto Alexander McNair, Esquire, 
governor of the said state of Missouri, and his successors in office, for the 
use of the county of Ray, in the just and full sum of ten thousand dollars 
of lawful money of the United States, to the payment whereof we bind 
ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators, jointly and severally, 
firmly by these presents, sealed with our seals, and dated this nineteenth 
day of February, eighteen hundred and twenty-one. 

The condition of the above obligation is such, that whereas the above 
bound James Wills, Jonathan Liggett, John Harris and Isaac Martin, have 
been by law appointed commissioners with full power and authority to 
point out and fix on the most suitable plan in said county of Ray, whereon 
to erect a court house and jail. Now should they, the said Wills, Liggett, 
Harris and Martin, commissioners as aforesaid, faithfull}' and impartially' 
discharge their duties as commissioners of said county of Ray, and appro- 
priate and dispose of all moneys or propert}' that may come into their 
hands as commissioners aforesaid, to the sole use and benefit of said county 
of Ray ; and that if there should be a surplus of said money or property 
remaining in their hands after having compHed with the objects of their 
appointment, that they and each of them will, under the direction of the 
circuit court, pay the same into the county treasury, or to any person or 
persons the said court shall direct, and render at each term of the said 
circuit court a just and true account of how far they have performed the 
duties incident to the said appointment, as commissioners of the said county 
of Ray, then the above obligation to be void, else to remain in full force 
and virtue. James Wills, [seal.] 

Jonathan Liggett, [seal.] 
John Harris, [seal.] 

Isaac Martin, [seal.] 

John Shields, [seal.] 

Martin Parmer, [seal.] 

Thomas Officer, [seal.] 
John Hutchins, [seal.] 

Sealed and delivered in my presence and in open court, 

15 David Todd, Judge. 



234 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The following are the first conveyances of land within the present Ra}- 
county, made and recorded after its organization, to-wit: 

To all zvhom these -present shall co7)ie, greetino .• Know ye, 
that I, Duft' Green, of the town of Chariton and state of Missouri, 
for and in consideration of i»ne hundred and sixty acres of a New 
Madrid certificate"'^' of three hundred and thirty arpens, in the name of 
James Brady, numbered two hundred and thirty-two (232), this day con- 
veyed to me by Thomas A. Smith, of the town of Franklin and state 
aforesaid, according to a certain agreement entered into between the said 
Smith and myself to liquidate the dispute then existing between us, as 
regards the town of Blufi'ton, which said agreement bears date the 6th 
of December, 1819, 1, the said DufT Green, do, for the consideration afore- 
said, o-rant, bargain and sell, transfer and assign to the said Thomas A. 
Smith and to his heirs and assigns forever, one undivided fourth part of a 
location of six hundred and forty acres of land, made by virtue of a New 
Madrid certificate, numbered four hundred and fifty-eight (458) in th« 
name of Robert Lane ; said location made in township fifty-one, north, 
and range twenty-eight, west, north of Missouri river, reference being had 
to the office of the United States surveyor of this state, will more fully 
show the metes and bounds thereof; which said cited certificate, in the 
name of Robert Lane, located as aforesaid, I, the said Green, claim and 
own bv virtue of a regular chain of conveyance from the said Lane to 
myself" for either the land at New Madrid, or the certificate in him 
thereof. 

To have and to hold the said undivided fourth part of said location, 
together with all and singular the rights, privileges and advantages there- 
unto belonging, or in any wise appertaining to him, the said Thomas A. 
Smith, and to his heirs and assigns forever. 

And it is further and expressly understood that one-fourth part of the 
said town of Bluft'ton is hereby conveyed, and the advantages and per- 
•quisites from lots sold, or hereafter to be sold, are held in common, is 
hereby conveyed to the said Thomas A. Smith, his heirs or assigns. 

In testimony whereof, I, the said Duft' Green, have hereunto set my 
hand and seal, this 12th day of January, 1821. 

Duff Green, [seal.] 

*0n the night ot December IG, 1811, at about two o'clock a. m., was felt the first great 
shook of the New Madrid earthquake in New Madrid county, Missouri. Shocks, compar- 
atively light, followed at intervals of from half an hour to an hour, till seven a. m., when a 
second earthquake occurred, scarcely less violent than the first. After this slight shocks 
were felt from time to time until January 7, 1812, when the country was again visited by au 
earthquake equally as violent as the first two, and which, also, was followed by slighter 
ones, at intervals, till February 17th, at which time a third very severe one occurred. A 
considerable extent of valuable farming land was utterly destroyed by this calamity; and 
congress, carrying out the known wishes of the people, passed an act February 17, 1815, 
for the relief of those who had sustained losses of real estate caused by the earthquake in 
New Madrid county. This act was the origin of the " Ne"w Madrid Claims," and provided 
that any person owning lands within the boundaries forming the county on the 10th day of 
November, 1813, whose lands were materially injured by the earthquake, might locate a 
like (inantity on any of the public lands of Missouri territory; but no location was ot 
exceed 640 acres. A few of these locations were made on public lands within what is now 
Ray county. 

The above will explain what is meant by the term " New ^ladrid Location," or " New 
Madrid Certificate." 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 235 

Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of 

Ch. Ventland, 
Franklin Township, J James M. White. 

County of Howard, |- ss. 
State of Missouri. ) 

This day came the within and above named Duft' Green personally 
before the undersigned, a justice of the peace, within and for the county 
aforesaid, and acknowledged the foregoing deed as and for his volun- 
tary act and deed for the purposes therein named. 

Given under my hand and seal, this 12th day of January, 1821. 

George Chapman, J. P. [seal.] 
State of Missouri, ) 
County of Ray. f 

Recorded the within and foregoing instrument of writing on this 13th 
day of March, 1821, in book "A," pages 20 and 21. 

William L. Smith, 

C. R. C. C. [seal.] 

To all to zuhoni these presents shall covie^ greeting: Know ye that I, 
Thomas A. Smith, of the town of Franklin and stateof Missouri, for 
and in consideration of one hundred and sixty acres of land, this day 
conveyed to me by Duli Green, of the town of Chariton and state 
aforesaid, in pursuance of a certain agreement bearing date the 6th 
December, 1819, between the said Green and myself relative to the 
town of Bluffton — reference being had to said Green's deed to me will 
fully shew — do, for and in consideration aforesaid, grant, bargain, sell, 
transfer and assign to the said Duft' Green, and to his heirs and assigns 
forever, one hundred and sixty acres, being an undivided part of a New 
Madrid, or Earthquake certificate, in the name of James Brady, numbered 
two hundred and thirty-two (232). 

To have and to hold the said undivided part of said certificate, and the 
land that is, or may be acquired by virtue thereof, to him, the said Duff 
Green, and to his heirs and assigns forever. 

In testimony whereof, I, the said Thomas A. Smith, have hereunto set 
my hand and seal, this 12th day of January, 1821. 

T. A. Smith, [seal.] 

Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of 

Ch. Ventland, 
James M. White. 

Howard County, ) 

State of Missouri. \ 

Be it re7nembered, that this day came the within named, Thomas A. 
Smith personally before the undersigned, a justice of the peace in and for 
the county aforesaid, and acknowledged the within deed as and for his 
his voluntary act and deed. 

Given under my hand and seal this. . . .day of Januar}^ 1821. 

George Chapman, J. P. [seal.] 
State of Missouri, ) 

* SS 

County of Ray. i 

Recorded the within and foregoing instrument of writing on this 13th 
day of March, 1821, in book " A," page 22. William L. Smith, 

* Clerk R. C. C. [seal.] 



236 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The following is the first patent recorded in Ray county, but the land 
is now in Carroll: 

yames Monroe^ President of the United States of America : To all to 
whom these presents shall come^ greeting: Know ye, that in pursuance of the 
acts of congress appropriating and granting land to the late army of the 
United States, passed on and since the 6th day of May, 1812, William 
Blake having deposited in the general land office, a warrant in his favor, 
numbered 21,142, there is granted unto the said William Blake, late 
private in Donoho's corps of artillery, a certain tract of land, containing 
one hundred and sixty acres, being the southwest quarter of section two, 
of township fifty-three, north, in range twenty-three, west, in the tract 
appropriated (by the acts aforesaid) for military bounties, in the territory 
of Missouri, north. 

To have and to hold, the said quarter section of land, with the appurte- 
nances thereof, unto the said William Blake, and to his heirs and assigns 
forever. 

In testimony whereof, I have caused these letters to be made patent, 
and the seal of the general land office to be hereunto affixed. 

Given under my hand, at the city of Washington, this twent^'-sixth day 
of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nine- 
teen, and of the independence of the United States of America the 
forty-third. James Monroe. 

By the president, , 

JosiAH Meigs, Commissioner of the General Land Office. 

FIRST POWER OF ATTORNEY. 

Knozv all men by these presents, Th^X. we, Bridget Lane, and John Lane, 
and Phenix Lane, and Jany Taylor, and Hannah Lane, and Daniel Lane, and 
Robert Lane, jr., all of us being the only heirs and legal representatives of 
Robert Lane, deceased, and all of us being of the county of New Mad- 
rid, and territory of Missouri, for divers good causes, and other valuable 
considerations to us hereunto moving, have made, ordained, constituted, 
and appointed, and by these presents do make, ordain, constitute and 
appoint Andrew M. Ramsey, of the county of New Madrid, and terri- 
tory of Missouri, our true and lawful attorney in fact, irrevocable, for the 
purposes following, to-wit: 

Whereas, It is provided by an act of congress, approved the 17th day 
of February, in the year 1815, entitled, an act for the relief of the inhab- 
itants of the county of New Madrid, in the Missouri territory, who suf- 
fered by earthquakes, provides that those whose lands have been mate- 
rially injured by earthquakes, shall be authorized to locate the like, or a 
greater quantity of *the public lands in Missouri territory, the sale of 
which is authorized by law ; and we, the aforesaid heirs and legal repre- 
sentatives, as aforesaid, being persons who are entitled to the provisions 
of the aforesaid act of congress; 

Noxv, knoxu ye. That we, the aforesaid heirs and legal representatives of 
the aforesaid l-<.obert Lane, deceased, have given, and do hereby give full, 
complete and ample authority to our said attorney, irrevocably to locate 
on any of the aforesaid public lands in the said territory, any quantity of 
lands which we may be entitled to by virtue of the aforesaid act of con- 
gress, for his own proper use, benefit and behoof, and that of his heirs 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 



237 



and assigns forever, and to sell, transfer and conve}' the same at his, our 
said attorney's own will and pleasure, at all times, to any person or per- 
sons whatsoever, for such price and consideration as he, our said attorney, 
shall think fit; also, with power and authority to our said attorney, to 
transfer and convey unto the United States, our injured tract of land, sit- 
uated, lying and being in the county of New Madrid and territory of 
Missouri, and on the Mississippi river, containing six hundred and forty 
acres; it being the same tract of land which was confirmed to Robert 
Lane by the board of commissioners of land titles for the territory. And 
generall}' in the premises to do, execute and perform all and singular 
whatever shall be requisite and necessary in as full and ample a manner, 
as we might or could do, were we personally present ; also, with power of 
substitution, hereby agreeing to ratify and confirm and hold valid all and 
whatever our said attorney shall lawfull}^ do or cause to be done by virtue 
hereof. 

In testimony whereof, we, the several heirs and legal representatives, 
as aforesaid, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this 17th day of July, 
in the \'ear of our Lord, ISIS." 

Her 

Bridget X Lane, [seal.] 

Mark 

John Lane, [seal.] 

Phenix Lane, [seal.] 

Her 

Jany X Taylor, [seal.] 

Mark. 

Hannah Lane, [seal.] 

His 

Daniel X Lane, [seal.] 

Mark. 
His 

Robert X Lane, Jr. [seal.] 

Mark. 



Attest: 

James Brady, 
Thomas Fletcher, 
Charles T. Ramsey. 

FIRST MORTGAGE. 

Knoiv all men by these ■p7'esents: That I, Samuel Crowley, of Ray 
county, and state of Missouri, for and in consideration of the sum of one 
hundred dollars, current money of the United States, to me in hand paid 
by Jesse Mann, of the county and state aforesaid, hath given, granted, 
bargained and sold, and by these presents doth give, grant, bargain and 
sell unto the said Samuel Crowley, his heirs, executors, and administrators, 
one negro boy, called Chance, about seven years old. 

To have and to hold the said negro boy, Chance, unto the said Samuel 
Crowle}^ his heirs, executors, and administrators, or against any person 
or persons, claiming under, by or through me, them, or any of them : 
^provided, and it is the true intent and meaning of these presents, that if 
the said Jesse Mann, or his heirs, shall well and truly, on or before the 
twenty-third day of April, next, pay unto the said Samuel Crowley, his 
heirs, executors, and administrators, the said sum of one hundred dollars, 
current money of the United States, with the legal interest thereon due, 



238 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

clear of all charges, then the above instrument of writing to be void, and 
of no eftect, else to be and remain in full force and virtue in law. 

Witness my hand and seal, this twenty-third day of July, eighteen hun- 
dred and twenty-two. 

hie 

Jesse X Mann, [seal.] 

mirk. 

Signed, sealed, and delivered in the presence of 

Jon. T. Burch. 
State of Missouri, ) ^^ 
Ray County, f 
On this twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand 
eight hundred and twenty-two, personally appeared before me, clerk of 
the circuit court of the county aforesaid, Jesse Mann, to me well known, 
party grantor within named, and acknowledged the foregoing instrument 
of writing to be his act and deed, hand and seal, for the purposes therein 
mentioned and particularl}^ expressed; and the mortgaged property 
therein mentioned to be the right, property, and estate of the said Samuel 
Crowley, party grantor, therein named, his heirs, and assigns, for the 
purposes therein mentioned. 

Given under my hand and seal the day and year above written. 

Jonathan T. Burch. [seal.] 
On this 24th day of July, 1822, received the foregoing instrument of 
writing, to be recorded, and same day was recorded in liber " A," (pages 
106 and 107), a land record of said county. 

JoN. T. Burch, Clerk, [seal.] 



TOWNSHIPS. 

FIRST TOWNSHIPS. 

At the time of the meeting of the first county court, in April, 1821, 
Ray county extended eastward to Grand river, northward to the Iowa 
line, westward to the Indian reservation, and southward to the Missouri 
river ; hence, it will be understood, of course, that an account of the first 
townships is given not with exclusive reference to the present limits of the 
county. 

The act of the general assembly organizing the county, did not divide 
it into townships, but left that work to the county court; and on the second 
day of the hrst meeting of that tribunal in Ray county, (the second day 
being Tuesday, April 3d, 1821,) it was ordered, by the county court, that 
this county be divided into two townships, to be known as Bluf^ton and 
Fishing River townships. 

Bluftton township embraced all that part of what was then Ray county, 
lying between Grand river and the range line, separating ranges twenty- 
nine and thirty; Fishing River township, that part of the county situated 
between the last mentioned range line and the western boundary of the 
state. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 239 

The same day^ strange as it may seem, on motion of John Hutchings, 
the court subdivided Fishing River township, forming " all that part of 
said township laying w^est of the first sectional line running north and 
south, on the east side of Squire Gilmore's farm," into a new township, to 
be called Gallatin township. We have been unable to locate " Squire 
Gilmore's farm," but are satisfied that Gallatin was formed from the west- 
ern portion of Fishing River township. 

Those who are familliar with the original limits of the county, will 
readily perceive that Bluftton township was little more than twice as large 
as Fishing River township, and that no part of the latter, as then laid ofl^*, 
is embraced in what is now Ray county. 

At its May term, 1822, the county court reduced the number of town- 
ships to two — Missouriton and Blufl^ton; the former including all that 
tract of country in Ray county on the east side of the main east fork of 
Crooked river, extending to the mouth thereof, thence east to the Chari- 
ton county line (Chariton county being then bounded south by the Mis- 
souri river); the latter lying on the east side of said main east fork of 
Crooked river, extending to the mouth thereof, thence west to dividing 
line between Ray and Clay counties. 

At the February term of court, 1823, Bluftton and Missouriton town- 
ships were sub-divided and three townships formed thereout, as follows: 

Bluftton township — Beginning at the line between Ray and Clay coun- 
ties, and running thence east to the range line, between ranges twenty- 
seven and twenty-eight. Crooked River township — beginning at the line 
between twent3'-seven and twenty-eight, thence east to the line between 
twenty-five and twent}- six. Missouriton township — beginning at the line 
separating ranges twenty-five and twenty-six, and running east to Chari- 
ton county line. 

Bluftton township then included all that part of our present county west 
of range twenty-seven; Crooked River township, all that part east of 
range twenty-eight, and Missouriton township, lying east of twenty-six, 
embraced an area, none of which is within the present limits of the 
county. The three townships were of equal size, and, that the reader 
may have some idea of their extent, it is stated that the county was twelve 
times as large as now. 

In the year 1826, at its November term, the county court established 
Fishing River township out of that portion of Bluftton township lying 
west of range twenty-eight. It embraced what is now Polk, and the 
western part of Camden township, besides that area which still retains 
the name Fishing River. In other words. Fishing River township was 
then simply that portion of range twenty-nine north of the Missouri river. 

In Februar}^, 1829, by order of the the county court, the name Bluftton 
township v/as changed to Richmond township, in honor of the new county 



240 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY 

seat, and the following boundaries established: Beginning at the range line 
between ranges twenty-eight and twenty-nine; thence, with north bank of 
Missouri river, east to section line between sections thirty-four and thirty- 
five (now in the river) in range twenty-seven, so as to embrace the space 
of four miles east from ran i;^^ twenty-eight; thence, continuing due north 
to the northern boundary line of the county — which was then the hne now 
separating Harrison count}' from the state of Iowa; thence west, to range 
twenty-nine; thence south, to the beginning — containing one hundred and 
seventy-five taxable inhabitants. 

Crooked River township was changed in its boundary so as to include 
all the land, beginning at the last mentioned section line, on the Mis- 
souri river; thence east to section line between sections thirty-four and 
thirty-five, in range twenty-five, and extending thence due north to the 
northern boundar}^ line of the county — now the boundary line between 
Mercer county and the state of Iowa — extending four sections east of the 
present county line, and including a strip of land four miles in width, now 
belonging to the counties of Carroll, Livingston, Grundy and Mercer. 
Missouriton was not changed, except that its western line was removed 
four miles farther eastward. It also extended to the Iowa line, including 
territory, all of which was in what at present — April, 1881 — are Carroll, 
Livingston, Grundy and Mercer counties. Fishing River township 
remained unchanged. Crooked River and Missouriton townships con- 
tained forty-eight and forty-four taxable inhabitants respectively. More 
than that number now reside in any single congressional township. 
Anderson Martin was appointed constable of Richmond township; Wil- 
liam Millsap, of Fishing Riv^er; James Neil, of Crooked River; and 
Joseph Johnson, of Missouriton township; each to hold his office one year. 

The county court. May 7, 1832, ordered that a new township be 
erected out of Richmond township, and named Marion township, with the 
following boundaries, viz: 

Beginning at the corner of sections twent3^-three and twenty-six and 
of twenty-seven and twenty-eight, in congressional township fifty-three, 
range twenty-seven; thence due north to line between townships fifty-six 
and fifty-seven; thence west with said line to range line between ranges 
twenty-eight and twenty-nine; thence south with said range line to corner 
of sections nineteen and thirt}', and of twenty-four and twenty-five, in 
congressional township fifty-three; thence east to beginning. 

It will be observed that Marion township included four congressional 
townships in what is now Caldwell county. It contained one hundred 
and five taxable inhabitants. 

At the May term, 1832, of the county court, a new township was 
established and named Grand River. It was the same width, and lay 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 241 

northeast of Marion township, just described, extending to the state line, 
and embraced an area no part of which is within the present Ray county. 

Shoal Creek township was established in June, 1825, by the Ray 
county court. It lay due north of Marion township, and no part of it is 
in the Ray county of to-day. 

As has been stated, the territory embraced by the original limits was 
reduced from time to time till, in the year 1836, by the formation of Cald- 
well county, it was left with its present area. 

The description of townships thus far given, is of those established 
prior to the year 1836, and most of them were, at different times, either 
wholly or partially without the boundaries now forming the county. 

We now proceed to a more extended account of the townships as they 
exist at present. 



CROOKED RIVER TOWNSHIP. 

Crooked River township, in the southeastern part of the county, 
embaces all of congressional township fifty-two north, range twenty-six 
west; seventeen integral, and six fractional sections in township fift3^-one, 
same range; twelve sections in township fifty-two, range twenty-seven, and 
four sections in township fifty-one, same range. It borders on the Mis- 
souri river, on Carroll county, and on Grape Grove and Richmond town- 
ships; the former being on its north, the latter on its west side. 

The first settlement in this township was also the first in the county. 
It was made in the year 1815; but as a full account of this settlement will 
"be found in the chapter devoted to early settlements and settlers, it were 
superfluous to recite it here. 

The southern portion of the township is bottom land; the north, cen- 
tral, and eastern portions gently undulating prairie, of deep |and produc- 
tive soil. Timber abounds on Crooked river, and the larger portion of 
what is now Crooked River township was, when first settled, covered 
with dense forest. Hardin and Morton are the villages in this township, 
and will be mentioned in connection with the history of the towns in Ray 
county, to be found in this volume. 

Population per census of 1880, 1,883. 



FISHING RIVER TOWNSHIP. 

Fishing River township was one of the three townships into which the 
county was originally divided. When established in 1821, it included the 
territory now occupied by the counties of Clay, Clinton, De Kalb, Gentry, 
and Worth. This territory, by act of the general assembly, became 



242 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Clay county, Januar}^ 2, 1822, and, of course, Fishing River township 
was no longer a part of Ray county. A new township was established 
in Ray county in November, 1826, and named Fishing River township. 
It is the present Fishing River township, reduced to its present limits by 
the establishment of Polk and Camden townships. 

Fishing River township is in the western part of the county. It includes 
all of congressional township 52 north, 29 west; half of township 53 north, 
29 west, and sections one, two, three, ten, eleven and twelve, of township 
51, 29 west. It contains thirty-eight thousand four hundred acres. 

Fishing River township was settled in 1818, by the Cleavengers, 
Blythes, McCoskries, Hutchings, Aliens and others, from Tennessee, Ken- 
tucky and Indiana. A full account of this settlement having been given 
in another place, the writer omits it here. Vibbard, New Garden P. O., 
and Elkhorn are in this township. Its population, June 1, 1880, was 1,961. 



RICHMOND TOWNSHIP. 



Richmond township was originally much larger than now. It has been 
reduced to its present area by the formation of new counties and of Knox- 
ville, Grape Grove and Camden townships ; it having embraced at one 
time the greater portion of several counties, since organized, all of Knox- 
ville, two tiers of sections on the west side of Grape Grove, and nearly all 
of Camden township, east of range twenty-nine. 

This township comprises congressional township 52,28; twelve sections 
of 53, 28; eight sections of 53, 27; twenty-four sections of 52, 27; eight sec- 
tions of 51, same range, and twelve sections of 51, 28, making one hundred 
sections, or 64,0')0 acres. 

Richmond, the county seat, Rayville and Swanwick, are in Richmond 
township. Its population June 1, 1880, according to the tenth U. S. cen- 
sus, was 6,070. 

The lirst settler in Richmond township was Captain Jacob Riffe. He 
located in the southwestern part of the township in 1818. 

The first marriage in this township was that of Captain Jacob RifTe to 
Miss Rutha Martin, daughter of Isaac Martin, who will long be remem- 
bered, not only as a Ray county pioneer, but as a genial, generous, warm- 
hearted gentleman, devoted alike to his family, his neighbors and his 
county. The marriage ceremony was pronounced by a Baptist preacher, 
named Kimsey. 

A son, William C, born of the union just mentioned, March 10th, 1820, 
was the first white male child bom in Richmond township; and a daugh- 
ter, Mary A., born of the same union, April 17, 1821, was the first white 
female child born in said township. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 243 

The first death was that of Charles Woods, who died April 17, 1823. 
His remains, without the pomp of a funeral cortege, were borne to a last 
resting place on the farm of Capt. Jacob Rifle. No monument marks the 
spot; and thither no mourner goes to shed a tear, or "breathe a benison 
o'er his sleeping dust." 

The early ministers and teachers have been mentioned. 

The reader will understand that at the time of the happening of the 
above events, Richmond township was known as Bluftton township. The 
name was changed in 1829. 



GRAPE GROVE TOWNSHIP. 

Grape Grove township was established July 2, 1838, at the May 
adjourned term of the county court, with the following boundaries, to-wit: 

Beginning at the section corner of sections twenty-two and twenty-threes 
and twenty-six and twenty-seven, township fifty-three, range twenty- 
seven ; thence south to township line between townships fifty-two and fifty- 
three; thence east with township line to range line between ranges twen- 
ty-five and twenty-six; thence north to Caldwell county line; thence west 
to section corner of sections four and five, gnd thirty-two and thirty-three 
(the two latter in Caldwell county), in range twenty-seven; thence south 
to the section corner of sections twenty and twenty-one and twenty-eight 
and twenty-nine; thence east the space of two sections to the beginning 
corner. 

The boundaries of this township have not been changed since its organ- 
ization, forty-three years ago. It is in the northeastern part of the county, 
and contains, per census of 18S0, a population of 8,091. 

Millville, Russellville, Georgeville, Wilmont and Tinney's Grove are in 
this township. 

Grape Grove township was not settled permanently prior to about the 
year 1830. 

In that year, probably, William Tinney, John Hendricks, and others, 
settled in the northern part of the township. Nathan Tmney, who settled 
on the site of the present town of Tinnev's Grove in 1840, was among the 
early settlers of Grape Grove township ; and so, also, were the following 
persons: Samuel Grove and James Miller, from Virginia; John Alexan- 
der and John Brown, from Ohio; Mathew Haflerty, John Endsley, John 
Elliot, Roland Ralph and Arthur B. Ralph, from North Carolina; James 
Homan, Edward Saunderson, Perry Maupin, B. McCuistion and James 
McCuistion, from Tennessee; Levi McBee, from Ohio; Willis Boyce, 
James Linne}-, Julius and Dr. Mattock, Pleasant and Layton Ewell, from 
Kentucky; and John Sidden and John Hendricks ft-om, East Tennessee. 



24-i HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Among the early marriages, were John Sidden to Martha Maupin, in 
1832; Austin Harlow to Susan Harlow, March 26, 1840, by James Tug- 
gle, justice of the peace; and John McBee to Sarah Matheney, in 1846. 

Among the early deaths: Mrs. William Tinney, who died in 1832; 
Ellen Boyd, who died in 1839, and was buried at Tinney's Grove, and 
John Motherhead, who died in 1840. 

The physicians who practiced in Grape Grove township at an early 
day, were Dr. George Kelly, who, after some years practice in Grape 
Grove, went to California; Dr. Roland Ralph, now — 1881 — a citizen of 
Albany, in this county; Dr. McFadden, from Kentuck}-, now in Kentucky; 
Dr. Nathaniel Davis, from Knox county, Tennessee, a graduate of Jeffer- 
son medical college, Philadelphia, and who is now — 1881 — an honored 
citizen of Richmond, Ray county, Missouri; and Dr. Roberts, from Ken- 
tucky, who was killed at Millville in 1879 by one James Keyes. 

Among the early ministers, who conducted religious worship in Grape 
Grove township, were Rev. Daniel Patton, of the Cumberland Presby- 
terian church. Services were held in a meeting house, constructed of 
logs, situated in township fifty-three of range twenty-seven. The house 
was torn down years ago; Andrew Jordan, also a Cumberland Presby- 
terian, preached in the same house; Rev. — Hatton, and Rev. Samuel 
Grove, of the M. E. Church, held services at Tinney's Grove, alternating 
between the residences of John Brown and Levi McBee, as places of 
divine worship. 

A man named Barton, taught, perhaps, the first school at Tinney's 
Grove. He had but five or six pupils, and as he proved inefficient as a 
teacher, received nothing for his services, they being rendered, doubtless, 
to the detriment, rather than to the advancement of the children entrusted 
to his training. 

Captain W. D. Fortune, now living in the vicinity of Tinney's Grove, 
was among the early teachers of Grape Grove township. He was a com- 
petent teacher, and is a worthy citizen. 

The following is a description of a building in which school was taught 
at Tinney's Grove, at an early day: The house was quite small, built of 
logs, and had been used by its owner as a place in which to garner his 
corn. The corn was, of course, removed previous to the commencement 
of school ; but why the flooring was also taken out, the writer was not in- 
formed, and can not imagine. The stick chimney had been torn down, 
and the aperture left open, to answer the purpose of a door. A multitude 
of cracks obviated the necessity of windows. Seats were prepared by 
placing narrow planks across the sleepers — and 

" There in his noisy mansion, skilled to rule, 
The village master taught his little school. " 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 245 

Mrs. Winnegham and Mrs. Tinney were among the weavers of cloth 
and carpets; the settlers did their own domestic and industrial labor, and 
drew supplies, in the matter of groceries, principally from Lexington and 
Richmond. 

Such is the early history of Grape Grove township. It has ever been 
the abode of a refined and moral community, and is now, 1881, in point 
of population, the third township in the county. 



CAMDEN TOWNSHIP. 



Camden township was established July 5, 1841. Its boundaries are as 
follows: Beginning at a point in the middle of the main channel of the 
Missouri river, on range line, between ranges twenty-six and twenty-seven; 
thence north with said line to northeast corner of section thirteen, town- 
ship fifty-one, range twenty seven ; thence with a tier of sections west to 
Clay county line; thence south, with said line to middle of main channel 
of Missouri river; thence with said river in middle of the main channel 
thereof, to the beginning. 

The first election was held in Camden township, August 2, 1841. At 
its May term. May 2, 1842, the county court, on petition of a large num- 
ber of the inhabitants of Fishing River township, praying for a change in 
said township, made the following order: 

Ordered^ That a part of Fishing River township be stricken off and 
attached to Camden township, and that the line between said townships, 
hereafter be as follows: Beginning on the range line between sections 
twenty-nine and thirty, at the township line between towrjships fifty-one 
and fifty-two; thence east to the northeast corner of section four, on said 
township line ; thence south to southeast corner of section nine; thence 
west to range line aforesaid. 

In 1847 sections fifteen and twenty-two, in range twenty-seven, of Cam- 
den township, were attached to Richmond township. • 

Camden, Albany, Orrick and Henry postoffices are in this township. 
It contained, June 1, 1880, 3,353 inhabitants. 

That part of Camden township, east of range twenty-nine, was origin- 
ally in Bluftton township, and subsequently in Richmond township ; that 
west of range twenty-eight was formerly a part of Fishing River town- 
ship, hence, as already stated, the territory embraced in this township was 
settled at a very early date — as early as 1818. 

Among the first settlers we mention the following, nearly all of whonj 
were from Tennessee: Jeremiah, Samuel and John Crowley, Thomas 
English, Richard and Aaron Linville, Branick Wilkinson, William and 
Henry Morgan, John C. Cates, Sen., Joseph E. Brockman, John Elliott, 



246 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Frank Jackson, Ballard Hudgins and others. In the da3'S of the first set- 
tlers a physician's practice was co-extensive with the county. The same 
is true of a minister's preaching; hence, many of the physicians, men- 
tioned at different places in this work, practiced medicine in Camden town- 
ship, and the same is true of the ministers with respect to their preaching. 



KNOXVILLE TOWNSHIP. 



Knoxville township was established in 1841. It comprises all of con- 
gressional township fifty-four, range twenty-eight; twelve sections in 
township fifty-four, range twenty-seven; eight sections in township fifty- 
three, same range, and twenty-four sections in township fifty-three, range 
twenty-eight. 

The sections, eight in all, are, of course, contiguous, and form an area 
of 51,200 acres. 

The number of inhabitants of the township, as shown by tenth census, 
including Knoxville and Taitsville, with a population of eighty-eight and 
one hundred and eight respectively, is 2,301 . 

Knoxville township was settled about 1833. In that year a man named 
Barnes (who became a useful and respected citizen), from Tennessee, set- 
tled on section seven, congressional township fifty-four, range twenty- 
eight; and Vincent Silk wood, the same year, settled in the township, as 
also did a family of Thompsons, from Kentucky. 

A settlement was made on the present sight of Knoxville, originally 
called "Buncombe," in the spring of 1834; the Hatfields, Stolins and oth- 
ers from Tennessee and Kentucky forming the settlement. 

Among the early practicing physicians of Knoxville township, were the 
following: 

Drs. Kelly and Davis, mentioned in connection with the history of 
Grape Grove township, and Dr. John C. Tiffin, from Ohio. Dr. Tiffin, a 
graduate of the Ohio medical college, of Cincinnati, is now retired from 
active practice, and is living at Knoxville. He has had a large and suc- 
cessful practice, and is an honored member of the communit}- in which 
he lives. 

In addition to those already mentioned, John A. Stone, a Baptist, and 
Moses Rainwater, Methodist, preached in this tow^nship at an early day. 



POLK TOWNSHIP. 



By order of the county court, Polk township was formed out of the 
northern part of Fishing River township, July 29th, 1845. 

It coincides with congressional township fifty-four, range twenty-nine, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 247 

and includes, besides, eighteen contiguous sections in the congressional 
townships immediately south. 

The township contains 34,560 acres, and a population, (including the 
town of Lawson, 223) of 1,534. 

Polk, though the smallest in both area and population, is one of the 
finest agricultural townships in the county. 

This township was settled as early as 1825 — probably somewhat earlier. 
The statements as to who were the first settlers and when, and exactly 
where the settlement was made, are conflicting. 

It is certain, however, that in 1825 John Fields, from Kentucky, settled 
on section eleven, township fifty-four, of range twenty-nine. He was 
followed in 1830 by Samuel K. McGee, from Tennessee, and in 1834 by 
John Taylor, from Virginia. Taylor settled on section three of the last 
mentioned township. 

The following persons were among the very early settlers of the town- 
ship, viz: 

J. Allen, Archibald Moss, W. H. Moss and Randolph McDonald, from 
Kentucky; Milton Piercey, Robert G. Murray, John Halstead, Josiah Pat- 
ton, Henry S. Patton, Solomon Wilson, (a wine-maker and great hunter), 
James Rippey, Joshua Albright, (gun-smith), John A. Cooper, Henry 
Wilson and Whidby Wilson, from North Carolina; William Cox, John 
Cox, Jesse Mann, John Connard and A. B. Arnote, from Tennessee ; J. 
Whitsett, Benjamin McClain, (Guilford county, North Carolina); D. G. 
Stockwell, Stephen Goddard, William Stockard, William Sharpe and A. 
W. Boon. 

Drs. John C. Tifl?ln, Randolph McDonald and John Watson, the latter 
from Kentucky, practiced their profession in Polk township many 
years ago. 

The first school was taught in section two, township fifty-four, range 
twenty-nine, by one Henry Davis. The school was composed of fifteen 
pupils, and the teacher's salary was fifteen dollars per month. Mr. 
Davis is not now among the living; he died at Kingston, Missouri. 

The first school house was the one in which Davis taught the first 
school, and was built by Randolph McDonald, John Taylor and Archi- 
bald Moss, at no greater cost than their labor. 

Another school was taught about the same time on section eighteen, 
township fifty-four, range twenty-nine, by a widow, named Beckworth, 
now living in Clinton county. 

" Aunt " Hulda Allen did the first weaving. She was wont to weave 
coverlets, carpets, and wearing apparel. 

The first settlers in Polk township entered their land with money 
obtained from the sale of beeswax, made of wild honey. Salt was 
obtained at Goose creek salt works, about one hundred miles south ; and 



248 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Other necessary supplies, which could not be manufactered at home, were 
drawn from distant markets. v 



COUNTY OFFICERS. 



A list of the county officers of Ray county, from the meeting of the 
first circuit court, February 19, 1821, to the present — April 1, 1881: 

JUSTICES OF THE COUNTY COURT. 

Isaac Martin, Jno. Thornton, Elisha Cameron, from April, 1821, to 
March, 1822. 

Isaac Martin, James Snowden, from May, 1822, to August, 1822. 

Isaac Martin, Wm. B. Martin, James Snowden, from August, 1822, to 
February, 1823. 

James Snowden, Jno. McGaugh, Sam'l Cleavenger, from February, 
1823, to February, 1825. 

Wm. P. Thompson, Henry Brown, Sam'l Cleavenger, from February, 
1825, to September, 1825. 

Isaac Martin, William Black, Malachi Lile, Jam€s Stanley, from Feb- 
ruary, 1825, to Febuary, 1826. 

Wm. B. Martin, John McGaugh, Sebourn J. Miller, from September, 
1825, to February, 182G. 

Wm. Black, Wm. B. Martin, Henry Brown, Sebourn J. Miller, Joseph 
Porter, from February, 1826, to Febuary, 1827. 

James Taylor, Sr., Jno. Cleavenger, from February, 1827, to April, 1827. 

Sebourn J. Miller, Isaac Allen, Wm. P. Thompson, from February, 
1827, to February, 1828. 

Wm. P. Thompson, S. J. Miller, Isaac Allen, from February, 1828, to 
February, 1829. 

Wm. P. Thompson, Sebourn J. Miller, Isaac Allen, from February, 
1829, to August, 1830. 

Isaac Allen, Henry Jacobs, Sebourn J. Miller, from August, 1830, to 
August, 1831. 

Henry Jacobs, Wm. Thornton, Daniel Parker, from August, 1831, to 
August, 1834. 

James Dickie, Thomas Hamilton, Wm. B. Martin, from August, 1834, 
to August, 1836. 

Wm. B. Martin, Jabez Shotwell, Daniel Branstetter, from August, 
1836, to August, 1838. 

Wm. B. Martin, Jabez Shotwell, Daniel Branstetter, from August, 1838, 
to August, 1842. 

Levi Starkey, James Tuggle, from August, 1842, to August, 1844. 

Sam'l T. Burgess, from August 1842, to June, 1844. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 249 

Levi Starkey, James Tuggle, from August, 1844, to August, 1846. 

Daniel Branstetter, from June, 1844, to August, 1846. 

Daniel Branstetter, Wm. B. Martin, Jabez Shotwell, from August, 
1846, to August, 1852. 

Wm. B. Martin, Jabez Shotwell, Abraham Hayter, from August, 1852, 
to August, 1856. 

Daniel Branstetter, Daniel Parker, from August, 1856, to August, 1858. 

Eli Carter, from August, 1856, to June, 1858. 

M. N. Brown, from June, 1858, to August, 1858. 

Wm. A. Carroll, Amos A. Brice, Calvin W. Naramore, from August, 
1858, to August, 1860. 

Wm. A. Carroll, from August, 1860, to November, 1861. 

Calvin W. Naramore, Lorenzo H. Magill, from August, 1860, to Jan- 
uary, 1862. 

Willis Wariner, from March, 1862, to January, 1863. 

C. W. Naramore, L. H. Magill, Willis Wariner, from January, 1862, to 
January, 1863. 

C. W. Naramore, L. H. Magill, Samuel Colley, from January, 1862, to 
January, 1865. 

L. H. Magill, Saml. Colley, Daniel Parker from January, 1865, to May, 
1865. 

C. W. Naramore, Samuel Colley, William McKissack, from May, 1865, 
to January, 1867. 

C. W. Naramore, Wm, McKissack, Wm. Crowley, from January, 1867, 
to January, 1869. 

C. W. Naramore, Wm. McKissack, Daniel Cramer, from Januarv, 1869, 
to January, 1873. 

Wm. McKissack, Daniel Cramer, Chas. R. Shrewsberry, from January 
1873, to January, 1875. 

Chas. J. Hughes, from January 1875 to January 1879. 

Chas. J. Hughes, George W. Montgomery, Niles Esrey, from January, 
1879, to January, 1881. 

Charles J. Hughes, Robert Ralph, Thomas B. Hewlett, from January, 
1881, to . ' 

By act of the general assembly, passed January 7, 1825, the office of the 
county court in the various counties was vacated, and the powers of said 
office vested in the several justices of the peace. The justices were 
required to meet at the county seat and organize the court on the first 
Monday in March after the passage of the act. In the event they failed to 
do so, however, the clerk of the county court was authorized to name the 
justices who should act as a county court for a term of one year. 

The justices of the peace for Ray having failed to meet and organize, 
16 



250 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

as the law directed, on the first Monday in March, 1825, Jonathan T. 
Burch, the clerk, in April of that year, appointed, as a county court, the 
persons whose names are represented in the list from WiUiam P. Thomp- 
son to James Stanley, inclusive. William B. Martin, John McGau^h and 
Sebourn J. Miller, were appointed in September to fill vacancies caused by 
resignation of the first three as given in the list, commencing with 
Thompson. 

James Taylor, Sr., and John Cleavenger, served but one term of court, 
February term, 1827. 

Samuel T. Burgess resigned, and Daniel Branstetter was appointed in 
his stead. 

At the February term, 1862, C. W. Naramore and L. H. Magill, who, 
with Wm. A. Carroll, were elected in August 1860, presented new com- 
missions, from Gov. Gamble, with the oath of loyalty endorsed thereon, 
duly sworn to and certified by Robert Crenshaw, a justice of the peace 
for Ray county. 

The oath of loyalty was taken in obedience to an ordinance of a state 
convention held at St. Louis October 10 to 18, 1861. Carroll failed or 
refused to take the oath ; hence he was not recommissioned, and his con- 
nection with the county court ceased. 

Bv act of the general assembly, approved March 14, 1874, entitled an 
act to reorganize the county court of Ray county, Missouri, and to reduce 
the number of justices of said court to one, to make the justice thereof 
judf^e of the probate court, and declare his jurisdiction, — it was provided 
that from and after the first day of January, A. D. 1875, the county court 
of Ray county should be composed of one justice, to hold his office for the 
terms of four years, and to have the same powers and discharge the same 
duties required of the justices of the county court. 

At the general election in November, 1874, Charles J. Hughes was 
elected sole judge of the county court, and entered upon the duties of his 
office the following January. 

April 27, 1877, the general assembly repealed the law reducing the 
number of county court justices to one, by enacting that, 

"The county court shall be composed of three members, to be styled 
the judges of the county court, and each county shall be districted by the 
county court thereof into two districts, on or before the first day of April, 
1 878, of contiguous territory, as nearly equal in population as practicable, 
without dividing municipal townships. 

"At the general election in the year 1878, and every two years there- 
after, the qualified electors of each of said districts shall elect and be enti- 
tled to one of the judges of the county court, who shall hold their offices 
for the term of two years, and until their successors are duly elected and 
qualified; and at said election, and every four years thereafter, the other 
judge of said court shall be elected by the qualified electors of the county 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 261 

at large, who shall be president of the court, and shall hold his office for 
the term of four years, and until his successor is duly elected and quali- 
fied: Provided^ That the judges of the county court, elected under the 
provisions of this chapter, shall enter upon the discharge of their duties 
on the first day of January next after they shall have been elected and 
qualified, according to law." 

Accordingly, at the November election, 1878, Messrs. Hughes, Mont- 
gomery, and Esry were duly elected, and became the first county court 

under the new law. 

COUNTY CLERKS. 

William L. Smith, from April, 1821, to May, 1822. 

Jonathan T. Burch, from May, 1822, to February, 1826. 

WiUiam P. Thompson. 

George Woodward, from August, 1826, to November, 1835. 

John H. Morehead, from November, 1835, to Januar}^ 1842. 

William M. Jacobs, from January, 1842, to August, 1858. 

Robison Jacobs, from August, 1848, to June, 1852. 

Himiphrey J. Comer, from June, 1852, to September, 1852. 

James B. Turner, Sr., from September, 1852, to October, 1864. 

James B. Turner, Jr., from October, 1864, to January, 1867. 

Geo. N. McGee, from January, 1867, to January, 1875. 

A. A. McCuistion, from January, 1875, to January, 1879. 

George W. Trigg, from January, 1879, to — 

The first four persons whose names are given in the above list dis- 
charged the duties of both circuit and county clerk at the same time, 
and were appointed by the county and circuit courts. The rest were 
elected by the people. 

Wm. P. Thompson acted as county clerk for the May term of court, 
1826, and no longer. 

Messrs. Smith, Burch, and Woodward each resigned. 

Robison Jacobs died in office, and Humphrey J. Comer was appointed 
to fill the vacancy. 

In obedience to the provisions of an ordinance adopted by the Missouri 
state convention, at St. Louis, October 16,1861, James B. Turner, Sr.-, at 
the February term, 1862, of the county court, subscribed an oath of loy- 
ally, and was re-appointed clerk by the county court, for the residue of 
his term, after giving bond in the sum of five thousand dollars, with W. 
R. Holman and J. F. Hudgins as sureties. 

James B. Turner, Sr., died in office, and his son, James B. Turner, Jr., 
succeeded him by appointment of the governor. 

George W. Trigg's term will expire January, 1883. 

CIRCUIT CLERKS. 

William L. Smith, from April, 1821, to May, 1822. 

Jonathan T. Burch, from May, 1822, to February, 1826. 



252 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

George Woodward, from August, 1826, to May, 1835. 

William P. Thompson, from May, 1835, to August, 1835. 

Wiley C. Williams, from November, 1835, to April, 1844. 

Benjamin Oliver, from May, 1844, to March, 1845. 

Robert Sevier, from April, 1845, to August, 1845. 

Robert Sevier, from August, 1845, to April, 1865. 

A. J. Ban-, from April, 1865, to January, 1867. 

A. J. Barr, from January, 1867, to April, 1870. 

J. H. Harmony, from April, 1870, to January, 1871. 

J. H. Harmony, from January, 1871, to January, 1875. 

John W. Spurlock, from January, 1875, to April, 1881. 

John R. Green, from April, 1881, to , . 

Messrs. Smith, Burch, and Woodward each resigned at the dates 
given. 

William P. Thompson was appointed by the court to serve temporarily 
only. 

Wiley C. Williams died in office, and so, also, did Benjamin Oliver 
appointed to fill his unexpired term. 

The death of Oliver necessitated the appointment of another clerk, and 
Major Robert Sevier was duly commissioned by the governor to fill the 
vacancy. Thus were three clerks required to serve out a term of one 
year. 

At the expiration of the term alluded to. Major Sevier became his own 
successor, having been elected to the position by the people. He con- 
tinued in office until April, 1865. By the constitution of that year, known 
as the " Drake constitution," it was declared that within sixty days after 
said constitution took eftect, every person in the state of Missouri, holding 
any office of honor, trust, or profit under the constitution, or laws thereof, 
or under any municipal corporation, or any of the other offices, positions, 
or trusts mentioned in the third section of article second, of the constitu- 
tion then framing, should take and subscribe an oath of loyaly; and that 
if any such officer or person should fail to take said oath, his office, posi- 
tion, or trust should, if so facto, become vacant — the vacancy to be filled 
according to the law governing the case. The constitutional convention, 
pending its work of framing a new constitution, passed an ordinance, 
March 17, 1865, entitled "an ordinance for vacating certain civic offices, 
filling them anew, and protecting the citizens from injury and harass- 
ment," under the provisions of which Major Sevier — having refused to 
take the oath of loyalty — was removed, and Col. Adam J. Barr, who had 
been a member of the convention, appointed in his stead. 

The additional positions referred to as contained in section three of arti- 
cle second, were those of professor or teacher in any educational institu- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 253 

tion, or in any common or other school, and trustees for the use of any- 
church, religious society or congregation. 

Col. Barr was elected by the people as his own successor at the Novem- 
ber election, 1860. 

March 29, 1870, the circuit court of the fifth judicial circuit, Philander 
Lucas, judge, at chambers, in Liberty, Clay county Missouri, issued an 
order temporarily removing A. J. Barr, clerk of the circuit court, from 
office, and appointing John H. Harmon}^ temporary clerk. 

Col. Barr was not reinstated, but in justice to that gentleman, it is proper 
to state that it is believed that his removal is due to no default of his. 

At this writing, April, 1881, the oflfices in the court house at Richmond 
are draped in morning for John W. Spurlock, who died of consumption on 
the 17th inst. 

John R. Green was appointed by Governor Crittenden to fill the vacancy. 

Pursuant to a law passed by the general assembly of Missouri, in 1865, 
the county court of Ray county, at its February term, 1870, made an 
order separating the offices of circuit clerk and recorder; and the same 
month James T. Harris was commissioned by Governor McClurg to serve 
as recorder till the next general election, at which time he was elected for a 
term of four jears. 

RECORDERS. 

James T. Harris, from February, 1870, to January, 1871. 
James T. Harris, from January, 1871, to Januar}'^, 1875. 

Lewis Slaughter, from January, 1875, to , . 

SHERIFFS. 
John Harris, from February, 1821, to May, 1822. 
William Miller, from May, 1822, to February, 1823. 
Thomas Edwards, February, 1823, to November, 1824. 
Adam Black, from November, 1824, to February, 1827. 
Larkin Stanley, from February, 1827, to November, 1830. 
John Cleavenger, from November, 1830, to November 1832. 
Thomas W. Jacobs, from November, 1832, to November, 1836. 
Hardy Holman, from November, 1836, to August, 1838. 
Benjamin J. Brown, from August, 1838, to August, 1842. 
Hardy Holman, from August, 1842, to iA.ugust, 1846. 
George I. Wasson, from August, 1846, to August, 1850. 
Benjamin J. Brown, from August, 1850, to August, 1854. 
George Carson, from August, 1854, to August, 1856. 
George Allen, from August, 1856, to August, 1860. 
John C. Cates, from August, 1860, to August, 1862. 
Clayton Jacobs, from November, 1862, to May, 1865. 
A. K. Rayburn, from May, 1865, to January, 1868. 
John W. Francis, from November, 1868, to November, 1872. 



254 HISTORY OP' RAY COUNTY. 

John C. Brown, from November, 1 872, to November, 1876. 

Thomas McGinnis, from November, 1876, to November, 1880. 

James T. McGinnis, from- November, 1880, to , . 

The first four persons whose names appear in the above list were 
appointed the rest elected by popular vote. Geo. I. Wasson was twice 
elected; each time for a term of* two years, embraced within the dates 
given in the list. The same is true of George Allen, Clayton Jacobs, J. 
W. Francis, John C. Brown, and Thomas McGinnis. Benjamin J. Brown 
was elected four times. Clayton Jacobs was ousted for refusing to take 
the oath prescribed in the " Drake constitution." 

SURVEYORS. 

William Shields, from April, 1821, to January, 1823. 

Timothy Riggs, from March, 1823, to February, 1827. 

Meaddors Vahderpool, f rom February, 1827, to October, 1827. 

Thomas N. Aubry, from October 1827, to August, 1835. 

Meaddors Vanderpool, from August, 1835, to August, 1839. 

Moses A. Rainwater, from August, 1839, to August, 1843. 

Henry Wilson, from August, 1843, to August, 1847. 

Alex. Oliphant, from August, 1847, to August, 1855. 

O. H. Searcy, from August, 1855, to August, 1857. 

Alex. Oliphant, from August, 1857, to January, 1868. 

Mannis Buchanan, from January, 1868, to January, 1873. 

Frank G. Gibson, from January, 1873, to January, 1877. 

John T. Banister, from January, 1877, to , . 

At the first term of the county court, April, 1821, William Shields made 
application for appointment as county surveyor. The court appointed 
David Manchester and William D. Wilson to examine him as to his qual- 
ifications for that office. The committee reported favorably, and Shields 
was duly appointed the first county surveyor. Similar proceedings were 
had on the application of Timothy Riggs, at the March term of courts 

1823. 

ASSESSORS. 

Zadoc Martin, from April, 1821, to January, 1822. 
Benjamin Gragg, from January, 1822, to May, 1822. 
Lovell Snowden, from May, 1822, to February, 1823. 
William Downey, from May, 1823, to February, 1825. 
Robert Pritchard, from February, 1825, to February, 1827. 
Adam Black, from February, 1827, to February, 1828. 
Thomas Edwards, from February, 1828, to February, 1829. 
James Jordan, from Februar}^ 1829, to February, 1830. 
Jesse Newlin, from February, 1830, to February, 1831. 
James Jordan, from February, 1831, to February, 1832. 
Jesse Newlin, from February, 1832, to February, 1833. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 255 

Wiley C. Williams, from February, 1833, to February, 1S34. 

Rowland Ralph, from February, 1834, to August, 1834. 

A. M. Harwood, from August, 1834, to February, 1835. 

Thomas N. Aubry, from February, 1835, to February, 183*). 

Jacob Adamson, from February, 1836, to February, — — . 

A. B. Beachamp, from , 1840, to , 1842. 

William P. Tisdale, from , 1842, to , . 

R. Metcalf, from , 1846, to , 1850. 

William P. Quarles, from , 1851, to , 1859. 

William B. Parker, from , 1861, to , . % 

Humphrey J. Comer, from , 1861, to , 1862. 

Clayton Jacobs, from , 1862, to , 1863. 

Allen Markland, from , 1863, to , 1865. 

Anderson Spencer, from January, 1865, to January, 1867. 

John Albertson, from January, 1867, to January, 1869. 

GeorgeW. Sargent, from January, 1869, to January, 1871. 

Lilburn McLaughlin, from January, 1871, to January, 1873. 

A. P. Craven, from January, 1873, to January, 1875. 

A. P. Craven, from January, 1875, to January, 1877. 

John S. Flournoy, from January, 1877, to January, 1879. 

John S. Flournoy, from January, 1879, to January, 1881. 

George Sanderson, from January, 1881, to , . 

From 1823, to 1825 the county was assessed by townships, each town- 
ship having an assessor. William Downey was assessor tor Crooked 
River township; Henry Brown, for Blufl'toii township, and Nehemiah 
Woolsey, for Missouriton township. 

In 1859 a law was passed providing for the assessment of the county by 
ranges; and the county court appointed the following persons assessors 
to serve two years: William Berr}', for range 26; John S. Flournoy, for 
range 27; William H. McGaugh, tor range 28; Mathano Brown, for range 
29. William P. Parker was removed for incompetency, and Humphrey 
J. Comer appointed by the county court in his stead. 

COLLECTORS. 

Shubael Alien, from April, 1821, to December, 1821. 
Jesse Gilliam, from December, 1821, to May, 1822. 
John Scott, from May, 1822, to February, 1823. 

William S. Miller, from February, 1823, to February, 1825. 

William B. Martin, from February, 1825, to May, 1825. 

William S. Miller, from May, 1825, to February, 1826. 

William Morgan, from February, 1826, to February, 1827. 

Meaddors Vanderpool, trom February, 1827, to October, 1827. 

John Elliott, from October, 1827, to February, 1828. 

James Snowden, Sr., from February, 1828, to February, 1829. 



256 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Robert Pritchard, from February, 1829, to February, 1830. 

Patrick M. Darcey, from February, 1830, to February, 1831. 

Andrew Martin, from February, 1831, to February, 1832. 

Maurice Jacobs, from February, 1832, to February, 1833. 

A. M. Harwood, from February, 1833, to February, 1834. 

Henry R. Winburn, from February, 1834, to February, 1835. 

Benjamin J. Brown, from February, 1835, to February, 1836. 

W. W. Marczey, from February, 1836, to 

Thomas B. Fowler, from January, 1873, to September, 1875. 

AllcH M, Fowler, from September, 1875, to January, 1879. 

James A. Davis, from January, 1879, to — 

In 1836 the office of collector was abolished. The sheriff was made 
collector of state and county revenue, and so continued until 1873. In 
1872 the general assembly passed an act separating the offices of sheriff 
and collector, and in November of that year, Thomas B. Fowler was 
elected to the latter office, to enter upon its duties the following January, 
He died September 16, 1875, and his son, Allen M. Fowler, was 
appointed to serve till the next general election, at which time the people 
chose him as his own successor. 

The present incumbent, James A. Davis, has been twice elected. His 
term expires January, 1883. 

TREASURERS. 

Jonathan T. Burch, from May, 1822, to February, 1826. 
Henry Brown, from February, 1826, to May, 1833. 
Thomas N. Cockerell, from May, 1833, to February, 1834. 
Jacob Gudgel, from February, 1834, to February, 1835. 
Hiram G. Parks, from February, 1835, to February, 1836. 
George Woodward, from February, 1836, to February, 1837. 
Luther T. Warder, from February, 1837, to March, 1843. 
Thomas A. King, from March, 1843, to August, 1848. 
Chas, R. Morehead, from August, 1848, to August, 1851. 
Aaron H. Conrow, from August, 1851, to August, 1856. 
Humphrey J. Comer, from August, 1856, to August, 1858. 
James F. Hudgins, from August, 1858, to November, 1862. 
Henry C. Garner, from November, 1862, to November, 1866. 
John Kelsey, from November, 1866, to November, 1872. 
George W. Ewing, from November, 1872, to November, 1876. 

W. A. Holman, from November, 1876, to 

. COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. 

In 1874, L. B. Wright was county suferintcndent of public schools. 
March 26th of that year, the governor approved an act of the general 
assembly, as follows: 



HISTORY OF RAV COUxNTV. 257 

Section 37. There is hereby created the office of county commis- 
sioners of public schools. There shall be one county commissioner for 
each county in the state, who shall be elected by the qualified voters at 
the annual district school meetings held in said counties on the first Tues- 
day in April, 1875, and every two years thereafter, and shall hold the 
office for two years and until a successor is duly elected and qualified. 
The said commissioner shall possess the qualifications of a competent 
teacher of the public schools, and be of good moral character. 

Mr. Wright continued in office till April, 1875, at which time he was 
succeeded by W. S. Tompkins, who served two years. On the first 
Tuesday in April, 1877, Thomas M. Deacy was elected county commis- 
sioner. Mr. Deacy was again elected in 1879, and also in 1881, and is 
now in office, serving out his third term, which will expire on the first 
Tuesday in April, 1883. 

PROBATE COURTS. 

In the year 1853, the first probate court for Ray county, was held at 
the county seat. It was established the same year by act of the general 
assembly. 

James B. Turner, Esq., who served from 1853 to 1864, was the first 
probate judge. 

Nathaniel Banister was probate judge from 1864 to 1865; Solomon C. 
Watkins from 1865 to 1866; William D. Fortune from 1866 to 1867. 

By an act of the general assembly, approved March 14, 1874, to take 
eflfect from and after its passage, the county court of Ray county was 
reorganized, the number of justices thereof reduced to one, and that justice 
made ex-officio judge of probate court. 

At the general election in November, 1874, Hon. Chas. J. Hughes was 
elected county and probate judge, agreeably to the provisions of the act 
referred to, for a term of four years from the first day of January, 1875. 

An act establishing probate courts in the city of St. Louis, and in every 
county in the state, was approved April 9, 1877. This act contains a j)ro- 
vision, that in all counties where the county court, or any member thereof, 
has probate jurisdiction, there shall be elected at the general election in 
1878, and every four years thereafter a judge of probate. The Hon. 
Charles J. Hughes is at present, 1881, presiding justice of the county 
court and judge of probate court. 

COURTS OF COMMON PLEAS. 

March 5, 1855, an act establishing a court of common pleas for Ray 
county was approved, and Hon. Aaron H. Conrow was appointed judge 
thereof, by the governor, to hold the office until the first Monday in 
August, 1855, and until his successor should be elected and qualified. 

Judge Conrow held but one term of the common pleas court. The 
court did not meet with public approbation, and was abolished at the en- 
suing session of the general assembly. 



25s HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The next court of common pleas was established for Ray county b}' act 
of the general assembly, approved March 13, 1867. 

David P. Whitmer, Esq., was appointed by Governor Thomas C. 
Fletcher, judge of said court, and at the general election in 1868, he was 
elected to the office by the people. Judge Whitmer continued to serve 
as judge of the court of common pleas, till January, 1872, when Charles 
J. Hughes, having been elected at the previous November election, suc- 
ceeded him. Judge Hughes held the office till January 1, 1875. At that 
time an act of the general assembly abolishing the court of common pleas 
in Ray county, approved March 2J-th, of the preceding year, went into 
effect. 

All records, books, papers and proceedings belonging to said court 
were, in obedience to the act, turned over to the circuit court; and all suits, 
actions, process and proceedings pending in the court of common pleas, 
at the time of its abolition, were transferred to said circuit court for final 
judgment or determination. 

REPRESENTATIVES OF RAY COUNTY IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. 

We have been unable to ascertain who represented Ray county in the 
general assembly from 1822 to 1824, and from the latter year to 1826, 
from the fact that the early rolls of both houses have been destroyed by 
fire. 

It is believed by many who have lived in the county for years, that 
Isaac Martin was the tirst representative, while others place that honor to 
the credit of the memory of Martin Parmer. Both Martin and Parmer 
are long since dead, and both in their day, were leading local politicians. 
Both were among the first settlers of the county, but Parmer moved from 
county to county, now living in Ray, now in Chariton, now in Carroll^ 
while Martin became a permanent resident of Ray. Certain it is that 
Parmer was the first to represent Chariton county in the legislature ; and 
as that county and Ray were organized at the same time, it is fair to con- 
clude that Isaac Martin was Ray county's first representative in the gen- 
eral assembly, it being settled that that position was held by one or the 
other of the two men in question. But Martin Parmer did represent this 
county in the general assembly, and it was doubtless from 1824 to 1826. 

The term of office of members of the lower house of the Missouri 
legislature has never been more nor less than two years. Therefore, in 
the Ibllowing list, onlv the years in which the person was elected is given: 
William B. Martin, ls26. Wiliam R. Blythe, 1836. 

Isaac Martin, 1828. Chas Morehead, 1838. 

James Holman, 1830. Hardy Holman, 1838. 

James Holman, J 832. Hardy Holman, 1840. 

William Pollard, 1834. William R.Blvthe, 1840. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 259 

Philip Edwards, 1842. Aaron H. Conrow, 1860. 

David Thompson, 1844. Adam J. Barr, 1862. 

Charles Bowman, 1846. Christopher T. Garner, 1862. 

Eohraim B. Ewing, 1848. James W. Black, 1864. 

Thos. L. King, 1850. John Grimes, 1864. 

John C. Tiffin, 1860. - Benjamin J. Waters, 1866. 

Daniel Barnstetter, 1852. Benjamin J. Waters, 1868. 

Jesse Esrey, 1852. Frederick Scoville, 1870. 

Louis C. Bohannon, 1854. Jacob T. Child, 1872. 

John Cleavenger, 1856. Walter King, 1874. 

Walter King, 1858. James L. Farris, 1876. 

Benjamin A. Rives, 1858. Louis C. Bohannon, 1878. 

Louis C. Bohannon, 1860. William T. Brown, 1880. 

The following state senators either lived or are now living in Ray 
county, to-wit: 

William R. Blythe, elected in 1842; Joseph Chew, in 1850; Benjamin 
A. Brown in 1854, and again 1858; William W. Mosby in 1862, and again 
in 1874. 

Messrs. Blythe and Chew each served four years; Brown and Mosby 
eight years each. 

Austin A. King, of Ray county, elected by the people in August, 1848, 
for a term of four years, was the seventh governor of Missouri. 

Ephraim B. Ewing, a citizen of Ray county, was appointed secretary of 
state in April, 1849, and served in that position four years. He was elected 
attorney general in August, 1856, and after holding the office till Septem- 
ber 1st, 1859, resigned to take his seat on the supreme bench, to which he 
had been called by a majority of his fellow citizens to fill the vacancy 
caused by the resignation of Judge Richardson. He was re-elected 
supreme judge November 5, 1872, to serve eight years. 

Mordecai Ohver, also of Ray county, was a member of the lower house 
of congress from 1852 to 1857; and Austin A. King from from 1862 to 

1864. 

JUDICIAL DISTRICTS AMD JUDICIAL CIRCUITS. 

The general assembly of Missouri, by act approved November 25, 1820, 
entitled, " an act establishing judicial districts and circuits, and prescribing 
the times and places of holding courts therein," the state was divided into 
four judicial districts — the counties of Cole, Cooper, Chariton, Saline, Lil- 
lard, Ray\ Howard and Boone, to form the first district. The supreme 
courts and the superior courts of chancery were held in the districts. 

The supreme court for the first judicial district was to be held at the 
town of Franklin, in the county of Howard, on the first Mondays of March 
and September. The superior courts of chancery were to be held at the 
same place, in the same county, on the first Mondays of January and July. 



260 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

For the purpose of holding circuit courts, the counties composing the 
first judicial district were declared to form the first judicial circuit. 

The times provided by the act for holding circuit court in Ray county, 
were the third Mondays of February, June and October. 

The act was to take eflTect and be in force from and after its passage ; 
provided, that no part thereof, which related to new counties established 
at that session of the general assembly, should have any effect tiU January 
1, 1821. 

Ray was one of the new^ counties. 

By act of the general assembly, approved January 11, 1822, the state 
of Missouri was divided into four judicial districts, and subsequently the 
districts were subdivided into judicial circuit. 

The counties of Cole, Cooper, Lillard, (now Lafayette) Clay, Ray, 
Chariton, Howard and Boone, composed the first judicial district. 

The Hon. David Todd was judge of this district till the year A. D. 
1831, commencing with the year A. D. 1821. 

By act of the general assembly, passed at its session of 1830-1, Saline, 
Lafayette, Ray and Chariton counties were stricken off of the first 
judicial circuit, and, together w^ith Randolph and Jackson, were made to 
form the fifth judicial circuit. 

The circuit courts were to be held in Ray county as follows: Com- 
mencing on the first Thursdays after the first Mondays in February, 
June and October. 

The counties comprising the first judicial circuit, with the exception of 
the county of Franklin, and the counties composing the fifth judical cir- 
cuit, constituted the first judicial district. 

The general assembly of Missouri, March 17th, 1835, passed an act 
dividing the state into four judicial districts and seven judicial circuits, 
making the first judicial district to consist of the counties of Clay, Clin- 
ton, Cole, Callaway, Carroll, Cooper, Chariton, Saline, Lafayette, Ray, 
Johnson, Jackson, Morgan, Howard, Randolph, Monroe, Boone, Rives, 
Pettis, Benton, Polk, Greene, Barry and Van Buren ; and the fifth judicial 
circuity of the counties of Clay, Clinton, Carroll, Chariton, Lafayette, Ray, 
Johnson, Jackson and Van Buren. 

The supreme court met in the first judicial district, at the town of Fay- 
ette, Howard county, on the first Mondays after the fourth Mondays of 
April and August in each year. 

The time of holding the circuit courts in Ray county was changed to 
the first Mondays of March, July and November. 

The Hon. John F. Ryland succeeded the Hon. David Todd, as judge of 
the fifth judicial circuit in 1831, and held the office until 1837. 

In the latter year, by act of the general assembly, Saline, Lafayette and 
Jackson, being south of the Missouri river, were stricken from the fifth 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 261 

and attached to the sixth judicial circuit, of which Hon. John F. Ryland 
was the judge. The fifth judicial circuit was then ,formed of counties 
lying north of the Missouri river. 

The Hon. Austin A. King, of Ray county, was appointed judge of the 
fifth circuit in 1837, and served with distinguished ability till his resigna- 
tion in 1848, to assume the duties of governor of Missouri, an office to 
which he had been elected by his fellow citizens. 

By act of the general assembly, approved January 31st, 1839, the 
fifth judicial circuit was declared to embrace Clinton, Caldwell, Clay, Ray, 
Platte and Buchanan counties. 

Again, by act of March 27, 1845, Platte and Buchanan counties were 
stricken from the circuit, and Carroll, Harrison, De Kalb and Daviess, 
added thereto. 

Judge King was succeeded by the Hon. George W. Dunn, who received 
his appointment from Gov. John C. Edwards, and was circuit judge from 
the year 1848 to 1861. 

By appointment of Gov. Gamble, Austin A. King was again judge of 
the fifth judicial circuit from 1861 to 1863, when he was again succeeded 
by Judge Dunn, who served till 1865. 

Judge Dunn's successor was the Hon. Walter King, son of Austin A. 
King. 

Judge Walter King filled the office from 1865 to 1867, in which year 
he was succeeded by the Hon. Philander Lucas, who continued to serve 
till 1874. 

In the year last mentioned the Hon. George W. Dunn was elected by 
the people, for a term of six years, judge of the fifth judicial circuit, the 
boundaries of which were so reduced in 1866 as to include the counties of 
Ray, Clay, Clinton and Platte, which now (April, 1881,) form the circuit. 

Judge Dunn was again elected in November, 188u, and hence is the 
present judge of the fifth judicial circuit of Missouri. 

He has held the office up to this date, about twenty-two years in the 
aggregate ; and in the discharge of all his official duties has been guided 
by a love of justice, deliberate judgment, impartial ruling, and a sincere 
desire to uphold the law in its every tendency to promote the well-being 
of society. Trul}' has it been written of him: " He has worn the ermine 
unspotted." Judge Dunn is a resident of Richmond, Ray county, Mis- 
souri. 

Till the year 1831, Ray was one of the counties of the first judicial 
circuit; since that time it has remained a part of the fifth judicial circuit. 

The judges of these circuits having been given in this article, we now 
append a complete list of the 

CIRCUIT ATTORNEYS. 
Hamilton R. Gamble, from February, 1821, to December, 1823. 



262 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Abiel Leonard, from December, 1823, to June, 1825. 

Charles French, from June, 1825, to June, 1826. 

Robert W. Wells (attorney-general), from June, 1826, to March, 1831. 

Amos Rees, from March, 1831, to February, 1837. 

Thomas C. Burch, from February, 1837, to February, 1840. 

Peter H. Burnett, from February, 1840, to January, 1841. 

George W. Dunn, from January, 1841, to July, 1848. 

Chas. J. Hughes, from September, 1848, to November, 1848. 

Mordecai Oliver, from November, 1848, to January, 1853. 

Christopher T. Garner, from January, 1853, to January, 1857. 

Aaron H. Conrow, from January, 1857, to January, 1861. 

DeWitt C. Allen, from January, 1861, to— 

D. P. Whitmer, from February, 1862, to January, 1865. 

W. A. Donaldson, from January, 1865, to May, 1865. 

Elijah F. Esteb, from May, 1865, to January, 1869. 

John G. Woods, January, 1869, to January, 1873. 

Hamilton R. Gamble resigned, and Abiel Leonard was appointed by 
the supreme court to fill the vacancy. 

The latter, after serving about a year and a half, was removed from 
office — for what cause, or whether for any cause, the writer has been 
unable to ascertain — and Charles French appointed in his stead. 

It is presumed that the charges against Judge Leonard — if there were 
any — were either trifling, or not well founded, as he was universally 
recognized as an able and faithful officer — a gentleman in every depart- 
ment and duty of life — an upright and honorable man. He was after- 
ward, for many years, judge of the supreme court of Missouri. 

In 1822 Abiel Leonard was appointed, by Hamilton R. Gamble, deputy 
circuit attorney, to prosecute in Ray, Clay, Lafayette, Saline, and Cole 
counties. 

An act of the general -assembly, relating to the attorney-general and 
circuit attorneys, approved December 9, 1824, provided that the attorney- 
general should reside and keep his office at the seat of government; that 
it should be his duty to commence and prosecute all actions, suits, proc- 
esses, and prosecutions, civil and criminal, in which the state or any 
county might be concerned; to defend all actions brought against the 
state; to prosecute forfeited recognizances, and all suits and actions for 
the recovery of debts, fines, penalties, and forfeitures accruing to the state, 
or to any county within the circuit in which the seat of government was 
located; when called upon by the governor, to aid any circuit attorney in 
the discharge of his duties ; when required, to give his opinion and advice, 
without fee or reward, to any coiinty court, or justice thereof, or to any 
tribunal established for the transaction of county business, or to any 
member thereof, or to any justice of the peace within his circuit, upon any 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. -Jfili 

question of law relating to any criminal or other matter in which the 
state or any county was concerned ; and to perform such other and further 
duties as might be enjoined on him by law. 

In 1826 the seat of government was removed to Jeflerson Cit}-, in Cole 
county, and as that county was in the first judicial circuit, of which Rav 
county was also a part, the then attorney-general, Robert W. Wells, became 
ex-officio circuit attorne}^ for the first judicial circuit, and continued to act 
as such so long as he remained in office, but in the year 1831, as previ- 
ously stated, Saline, Lafayette, Ray, and Chariton were stricken from the 
first, and became part of the fifth judicial circuit, of which Amos Rees 
was then appointed circuit attorney. 

During Wells' incumbency, Amos Rees was frequently appointed cir- 
cuit attorney -pro tetn-pore. 

William T. Wood acted as circuit attorney for the October term of 
court, 1834; Charles French, for the November term, 1826; John Wilson, 
for the July term, 1826 ; and again, for the March term, 1828. 

Peter H. Burnett resigned, and Geo. W, Dunn was appointed for the 
remainder of his term, and elected by the people in 1844. 

George W. Dunn having been appointed judge of the fifth judicial cir- 
cuit, vice Austin A. King, elected governor, Chas. J. Hughes was 
appointed to discharge the duties of prosecuting attorney fro temfore. 

DeWitt C. Allen was elected circuit attorney in November, 1860, but 
we have been unable to find an entry of record showing that his commis- 
sion was produced in the Ray circuit court. 

In the year 1861, during the intense public excitement, incident to the 
outbreaking of civil war, no regular, uninterrupted sessions of the 
circuit court, were held; and it is believed that Mr. Allen never attended. 
At all events, February, 1862, David P. Whitmer was commissioned bv 
acting-governor Willard F. Hall, circuit attorney of the fifth judicial cir- 
cuit, to serve out the term for which Allen had been elected. 

Elijah F. Esteb was appointed, vice W. A. Donaldson, in conformity to 
the before-mentioned ordinance of the Missouri state convention of 1865. 

The office of county attorney was established in 1868, and James W. 
Black, Esq., was appointed county attorney for Ray county, taking 
charge of the office in January, 1869, and serving till January, 1873. He 
attended to county business only — the prosecution of criminal cases 
being still left to the circuit attorney. 

The office of circuit attorney was abolished in 1872. In November, of 
that year, James L. Farris was elected county attorne}' of Ray county, 
and served four years ft-om the following January-. He was succeeded 
by Frank G. Gibson as prosecuting attorney. 

Gibson served two years, and was succeed b}' James W. Garner, who 
has been twice elected, and is now in office. 



264 • HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Of the circuit attorneys given in the foregoing list, the following either 
lived, or are now living in Ray county: 

Amos Rees, Thomas C. Burch, George W. Dunn, Charles J. Hughes, 
Mordecai OHver, C. T. Garner, Aaron H. Conrow, David P. Whitmer, 
W. A. Donaldson, and Elijah F. Esteb. 

The circuit has been composed of never less than four counties; yet it 
will be seen that a majority of the attorneys were citizens of Ray. 



RAY COUNTY'S WAR RECORD. 

At the time of the passage of the act of congress, approved February 
14, 1871, granting pensions to the surviving soldiers of the war of 1812, 
and the widows of the deceased soldiers of the war of 1812, that were 
married before peace was declared between the United States and Great 
Britain, February 17, 1815, there were living in Ray county, Missouri, 
twenty soldiers and four widows, nearly all of whom were entitled to pen- 
sions under the provisions of said act of congress of February 14, 1871. 
They were as follows: 

Thomas Blain, at the age of twenty, enlisted for service in the war of 
1812, as a private in Capt. Samuel Lapsly's company, second regiment of 
Kentucky volunteers, on or about the 1st of April, 1813, in Lancaster, Gar- 
rard count}^, Kentucky. This regiment was comprised {in the army 
commanded by General William Henry Harrison. A short time after 
Thomas Blain enlisted, his regiment was ordered to take up their line of 
march to Fort Meigs, in the northwest part of Ohio. He remained in 
service in General Harrison's army for a number of months, and having 
served over his term of enlistment, he was honorably discharged from the 
said military service at Habanna, Ohio, the spring of 1814, and returned 
to his home in Kentucky. Some years afterward he removed to Missouri, 
and followed the business of farming many years, successfully. He was 
living near Camden, Missouri, at the time he commenced drawing his 
pension as a soldier of the war of 1812, in the year 1871. He died the 
same 3'ear, December 12, 1871, at the advanced age of seventy-nine 
years, at his home, greatly respected as an honest, upright man, by his 
large circle of neighbors and friends, 

John Brewer enlisted at the age of twenty, in Capt. Weslar's Chester 
county company, Valley Light infantry, at Chester county, Pennsylvania, 
on or about the 20th day of June, 1814. After enlisting in said Capt. 
Weslar's compari}', he was ordered to Philadelphia, and remained in camp 
there for two weeks, and then proceeded to a point on the Delaware 
river about twenty miles below Philadelphia, near Marcus Hook. He re- 
mained at this place doing duty as a soldier of said company, until some 








^l<ra^9P^^>:2^ 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 265 

time in October, 1814, when he was honorably mustered out of the service. 
He was a worthy, old gentleman, greatly endeared to his family and 
friends. He was a citizen of Ray county a number of years, and made 
application for pension in Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, in 1871. He 
died after a very short illness, in Caldwell county, Missouri, December 3, 
1871, at the advanced age of eighty years. 

Thomas B. Brown was drafted as a soldier of the war of 1812, and 
mustered in as private in Capt. James C. Wade's company, Bedford 
county, Tennessee, on or about the 15th day of May, 1812, at the age of 
twenty-four years. After this company was duly organized, it took up 
its line of march from Fayetteville, Tennessee, to Fort Jackson, then in 
the territory of Indiana ; thence to Fort Decatur, in same territory; and 
after doing military service until late in the fall of 1812, his company re- 
turned home to Bedford county, Tennessee, and were honorably dis- 
charged from the service, after having been on duty six months and 
twenty days. Some years afterward, he removed to Missouri, and in the 
course of time settled in Ray county, and became one of its most valued, 
useful and energetic citizens. He was for many years an able and faithful 
minister of the gospel of the Baptist denomination, and performed the 
work of his great Master in an earnest and zealous manner. He became 
a pensioner in 1872, to date from Februar}^ 14, 1871. He died at his 
home in Ra}' county, at the great age of eighty-five. He was greatly 
beloved by a large circle of relatives and friends. The present representa- 
tive of Ray county, in the legislature of Missouri, is his grandson. 

Alexander Bogart, was drafted as a private in Captain Solomon 
Hendron's company of infantry, Colonel Bagley's regiment, General Coul- 
ter's brigade, constituting a part of the army of General Andrew Jackson, 
war of 1812. He was drafted and mustered into said company on or about the 
20th day of October, 1814, in Chaster count}', Tennessee. He then marched 
with his company to Lookout mountain, thence to Fort Jackson, thence 
to Fort Claiborne, remaining in the service until after the news was 
received that peace had been declared between the United States and 
Great Britain, and was then honorably discharged with his company at 
Fort Claiborne, Alabama. Some years after his discharge from military 
service, when his country was making the onward march of prosperity, 
under the benign influences of peace, and the great developments of an 
active and energetic people, he shaped his course westward for Missouri, 
and for many years lived in Ray county, Missouri, near Albany, in Fish- 
ing River township. He died at the advanced age of eighty-four years, 
at his home near Albany, having been a worthy and exemplary citizen of 
this county for many years, greatly respected by all who knew him. 

John Bissell, a soldier of the war of 1812, volunteered to serve in 
17 



'2()i\ HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Captain Haslep's artillery company volunteers, at Youngstown, Ohio, on 
or about the 27th day of August, 1812. This company of artillery con- 
stituted a part of General William Henry Harrison's gallant little army, 
that won distinction under the brave " Old Tippecanoe" on some hard 
fought battle-fields. After he enlisted in this company, he soon saw some 
severe active service. He was with .his company in the siege of Fort 
Meigs, and was with it when sent to succor General Winchester's forces 
at the River Raisin, but failed to reach them before the massacre. At 
the expiration of his term of enlistment, he was honorably discharged at 
Lower Sandusky, Ohio, on the 27th of February, 1813. He married in 
Trumbull county, Ohio, (now Mahoning) to Miss Margaret Waters, 
November 16, 1815. He removed from Ohio to Ray county, Missouri, 
in the year 1866, and was a successful farmer near Albany, Ray county, 
Missouri, for many 3'ears, and was highly respected by his neighbors as 
an honest, upright man. He died at his home, near Albany, in the spring 
of 1879, at the advanced age of eighty-five years. 

William Bales was a soldier of the war of 1812. He was mus- 
tered into Capt. Sharp's company, Tennessee militia, in December, 1814, 
at Knoxville, Tennessee, and serving for a short time, in said compan)% 
was honorably discharged a short time before peace was declared. He 
became a citizen of Ray county, Missouri, many years ago, having left 
Tennessee and become a resident of this county shortly after it was 
organized. He came to it when it was sparsely inhabited, when only a 
small portion of its fertile territory was under cultivation, and rewarded 
the hand of the industrious farmer with abundant crops. He has lived 
to see this county become one of the first of the northwestern counties of 
Missouri, in everything that pertains to a high degree of improvement and 
civilization. He has attained the great age of eighty-nine years. He 
has been one of the most energetic and worthy farmers of the county, 
and is greatly respected by all his neighbors. He is greatly endeared to 
his family, who have grown up around him, and are regarded as being 
prominent and useful citizens of the county, 

John Cornelison enlisted as a private in Capt. Jacob Israel's company 
rifle volunteer infantry, at the age of twenty-four years, war of 1812, in 
Harrison county, Virginia, on or about the 20th day of November, 1814. 
After their company was duly organized, it rendezvoused at Clarksburg, 
Hardin county, Virginia, and was afterwards ordered to Norfolk, Vir- 
ginia. Before reaching Norfolk, however, the order was countermanded, 
and it was ordered back to Harrison county, Virginia, and discharged 
from the service on or about the 28th day of March, 1815, after peace had 
been declared between the United States and Great Britain. A number 
of years after the war of 1812, he removed from Virginia with his family 
to the west, and after living in various places finally settled in Ray county, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 267 

Missouri. He died in the year 1872, about two miles northwest of Rich- 
mond, at his home, at the advanced age of eighty-two years. 

John Davis volunteered as a soldier of the war of 1812, in Capt. John 
Crawford's company, Kentucky infantry volunteers, which formed a part 
of General Shelby's brigade, at Newport, Kentucky, on or about the 20th 
day of July, 1813.' Soon after the organization of his brigade, they marched 
rapidly to reinforce General Harrison. After being reinforced by so 
strong a bod}^ of Kentucky troops under Gen. Shelby, Gen. Harrison 
embarked on lake Erie with his army, and soon after arrived at Maiden. 
On finding his post had been abandoned by the British, and that they had 
retreated up the river Thames, General Harrison rapfdly pursued them, 
and succeeded in bringing them to action at the Moravian village on the 
Thames, and gained a decisive victory, October 5, 1813. The celebrated 
chief Tecumseh was slain in this battle by Colonel R. M. Johnson. Capt. 
John Crawford's company, in which John Davis was first sergeant, bore 
a conspicuous part in this battle on account of their gallantry, and con- 
tributed no little to the glorious result. On the expiration of his term of 
service he was honorably discharged at Chillicothe, Ohio, on or about 
October 30, 1813. John Davis and Selene McDougal were married in 
Morgan county, Kentucky, June 1, 1817. John Davis some years after 
his marriage, removed with his family to Ray county, Missouri, and after 
living in difterent portions of the county, finally made a permanent settle- 
ment about three miles west of Knoxville, Ray county, and followed the 
business of farming for many years successfully. He was a valuable citi- 
zen in his community, and greatly respected by his neighbors. He died 
on the 10th day of September, 1875, at his home near Knoxville, at the 
advanced age of 84 years. He left a very worthy family, who live in the 
same neighborhood. His widow, Selene Davis, lives with her son, Jasper 
N. Davis, on the old homestead. She is a pensioner, as the widow of 
John Davis deceased, a soldier of the war of 1812. 

James Humphreys enlisted in Capt. George Matthews' co.mpany, 
infantry. Major Hurt's battalion. Col. George Pogue's regiment, in the 
army of General William Henry Harrison, at Flemingsburg, Fleming 
county, Kentucky, on or about the 12th day of August, 1812. After 
enlisting, he, with his company, marched to Newport, Kentucky, and drew 
their arms, and took up their line of march toward the northwestern part 
of Ohio. They failed to reach their point of destination before winter set 
in, and were ordered back to Shawneetown to build a fort which was 
called " Fort Amanda." They remained in this fort until spring, when 
they were ordered to the relief of General Winchester, but were too late in 
reaching him by one day's travel. Their term of enlistment having expired, 
they returned home and were honorably discharged on or about April 15, 



268 « HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

181B. For a number of years before his death he was a citizen of Ray 
county, Missouri, living nearMillville. 

James Kinzon was a private in Capt. James H. Campbell's company, 
24th regiment U. S. infantry volunteers. He enlisted at Cumberland Gap, 
east Tennessee, on or about the 4th day of September, 1812. After serv- 
ing two years he was transferred with his company to the second rifle regi- 
ment corps, and served in it until the expiration of his term of enlistment, 
having enlisted for five years. He was honorably discharged at Rock 
Island, Mississippi, September 4, 1817. After enlisting he marched with 
his company to Knoxville, Tennessee, thence to Canada West, taking part 
in the battle of Mackinac, in the defense of Fort Meigs at the time of the 
siege, and in other engagements. Some years after the war of 1812 he 
came to Missouri. He married Miss Sarah Harlow, of Clinton county, 
Missouri, and lived many years near Turner's Grove, Ray county, Mis- 
souri. He died in Clinton county Missouri, on the 26th day of February, 
1875, at the advanced age of 80 years. 

James Mason was a private in Captain Elijah Harding's company, 
Forty -fifth regiment Virginia militia, commanded by Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Peyton, General Hungerford's brigade, war of 1812. He was mus- 
tered into the service in Stafford county, Virginia, Potomac court house, 
on or about the 1st day of July, 1814. He performed service with his com- 
pany in Westmoreland county, Virginia, along the Potomac, until he 
was stricken down with a severe attack of typhoid fever, and was 
sent home from Drummond's Field, Virginia, his company being on 
the march at that time up the Potomac river. On recovering, he found 
his company had returned to Stafford county, Virginia, and was dis- 
charged for the campaign. The war coming to a close shortly after, the 
services of his company were no longer required. He married in Vir- 
ginia, and lived there the greater portion of his life. He came to Rich- 
mond, Missouri, when a very old man, and lived up to the time of his 
death with his daughter, Mrs. O. S. W. Taylor. 

William McIntosh was mustered in as a private in Captain Black's 
company. Third regiment of Tennessee volunteers, war of 1812, on or 
about the 10th day of July, 1814, and was honorably discharged on or 
about the 10th day of February, 1815, after peace was declared, at Nash- 
ville, Tennessee. After enlisting in said service, his regiment took up 
their line of departure on flat-boats to New Orleans, Louisiana, and 
remained in that city until after the battle of New Orleans, having the 
honor of taking part in this glorious engagement, on the 8th of January, 
1815. Al'ter news of the peace was received, his company was ordered 
back to Tennessee, and were mustered out of the service honorably, at 
Nashville, Tennessee, as above stated. He lived a number of years 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 261> 

before the close of his life in Hardin, Ray county, Missouri, and died 
there at the advanced age of eighty-two years. 

Thomas McCuistion was a lieutenant in Captain John B. Deiripsey*s 
company of mounted volunteers, commanded b}'^ Colonel Newton Can- 
non, in General Cofl'ee's brigade, the division commanded by General 
Andrew Jackson. He volunteered and was mustered in at Shelbyville, 
Bedford county, Tennessee, on or about the 15th day of September, ISIB, 
and was honorably discharged on or about the 25th day of December, 
1813. He was in the battle of Tallahatchie, on the 2d of November, 
1813, and in the battle of Talladega, on the 8th o^f November, 1813; in the 
Indian war, of the United States against the Creeks, and contributed 
greatl}' by his gallantry and intrepidity in these actions in achieving com- 
plete victories over the brave warriors of the hostile Creeks. He married 
Nancy Jordan, in Bedford county, Tennessee, on or about the 15th day of 
February, 1816, and moved with his wife to Ray county, Missouri, a few 
years after the organization of the county. He was a man of sterling- 
integrity. All his dealings with his neighbors were characterized by the 
highest principles of honor and rectitude. He was greatly loved by a 
large circle of relatives and friends. After a long life of usefulness, he 
died in Richmond, Missouri, in 1880, at the advanced age of eighty-eight 
years. His widow, Mrs. Nancy McCuistion, is still living. 

Edward Sanderson enlisted as a private in Captain Scurry's com- 
pany of mounted riflemen, second battalion. Colonel Thomas William- 
son's regiment of Tennessee volunteers, at Gallatin, Tennessee, on or 
about the 9th day of February, 1814. His company, when he enlisted, 
was commanded by Captain George Elliott, who was afterwards pro- 
moted to be colonel of another regiment, and Captain Scurry succeeded 
him in the position of captain. Some time after enlisting, his company 
and regiment, with other forces, took up their line of march for New 
Orleans, Louisiana, and reached the point of their destination about the 
1st of January, 1815. He, along with the rest of his company, took part 
in the memorable engagement of the 8th of January, 1815, in which Gen- 
eral Andrew Jackson gained a complete, decisive, and glorious victory 
over the veteran troops of Great Britain, who were thoroughly equipped 
and trained under the eye of Wellington, and who had met the conqueror 
of Europe, and driven back his legions. The war of the United States 
with the Creek Indians, that was the result of the interference of Great 
Britain, was the school in which Generals Jackson, Coffee, and Carrol! 
became adepts in the tactics that made a Tennessee rifleman superior to 
a Wellington invincible, and qualified an army of citizen soldiers to defeat 
an army of veterans of superior numbers. Mr. Sanderson, shortly after 
this brilliant victory, returned, with his company, to Gallatin, Tennessee, 
and was honorably discharged there. Some years afterward he removed 



270 HISTORY OF rXy COUNTY 

from Tennessee to Ray county, Misssouri, and was engaged in the busi- 
ness of farming for many years. He reared a large famil}'^ of children, 
who are valuable citizens of the county. He was an upright man in 
every respect, and was greatly respected in his community. He died in 
1874, at the advanced age of eighty-one years. 

Jabez Shotwell enlisted as a soldier of the war of 1812, in Captain 
Stockton's company, first regiment of Kentuck}^ dragoons, in the army 
commanded by Gen. William Henry Harrison, Dayton, Ohio, on or about 
the 1st of September, 1812, and was honorably discharged at Ft. Defiance, 
Ohio, on or about November 10, 1812. That he served with his compan}' 
under Gen. Harrison, in his campaign in porthwest Ohio. He saw con- 
siderable active service during the term for which he was enlisted. Some 
years after the war of 1812, he removed to Ray county, Missouri, and 
became in a short time a prominent citizen of the county. He held a 
number of important offices. Among them may be mentioned the offices 
of county judge, county surveyor, count}^ school commissioner, all of which 
he filled with ability, discharging the duties incumbent upon him in a 
faithful manner. He reared an interesting family of children, to whom he 
was greatly endeared. He died in Lexington, Missouri, in the year 1875, 
at the advanced age of eighty-four years. 

Gerrard Spurrier enlisted in Capt. Bayliss' company, 11th regiment 
light horse brigade, Kentucky volunteers, war of 183 2, on or about the 
9th day of September, in Lewis county, Kentucky, and was honorably 
discharged the 9th day of November, 1813. After enlisting he took up 
the line of march with his company, to West Union, Adams count\% Ohio, 
where the company was fully organized, thence they marched to Seneca, 
and a number of other points and finall}' to Moraviantown, in Canada West, 
and took part in the battle of the Thames, on the 5th of October, 1813, 
which resulted in the defeat of Gen. Proctor, and the death of the celebrated 
Indian chieftain and prophet, Tecumseh. Mr. Spurrier and all his fellow 
soldiers in his company and regiment, bore themselves gallantly in this 
hotly contested engagement and reflected bright and lasting honor upon 
the brave Kentucky troops. On leaving Kentucky, some years after the 
war of 1812, he came to Missouri and finally settled in Ray county, and 
has been a worthy citizen of it for many years. He has always borne a 
spotless character wherever he has lived. He is highly esteemed by all 
who know him. Some of his family live in Indiana and are prominent 
citizens of the community in which they live. Gerrard Spurrier is now 
eighty nine years old, but he retains, in a great measure, the vigor of his 
mind, and until very recently, could travel about with all the activity of a 
young man. « 

William Thornton enlisted as a private in Capt. James Simpson's 
company, Major Peter Dudley's brigade, in the division of Gen. Duncan 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 271 

McArthur, war of 1812, on or about the 1st day of September, 1813, and 
was honorably discharged at Winchester, Kentucky, on or about the 25th 
day of September, 1814. He served with his company under Gen. 
McArthur the greater portion of his term of enlistment in Canada. He 
saw considerable active service in this campaign in which Gen. McArthur 
partly carried out his bold plan of conquering Upper Canada. He became 
a settler of Ray county, Missouri, a few years after it was organized. He 
was for many years a successful farmer, and stood high among his neigh- 
bors as a man of unswerving integrity, great firmness of purpose, and 
warmth of feeling in his attachment. He never married, but for many 
years lived in his pleasant home with his sister. Miss Margery Thornton, 
and always had a warm welcome for his friends. After the death of his I 
sister he lived in the family of Gen. Alexander Doniphan for a number of 
years, iji Richmond, Missouri. He died in 1872, aged eight3^-four years. 

John Turner was a soldier of the war of 1812. He enlisted in Capt. 
Burnett's companv, Kentucky volunteers. Was taken prisoner at the 
battle of the River Raisin, and was a prisoner among the Indians and 
British one year and ten days. He was one of the early settlers of Ray 
county, and was for many years a settler of Fishing River township, of 
this county. He reared a large family of children, who are good and use- 
ful citizens of the county. He was an industrious and energetic farmer, 
and showed the hand of the diligent man in 'making his home an attract- 
ive place for the family. He was a man of strong force of character, 
warm in his attachment to friends, and of unbending rectitude in all his 
dealings with his fellow man — a man that stood high with his neighbors 
for probity, and whole-souled honor and integrity. He died at an 
advanced age in 1872. 

Emilius Wood was mustered in as a private in Capt. Charles Duvall's 
company, Ohio volunteers, in General Harrison's army, on about Novem- 
ber 10, 1812, in Wdsjiington county, Ohio, and was honorably discharged 
at Marietta, Ohio, in or about May, 1813. He saw considerable active 
service during his term of enlistment, in the army of Gen. Harrison. He 
was not a citizen of Ray county, Missouri, many years. He was a 
farmer during the time he lived in this county, in Richmond township, 
not far from the Richmond and Lexington junction. 

Only two soldiers of the war of 1812 are now living in Ray county, 
Gerrard Spurrier and William Bales. All of those living at the time of the 
passage of the pension act, approved by congress, February 14, 1871, are 
now dead, except the two above mentioned. 

Widows of soldiers of the war of 1812, that were entitled to pensions 
under the act of congress approved February 14, 1871, having been mar- 
ried prior to the declaration of peace, February 17, 1815. They were as 
follows : 



272 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. . 

Maltnda Martin, widow of William B. Martin, deceased, who was a 
private in Capt. Brassfield's company, Kentucky volunteers, war of 1812. 
He enlisted at Winchester, Kentucky, on or about the 10th, of August, 
1812, and was honorably discharged at Fort Defiance, in December, 1812. 

Anna Routh, widow of Jeremiah Routh, deceased, who was a private 
in Capt. Inglish's company, Tennessee militia regiment, war of 1812. 
He enlisted in Sevier county, Tennessee, on or about the 25th of Novem- 
ber, 1813, and was honorably discharged on or about the 25th day of 
July, 1814. 

Heathy Mott, widow of Loann Orange Mott, deceased, who 
enlisted in Capt. John Dowden's company, Slack's tavern, between Wash- 
ington and Germantown, in Macon county, Kentucky, war of 1812, on or 
about the 10th day August, 1812, and was honorably discharged at 
Macon county, Kentucky, about the close of the year 1812. 

Mary E. Mayberry, widow of Frederick E. Mayberry, deceased, 
who enlisted in Capt. William Lock's company. Col. Cplman's regiment, 
in the division commanded by Gen. Andrew Jackson, Tennessee volun- 
teers, on the 10th day of December, 1811, at Nashville, Tennessee, and 
was honorably discharged at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on or about the 
25th day of December, 1814. 

Only one of the above mentioned widows is now living. Mrs. Anna 
Routh still survives, having attained the great age of eighty-seven years. 
She lives about four miles from Richmond, Ray county, Missouri. 

Mary Comer, widow of John Comer, deceased, who was a soldier of 
the war of 1812, in Capt. Morris's company of Ohio volunteers, that did 
service in the army of Gen. Harrison. He enlisted at Chillicothe, Ross 
county, Ohio, on or about the 10th day of July, 1813, and was honorably 
discharged at Chillicothe, Ohio, on or about December 10, 1813. She 
was married to John Comer, on or about the 10th day of June, 1809, in 
Ross county, Ohio. Her name before marriage was Mary Baker. Mrs. 
Mary Comer moved from Ray county to Daviess county, Missouri, before 
her claim was completed, and died in Daviess county, eighty-seven years 
old. 

The act of congress approved March 9, 1878, extended the provisions 
of the act of February 14, 1871, to all widows of soldiers of the war of 
1812, without any reference to the time of their marriages. Those living 
in Ray county, Missouri, are as follows.: 

Selena Davis, widow of John Davis, deceased, who was a soldier of 
the war of 1812, in Capt. John Crawford's company, Kentucky volun- 
teers, forming a part of General Shelby's brigade. She lives about three 
miles from Knoxville, Ray county, Missouri. She was married to John 
Davis in Montgomery county, Kentucky, about June 1, 1817; her maiden 
name being Selena McDougal. She is now over eighty years old. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 273 

Catharink Gunnell, widow of Nathaniel Gunnell, deceased, who 
was a soldier of the war of LS12, having enhsted in a Virginia company 
of volunteers, in the southeastern part of Virginia, on or about the year 

1814. She was married to Nathaniel Gunnell, on the 8th day of Janu- 
ary 1848, in Ray county, Missouri, her name before marriage being Mrs. 
Catharine Albert. She is now seventy-five years old, and until recently 
lived about three miles from Millville, Ray county, Missouri. 

Nancy McCuistion, widow of Thomas McCuistion, deceased, late 
soldier of the war of 1812, in Capt. John B. Dempsey's mounted volun- 
teers. She was married to Lieut. Thomas McCuistion on or about the 
loth day of February, 1816, her name before marriage being Nancy Jor- 
dan. She now lives with her son, A. A. McCuistion, in Richmond, Mis- 
souri, and is now seventy-nine years old. 

Mary Reed, widow of David Reed, deceased, a soldier of the war of 
1812, who enlisted in Berkeley county, Virginia, on or about the 1st of 
August, 1814, and was honorably discharged on or about the 1st of March, 

1815. She was married to David Reed on or about the 1st day of 
December, 1820, in Warren county, Missouri, at that time forming a part 
of Montgomery county, Missouri. Her maiden name was Mary Bryan. 
She lives with her daughter, Mrs. Elijah Happy, about five miles from 
Richmond. She has attained the age of eighty-three years. 

Adaline Riffe, widow of John Riflfe, deceased, a lieutenant in Capt. 
Wade's company of volunteers, from Casey county, Kentucky, war of 
1812. He enlisted on or about the 1st day of September, 1814, and was 
honorably discharged on or about February 15, 1815. She was married 
to John Riffe in Ray county, Missouri, on the 15th day of January, 1846. 
Her name before this marriage was Mrs. Adaline Ross. She lives in 
Albany, Ray countv, Missouri, about one mile from Orrick, and is now 
seventy-two years old. 

Nancy Rush, widow of Job Rush, a soldier of the war of 1812 in 
Capt. George Allen's company of Virginia militia, who enlisted on or 
about the 15th of April, 1813, and was honorably discharged at Norfolk, 
Virginia, on or about the 1st of October, 1813. She was married to Job 
Rush in Madison county, Virginia, on the 10th day of February, 1819. 
She i^ now eighty-three years old, and lives with her relatives near Rich- 
mond, Missouri. 

Jane Smith, widow of Jedediah Smith, deceased, a soldier of the war 
of 1812, in Capt. McCuistion's company, in the second regiment of North 
Carolina militia. He enlisted in Guilford county, North Carolina, in 1814, 
and was honorably discharged, after serving a term of over three months. 
She was married to Jedediah Smith, January 6th, 1818, in Guilford county. 
North Carolina. Her name before marriage was Jane Close. She is 



274 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

now living about three miles from Lawson, with her son, William W. 
Smith, and has attained the great age of eighty-two years. 

BLACK HAWK WAR IN 1833. 
SOLDIERS OR WIDOWS OF SOLDIERS NOW LIVING IN' RAY COUNTY. 

Henry Brown, in Captain Sconce's company; William Crowley; Wil- 
iliam R. Blythe, first lieutenant in Captain Pollard's company, Colonel 
Sconce's regiment; Winant Vanderpool, a private in Captain William C. 
Pollard's company; Priscilla Conklin, late widow of Andrew Pearce, 
deceased, a private in Captain William Pollard's company; Ruth Riffe, 
widow of Jacob Rifte, deceased. 

FLORIDA WAR. 

In the Florida war, in the year 1887, the Missouri " spies," a company 
made up chiefly of recruits from Ray county, commanded by Captain 
John Sconce, Israel R. Hendly, first lieutenant, did good service in the 
swamps and everglades of Florida. 

In the battle of Okeechobee, December 25, lvS87, the company suffered 
severely. Among the killed were Perry Jacobs and James Remley, and 
among the wounded were John W. Martin and William B. Hudgins, 
from this county. 

The following are the names of the soldiers, who were in the Florida 
war, who are now living in Rav county: William B. Hudgins, of Capt. 
Sconce's company Missouri Spies; Beniah Hagan, of Captain Pollard's 
company; Jackson Mann, of Captain Pollard's company; James B. 
Smith, of Captain John Sconce's company; William L. Feur, of Captain 
Pollard's company; Pleasant Slover, of Captain John Child's company 
Tennessee volunteers; Dr. Moody Man.son. surgeon. 

IIEATHERLY WAR. 
In 1886 two companies of Ray county militia, under command of Cap- 
tains Matthf w P. Long and William Pollard, were ordered out as a part 
of Brigadier-General William Thompson's brigade, to serve in the Heath- 
erly war. The counties of Ray, Carroll and Clay, as late as 1886, 
extended from the Missouri river to the .southern boundary line of Iowa 
territory. In June of that year(l88(;) the settlements in the northern por- 
tion of all these counties were sparsely peopled, and many miles apart. In 
the northern part of Carroll county, now embraced in the limits of Mer- 
cer and Grund}-, near the line dividing tht'sc two counties, there was a 
comparati\ely small settlement, or a few families ot" pioneers residing. 
Of this number was an old man named Ileatherl}-, and wife, some 
four grown sons, and two sons-in-law, and a family named Dunbar and 
.mother person, a near neighbor of Dunbar. The Ileatherlys were at 
enmity with Dunbar and his neighbors, and availing themselves of the 
chance, alwa3S created in the unprotected settlements, the}' murdered 



HISTORY OP' RAY COUNTY. 275 

Dunbar and his neighbor, and robbed their houses, and then fled into the 
more densel}^ settled part of the country south, and reported that some 
Iowa Indians had made an irruption into that part of the country and had 
murdered and robbed these two persons. The clamor of the Heatherlys 
caused troops to be called out for the purpose of apprehending the 
Indians, and having them punished for these murders. 

Brigadier-General William Thompson was commander of the brigade, 
embracing the counties of Ray, Clay and Carroll, and resided in Ray. 
He immediately ordered out five companies, one from Carroll, two from 
Ray, commanded as above mentioned, and two from Clay, commanded 
respectively by Captain David R. Atchison and Smith Crawford, and the 
battalion was under the personal command of Shubael Allen. The bat- 
talion from Ray and Carroll was commanded by General Thompson in 
person. The last named battalion marched rapidly to the scene of the 
crimes, and succeeded in finding the bodies of the murdered men, but no 
trace of any Indians could be found. The two battalions were in con- 
stant communication, and after about eighteen days' service, General 
Thompson ordered them to disband. Facts ascertained by General 
Thompson, when he was at the scene of the murder, and facts that came 
to light, induced the belief that the Heatherly gang were the murderers, 
and they were arrested and committed to jail in Carroll county, and after 
a delay of a year or more, some of them were convicted and sent to the 
penitentiary. The Heatherly family were more like gypsies than Amer- 
icans. The children were of every liue, from mulattoes to pretty fair 
Caucasians. The moving spirit and motive power of the family was the 
old woman, the mother of this motley progeny. She had great shrewd- 
ness, and was as fiendish as a Hecate. It was in proof that she instigated, 
planned, and had the crimes committed, and conceived the idea of 
attributing them to the friendly Iowa Indians. • 

MORMON WAR. 

In the fall of 1838, the Mormon war caused great excitement in Ray 
county. A considerable force of Mormons under their leader, Joe Smith, 
had assembled at Far West, in Caldwell county, Missouri, and serious 
apprehensions were entertained that they intended to make a descent upon 
Ray countv. A portion of the force of Mormons, under the command of 
Capt. Patton, did march into Ray county, as far as what is now called 
" Bogart's Batde Field," on Crooked river, in the northwest part of the 
county, on, or about the loth of November, 1838, and met a company of 
Ray county militia, under the command of Capt. Samuel Bogart. After 
a sharp engagement, the militia were repulsed and fell back to the south- 
ern part of the county, leaving the Mormons the masters of the battle- 
field. In this engagement the Mormons lost Captain Patton, and the day 
following fell back lo their main force at Far West, Caldwell county. 



276 HISTORY OK RAY COUNTY. 

The wildest excitement prevailed in Ray county after this slight action. 
A large number of people in the northern part of the count}- removed 
their families and their effects to places of safety in the southern part of 
the county. 

Lilburn W. Boggs, who was then governor of Missouri, issued a proc- 
lamation and ordered Major-General David R. Atchison to call out the 
militia of his division, in order to put down the insurgents and enforce the 
laws. . General Atchison called out a part of the hrst brigade of Missouri 
state militia, under the command of General Alexander W. Doniphan, 
who proceeded at once to the seat of war. 

There were called out in this expedition from Ray county four com- 
panies of militia, commanded respectively by Captains Samuel Bogart, 
Israel R. Hendley, Nehemiah Odell, and John Sconce. The militia were 
placed under the command of General John B. Clark. 

General Doniphan, on reaching Far West, in Caldwell county, Missouri, 
after some slight engagements, where the principal Mormon forces had 
assembled, numbering about, 1,000 men, commanded by Colonel G. W. 
Hinkle, demanded their surrender, on the following conditions, viz: That 
they should deliver up their arms, surrender their prominent leaders for 
trial, and that the remainder of the Mormons should, with their families, 
leave the state. 

After some parleying, Joe Smith surrendered on General Doniphan's 
conditions. 

The leaders were taken before a court of inquiry at Richmond, Ray 
county. Judge Austin A. King, presiding. He remanded them to Daviess 
county to await the action of the grand jury on a charge of treason against 
the state. 

The Daviess county jail being very poor, the}' were taken to Liberty, 
Clay county, Missouri, and* con fined in the jail at that place. 

Indictments were presented against Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sid- 
ney Rigdon, Lyman Wright, Colonel G. W. Hinkle, Charles Baldwin, 
and Amos Lyman. Sidney Rigdon was released on a writ of habeas 
corpus, at Liberty, Clay county, Missouri. 

The others applied for a change of venue, which was granted by Judge 
Austin A. King, and their cases were sent by him to Boone county for 
trial. On their way to Columbia, Boone county, under a military guard, 
Joseph Smith and his fellow-prisoners effected their escape. It is claimed, 
and believed by many, that the guard, or a portion of it was bribed. 

THE MEXICAN WAR. 

Almost thirty-five years have rolled around since the Mexican war- 
Since then many and great events have taken place. Many brilliant and 
illustrious achievements have been chronicled upon the historic page, and 
astounding inventions and marvelous discoveries have wrought revolu- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 277 

tions in all the affairs of life. The contemplation of them almost causes 
the reason to stagger and the imagination to flag. The grand triumphs 
of science, the crowning glory of the conquests of art, and the startling 
discoveries in the wide domain of nature in the last thirty-five years, all go 
to show that we live in an age that has reached a high mark of enlight- 
enment, and that the conquering car of progress is sweeping onward in 
its grand march. 

Yet, amid all these grand achievements and mighty changes, there is 
no American who would wish the proud deeds of our gallant armies in 
the Mexican war blotted from the pages of his country's history. These 
gallant and glorious deeds still speak trumpet-tongued of the fame of the 
soldiers that traversed the burning sands and dense chapparals of Mexico, 
and covered themselves with imperishable glory on hard-fought battle- 
fields, under the starry folds of the proud ensign of the republic, until it 
streamed forth in all its original lustre over the proud halls of the Mon- 
tezumas. 

The brave McKee, the impetuous Yell, the intrepid Hardin, the chival- 
rous Clay, and gallant Watson, and hundreds of their noble comrades, 
who went down amid the rushing squadron, the roaring cannon and the 
clashing steel, and baptised their love of country in their crimson life-blood, 
will never be forgotten. 

Every American in whose free-born bosom there throbs one pulsation 
prouder than another, will feel it throb whenever he hears these names. 
They will still continue to be the glowing theme of the annalist and the 
inspiring song of the bard. 

The reader of his country's history will always feel a glow of pride 
when he reads of the battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monte- 
rey, and Buena Vista; of Vera Cruz, Contreras, Cherubusco, Molino del 
Rey, Chepultapec, and the City of Mexico ; of Chihuahua, and Sacra- 
mento. Around the names of Taylor, Scott, Doniphan, Price, and their 
illustrious comrades, will be entwined laurels of everlasting verdure. 
Their fame will be like a mighty river that grows broader and deeper as 
it rolls onward. 

And does any one ask, " What have we gained by the Mexican war?" 

If such an one there be, let him forget, if he can, the national glory 
gained for our country by the gallant deeds of our soldiers, in giving 
increased military renown and glory in a war without a single defeat; and 
look at the grand and solid results of the Mexican war! It added two 
states and territories to our country, that are now teeming with a popula- 
tion full of energy, thrift, and prosperity, embracing millions of acres of 
land, whose valleys are of boundless fertility, and whose mountains con- 
tain inexhaustible quantities of minerals, of priceless value, the gold and 
silver alone yielding- $80,000,000 per year. 



278 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

It gave to our own country an extended seacoast, with capacious bays, 
inlets, and harbors, affording an almost limitless commerce, foreign and 
domestic. 

" Glens where Ocean comes, 

To 'scape the wild winds' rancor, 
And harbors, worthiest homes, 

Where Freedom's fleets can anchor." 

The resources of this broad expanse of territory, acquired by the valor 
of our soldiers, have been developed by our own American people, show- 
ing the vast superiority of the Anglo-Saxon race over the mongrel race 
that once occupied it. 

History gives no account of such consequences resulting from any war, 
ancient or modern, in Europe or Asia. It stands in its glorious results 
without a parallel. 

In 1846, a company of volunteers was recruited from Ray county for 
the Mexican war. This company was mustered into the service August 
1, 1846, as company G, in the battalion of Missouri mounted riflemen, 
commanded by Lieut. Col. David Willock, (Col. Sterling Price's regiment) 
called into the service of the United States by President James K. Polk, 
under the act of congress, approved May 13, 1846. Israel R, Hendley 
was elected captain of company G; William M. Jacobs, first lieutenant; 
John W. Martin, second lieutenant, and William P. George, third lieu- 
tenant. 

This battalion was a part of Col. Sterling Price's regiment, and under 
the command of Kearney and Doniphan, won laurels of which the coun- 
try is justly proud. 

Capt. Israel R. Hendley, who had proved himself a gallant officer, fell 
at Moro, New Mexico, January 25, 1847, and was succeeded in command 
of company G,* by Capt. William M. Jacobs, who was a brave and 
efficient officer, and was greatly endeared to his gallant company. Com- 
pany G was mustered into the United States service August 1, 1846. It 
was a splendid company, well equipped, thoroughly disciplined, and 
efficient in every respect. It performed excellent service during the war, 
and was honorably discharged at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on the 17th 
day of September, 1847. 

A portion of this company accompanied Doniphan's regiment, so famous 
for its march to Santa Fe, Chihuahua, Monterey and the gulf, and for the 
battles of Bracito and Sacramento. The march of the regiment is known 
as Doniphan's expedition. 

After those brilliant victories, Doniphan's gallant little army took up its 
line of march homeward. At Saltillo they were reviewed by Gen. Wool. 

*Capt. William M. Jacobs was killed June 1, 1878, in the fearful cyclone that swept 
over liichmoud. causing great loss of life and devastatiou of property. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 279 

They reported to Gen. Taylor, at Monterey, on the 27th of Ma}-, 1847, 
and thence they marched to Matamoras, conveying with them their 
artiller}', which Gen. Taylor permitted them to take home as trophies, in 
consideration of "their gallantry and noble bearing." They made the 
march from Chihualiua to Matamoras, nine hundred miles, in fort}'- five 
days. 

They arrived at New Orleans about the middle of June, 1847, were 
mustered out of service, and received a brilliant reception. The cele- 
brated orator, Sargent S. Prentiss, on the part of the people of New 
Orleans, welcomed their return in one of the most eloquent, touching and 
patriotic speeches ever heard from mortal lips. 

On the 2d of July, they arrived at St. Louis, where they received a 
grand, glorious welcome. Judge Bowlin received them at St. Louis, on 
the part of the people. A magnificent banquet was spread for them, and 
Col. Thomas H. Benton made a most eloquent and thrilling speech to the 
assembled mass of soldiers and people, recounting the events of their long 
and almost fabulous expedition with a minuteness and accuracy that aston- 
ished them. He traced their journey of five thousand miles from St. Louis 
and back again. In the course of his patriotic and impressive speech, he 
referred to the famous " Retreat of the Ten Thousand," and congratulated 
them that the march of the "one thousand" exceeded that of the "ten 
thousand " by some two thousand miles. Deservedly has Gen. Doniphan 
won the title of the " American Xenophon." 

Thirty-five years have rolled around since the commencement of the 
Mexican war, and many of the brave soldiers of the gallant armies of 
Tajdor, Scott and Doniphan have gone to their last camping ground. 
"On fame's eternal camping ground, 
Their silent tents are spread; 
And glory guards with solemn round. 
The bivouac of the dead." 

A pension bill, for the benefit of the survivors of the Mexican war has 
been introduced into congress. It is ardently hoped that it will soon 
become a law, and afibrd some recognition of the gallant services of the 
soldiers whose deeds hold a conspicuous place on that pillar of glory, 
where the deeds of the American soldier are emblazoned for the admira- 
tion of mankind. 

The following is a list of the surviving soldiers of the Mexican war, 
now living in Ray county, Missouri: Company G, Captain Israel R. 
Hendley's company, Lieut.-Colonel David Willock's battalion, Colonel 
Sterling Price's regiment, has the following survivors in Ray county: 

William Albert, Anderson Elliott, Joel Estis, William Flournoy, Henry 
Jacobs, George W. Jacobs, Andrew J. Lillard, Henry Page, Moses Ritter, 
John D. Rayburn, Jacob Robinson, Anderson Spencer, James Sanderson, 



280 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Wilburn Snowden, Marion Tucker, Lewis Vandever, Robert J. Williams, 
and Thomas Woolard. 

General Alexander Doniphan, Colonel First regiment Missouri mounted 
volunteers, Mexican war. 

William Nelson, company B, Captain Walton's company, Doniphan's 
regiment. 

Porter Mansur, company L, Captain William J. Slack's company Sec- 
ond Missouri regiment. 

John Saery, private in the Sixth company, Second regiment, Kentucky 
volunteers. 

Julius H. Searls, company B, Fourth Illinois regiment, infantry volun- 
teers. 

Charles B. Kavanaugh, company B, Captain Walton's company, Doni- 
phan's regiment. 

Thomas Jobe, Captain Simmons' company, Colonel Rail's regiment of 
mounted volunteers. 

James A. Delaney, Captain Daniel H. Bird's compan}- K, First Georgia 
regiment of volunteers. 

James M. Fuller, Captain Thomas Jones' company Colonel Geles* 
regiment. 

Abner C. Roberts, sergeant, Captain Keen's company, Marix's regiment, 
Louisiana volunteers. 

Thom'as D. Woodson, corporal company K, Captain Thomas May- 
field's Fourth Kentucky infantry. 

William A. Crane, company B, Third Kentucky infantry volunteers. 

Joseph A. Smith, Captain Perry Moss's company C, First regiment, 
Missouri volunteers, commanded by General A. W. Doniphan. 

Benjamin W. Hines, soldier in the Mexican war, company G, Colonel 
Rail's regiment. 

James O. Cooper, private, Captain O. Perry Moss's compan}', Doni- 
phan's regiment. 

Adam K. McClintock, company C, First regiment, commanded by 
Colonel A. W. Doniphan. 

Jasper N. Davis, Captain Henry Skillman's company, battalion of team- 
sters, organized by Colonel A. W. Doniphan. 

WIDOWS OF SOLDIERS OF MEXICAN WAR, LIVING IN RAY COUNTY, MISSOURI. 

Mrs. Sarah J. Davis, widow of Presly C. Davis, deceased, company C, 
Captain William H. Rogers, Oregon battalion, commanded by Colonel 
Powell. « 

Fannie S. Craven, widow of John N. Craven, deceased, company C, 
Captain William H. Rogers, a soldier in Oregon battalion. 

Rachael Odell, widow of Francis Odell, deceased, a teamster in artil- 
lery company in Oregon battalion. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. , 281 

Deadunea Wilson, widow of Robert Wilson, deceased, a soldier of 
company G, Lieutenant-Colonel David Willock's battalion, Colonel Ster- 
ling Price's regiment. 

Ellen Davis, widow of Benjamin F. Davis, deceased, a soldier of Mexi- 
can war, company G, Lieut.-Colonel Willock's battalion. 

Sarah Armstrong, widow of Joshua Armstrong, company G, Lieut.- 
Colonel Willock's battalion. Colonel Sterling Price's regiment. 

Mrs. Dorothy Pritchet, widow of William Pritchett, deceased ; company 
G, Lt. Col. David Willock's battalion. 

Mrs. Margaret Roberts, formerly widow of Lemuel Williams, deceased; 
a soldier of W. P. Walton's company B, first regiment of Missouri 
mounted volunteers. 

Mrs. Mary A. Parker, widow of William C. Parker, deceased; Capt. 
William Dougherty's company. Col. McKee's regiment, Kentucky vol- 
unteers. 

Eleanor Conyers, widow of John Conyers, deceased; a soldier of the 
Mexican war. 

Mrs. BettieJ. Robb, widow of Joseph Robb, deceased; a soldier of the 
Mexican war. 

TEAMSTERS IN MEXICAN WAR, LIVING IN RAY COUNTY, MISSOURI. 

Benjamin C. Branch, teamster for Gen. Wool's staff. 
Robert W. Patton, teamster for Col. Price's regiment. 
John Lee, teamster. 



THE GREAT CIVIL WAR. 

Many years must elapse before the complete history of the great 
struggle between the Federal government of the United States, and the 
Southern Confederacy, can be written. A great civil war beyond all 
others, involves grave and complex questions that require the historian 
writing from the chancery of truth, to take a calm view of the whole field, 
which shall do full justice to both sections of the Union. The cessation 
of the war after the surrender of General Lee to General Grant at 
Appomattox, April 9, 1865, was followed by a ftood of biographies, 
memoirs, reports and historical sketches, that will have to be laboriously 
collated, winnowed of their chaff, pruned of their partisan exuberance, 
and reduced to the correct standard of material for a history that makes 
truth its polar star, 

" Of whose firm fixed and resting quality, 
There is no fellow in the firmanent. " 

It is true, some very important histories of the military events of the 
18 



282 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

war, have been written, but this is not the whole of the subject. The 
future will yet produce some annalist like Tacitus, in his histories and 
annals, who, with incorruptible virtue will adorn the literature of his age, 
in giving a history of the great civil war, in a style and manner character- 
ized by dignity, gravity, honesty and truthfulness. 

The European historian who has heretofore allotted only a spare chap- 
ter to America, regarding our affairs with a marked indifference, now 
assigns it a prominent place in the world's affairs. 

The magnitude of the conflict, the immense armies marshaled mainly 
from the plow and work-shop into the field, the great battles, splendid 
generalship, dashing feats of arms, masterly strategy, brilliant tactics, 
bravery of soldiers, grand charges on terrible battle fields, vast resources 
of the two governments, the complete and wonderful sanitary system and 
regulations and the strong resolution and firm endurance of the people, all 
challenged the acimiration of the people of Europe, and caused them to 
w^onder that so great a people had sprung into existence beyond the Atlan- 
tic. Throughout the history of modern times there are no efforts more 
amazing, no sacrifices more unbounded, no achievements more brilliant 
on record, than those of the peoples and armies of the north and south. 

It was the people mainly of the same great Anglo-Saxon race that 
waged the mighty conflict. The same blood proudly coursed through 
the veins of the people of both sections of the country. 

At the close of the war the sublime spectacle was presented of the great 
armies on each side returning quietly and calmly to their homes, and gladly 
resuming the vocations of peace. 

There was not a single instance of a scene of bloodshed and violence to 
stain the honorable record of so large a body of brave soldiers of the north 
and south that had been disbanded and freed from all restraint. 

As time rolls onward, there will be no effort made by either the north or 
the south to cherish alone its own memories, its own tears, its own heroes, 
its own dead. Already throughout the broad expanse of our country, do 
we find many of our people, animated by the most noble sentiments, impar- 
tial in the offerings made to the memory of the dead. They strew flowers 
alike upon the graves of the Confederate and National soldiers. The gar- 
lands of roses and lilies are placed sweetly by affection's hand upon the 
green graves of the blue and grey as they sleep 
" Under the sod and the dew. 
Waiting the judgment day; 
Love and tears for the Blue, 
Tears and love for the Grey." 
CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS. 
Ray county fiirnished a large number of soldiers for both armies in the 
late civil war who bore themselves bravely in some of the hard fought bat- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 283 

ties of the war, adding new lustre to the military honors already won bv 
the county. • 

The number of volunteers from Ray county that enlisted in the 
southern armies is variously estimated at from five to eight hundred. A 
majority of this number enlisted under Gen. Sterling Price the first year of 
the war, 1861. 

The following is a list of some of the officers and soldiers from Ray 
county that served with distinction in the Confederate armies. A number 
of those that enlisted from Ray county, in 1861 and during the war, are 
not now living in the county, having sought new homes in other states or 
other portions of this state, after the close of the war. 

Col. Benjamin A. Rives, colonel Third Missouri infantry volunteers, 
was killed at the battle of Pea Ridge, March 8, 1862. 

Col. Benjamin Brown, inspector of the Fourth division of the " Missouri 
State Guards," was killed at Wilson's Creek, Missouri, August 10, 1861. 

Capt. Finley L. Hubbell, afterward promoted to be lieutenant-colonel 
of 3d Missouri infantry volunteers, was wounded in the battle of Cham- 
pion Hill, May 16, 1863, and died from the effects of the wound, at Coffee- 
ville, Mississippi. 

Capt. Kelsey McDowell was killed at Atlanta, Georgia, July 32, 1864, 
having been promoted to be lieutenant-colonel of 3d Missouri infantry 
volunteers, a short time before he was killed. 

Major Wm. C. Parker, company D, 1st Missouri cavalry volunteers, 
(Col. Gates' regiment), was killed at the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, 
November 30, 1864. 

Capt. Dick Early, brother of Gen. Jubal Earl}', was wounded at the 
battle of Wilson's Creek, August 10, 1861, and afterward died from the 
effects of said wound, at Springfield, Missouri, in the fall of 1861. 

Col. Aaron H. Conrow, was killed after the close of the war, in the 
year 1865, in Mexico, by some of Juarez's guerrillas. He was a member 
of the Confederate congress, and represented the Fourth district of Mis- 
souri, embracing within its limits Ray county, from the commencement of 
the war of 1861 to the close of it. 

Capt. James L. Farris, was captain of 2nd Missouri battery. He was 
elected county attorney of Ray county, in 1872, and was a member of the 
constitution convention of Missouri in 1875. At the election in 1876, he 
was elected a member of the lower branch of the legislature of Missouri, 
to represent Ray county. 

Lieut. Hiram C. Warriner, was second lieutenant in the 2d Missouri 
battery. He is now a prominent attorney-at-law, at Memphis Tennessee. 

Major Robert Williams, 3d and 5th regiments Missouri infantry con- 
solidated, commanded by Col. James McCown, Warrensburg, Missouri. 

Capt. Guinn McCustion, company C, 3d Missouri infantry. 



284 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Lieut. Wm. A. Holman, company C, 3d Missouri infantry. 

Lieut. Wm. H. Mansur, ccunpany C, 3d Missouri infantry. 

Capt. John P. Quesenberry, company H, 11th Missouri infantry. 

Lieut. Frank Davis, company H, 11th Missouri infantry. 

Lieut. Berren J. Menefee, company D, 1st regiment Missouri cavalry. 

Capt. Wm. L. Nuckols, company B, 1st regiment Missouri cavalry. 

Lieut. Lewis Slaughter, company K, 17th regiment Virginia infantry. 
He is at present recorder for Ray county. 

Capt. Obadiah Taylor, company A, 3d Missouri infantry. 

Lieut. Richard Lamb, company A, 3d Missouri infantry, was killed at 
the battle of Allatoona, Georgia, October 5, 1864. 

Lieut. Robert Rives, company F, 3d Missouri infantry, was wounded 
at the battle of Lexington, Missouri, September 20, 1861, and afterward 
died in the state of Arkansas. He was a brother of Col. Benj. A. Rives. 

George Rothrock, company D, 1st Missouri cavalry volunteers, died 
near Demopolis, Alabama, July 2, 1865, from disease contracted in the 
service. 

William Duval, company C, 3d Missouri infantry, was killed at the bat- 
tle of Corinth, Mississippi, October 3, 1862. 

Thomas Duval and Henderson Duval, company C, 3d Missouri infan- 
try, were killed at Baker's Creek, May 16, 1863. 

Henry Allen, company C, third Missouri infantry, was killed at Vicks- 
burg,May 22, 1863. 

Calvin C. Brown, company A, 3d Missouri infantr}^ was killed at 
Vicksburg, May 22, 1863. 

Patrick Smith was wounded at the battle of Champion Hill, November 
16, 1863, and was afterward killed at Allatoona, Georgia, October 5, 1864. 
He was a member of company C, 3d Missouri infantry. 

Thomas Hale, company D, 1st cavalry Missouri volunteers, was killed 
at Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864. 

Malnar Hendley, company A, 3d Missouri infantry, was killed at Vicks- 
burg, May 22, 1863. 

Samuel Anderson, company A, 3d and 5th regiments Missouri infantry, 
killed at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863. 

Capt. Alexander A. McCuistion, company C, 3d Missouri infantry. 

Dr. James D. Taylor, company D, 1st Missouri cavalry. 

Dr. William Quarles, color-bearer of company C, 3d Missouri infantry. 

Adrian C. Ellis, company A, 3d regiment Missouri infantry. Now an 
attorney-at-law in Nevada. 

Capt. Wm. C. Riffe, Missouri state guards. 

Capt. John Warrenstaff, Missouri state guards. 

Lieut. Lee White, Missouri state guards. 

Henry Ellis, Missouri state guards. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 285 

Louis C. Bohannon was colonel in Gen. Price's army, state service, 
and Gen. Holmes' command, C. S. A. He enlisted June 1, 1S61, and was 
discharged July, 1865, at Little Rock. He was in the battles of Car- 
thage, Oak Hill, Lexington, Elk Horn, Independence, Lone Jack, Council 
Grove, Helena, and other engagements. West Point was the last. In 
the battle of Lone Jack he was wounded in the wrist, and also wounded 
in the right shoulder; a ball entered the right shoulder and came out at 
the left. He was never taken prisoner. He has represented Ray county 
three times in the Missouri legislature. He was elected in 1854, on the 
whig, or anti-Benton ticket, defeating ex-Gov. Austin A. King, by a few 
votes. In 1860 he was elected with Aaron H. Conrow, on an independent 
ticket, over various competitors. In 1878, he was elected to the legisla- 
ture on the greenback ticket, defeating James L. Farris, the democratic 
candidate. 

Capt. Robert J. Williams was captain of company A, Missouri volun- 
teers, state service, and enlisted in December, 1861; afterward went into 
the Confederate service. He was sworn into the state service, along with 
his company, at Richmond, Missouri, Col. Reeves' regiment, 3d Missouri 
infantry volunteers. Afterward, at Springfield, Missouri, he and his 
company went into the Confederate service, for twelve months, and on 
the expiration of this term, he and company were sworn in for a term of 
three years, or during the war, at Camp Rogers, Mississippi. His com- 
pany was the first one that made the movement for enlistment for the 
war. He was promoted to the rank of major, after being in the service a 
short time. His regiment (the 3d) was consolidated with the 5th Missouri 
regiment infantry, and was commanded by Col. James McCown,of War- 
rensburg, Missouri. He was in every battle in which his command was 
engaged but one. He was in Vicksburg forty-eight days and nights. 
He went into Vicksburg with over forty men, and came out with only 
fifteen men fit for duty, after the surrender. He still has the old mule 
that he had in the siege of Vicksburg. He was wounded, through his 
hip, in the battle of Allatoona, Georgia, and suffered intensely for weeks. 
He commanded a regiment alter he was wounded, when he could not get 
on his horse without help. He was discharged from service May 13,1865. 
J. T. Craven was second sergeant in company H, Capt. Jack Patten's 
company, Elijah Gates' regiment. Gen. Cockrell's brigade. He enlisted 
September 6, 1861, at Howard's Mill, in Nodaway county, Missouri, and 
was discharged at the close of the war. He was in the battles of Blue Mills, 
Lexington, and Pea Ridge. His command was then transferred to East 
Mississippi, and he was afterward engaged in the battles of Farmington, 
Corinth, luka, second Corinth, Grand Gulf, Bogler's Creek, Black River 
Bridge, Vicksburg, Rome, Georgia, Kenesaw Mountain, and Peach-tree 
Creek. He was wounded at the second battle of Corinth, and subse- 



286 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

quently at Peach-tree Creek. The last wound was through the left 
wrist, and greatly disabled him. He was taken prisoner at the Vicksburg 
surrender, held about seven months, and exchanged. 

William S. Boon was a fifth sergeant in General Little's command. He 
enlisted December 7, 1861, and was discharged in May, 1865. He 
was in the battles of Pea Ridge, Farmington, luka, Corinth, Fort Gibson, 
Bogler's Creek," Big Black River Bridge, and Vicksburg. He was 
wounded at Vicksburg, in right arm. May 22, 1863. He was also 
wounded at the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, in his left arm, causing the 
loss of his said left arm, June 20, 1864. He was taken prisoner July 4, 
1863, at Vicksburg. He also received several slight wounds besides those 
above mentioned. Since coming out of the service he has been constable 
of Richmond township, Ray county, Missouri. 

James M. Aken was a private in company A, commanded by Capt. 
Robert J. Williams, Col. B. A. Rives' regiment, 3d Missouri infantry. 
He enlisted November, 1863, and was discharged March, 1864. He was 
in the battles of Wilson's Creek, Boston Mountain, and Cross Hollow. 

John H. Moffitt was a private in Colonel Slayback's regiment, Mis- 
souri volunteers, under Gen. Sterling Price's command. He enlisted 
in Nodaway county, in 1861. He was in battles of Blue Mills and Lex- 
ington. He was stricken down with measles in 1862, and was discharged 
the same year. 

William Duval was first lieutenant in Capt^ McDowell's company, C, 
Col. A. B. Rives' regiment, 3d Missouri infantry volunteers, the same 
company in which his two brothers, Henderson and Thomas, served. He 
enlisted on or about December 10, 1861, and was in all the battles in 
which his regiment was engaged up to the time of his death. He was 
killed at the battle of Corinth, Mississippi, October 3, 1862. William, 
Thomas and Henderson Duval were sons of Rev. James Duval, of this 
county. They were brave and gallant soldiers, and were greatly endeared 
to the soldiers of their command. 

Henderson Duval was a private in Capt. Kelsy McDowell's company, 
C, in 3d regiment, Missouri infantry, commanded by Col. B. A. Rives. 
He enlisted in his company at the time of its organization in 1861, and 
was in all the principal battles in which his regiment was engaged up to 
the time of his death, in the battle at Baker's Creek, Mississippi, May 16, 
1863. He was in every respect a faithful soldier. 

Thomas Duval was a private in Capt. Kelsy McDowell's company, C, 
in 3d regiment Missouri infantry, commanded by Col. B. A. Rives. He 
enlisted in his company at the time of its organization, in 1861, and was 
in all the principal battles in which his regiment was engaged up to the 
time he was mortally wounded, at the battle of Baker's Creekj Missis- 
sippi, May 16, 1863. He was a true and faithful soldier. He was brother 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 287 

of Henderson Duval and William Duval, both of whom were killed in the 
Confederate service. 

H. S. Trigg was an orderly sergeant in Col. Sterling Price's command, 
Gen. Slack^s division. He enlisted in 1861; was in the battles of Carthage, 
Wilson's Creek, and Lexington. In the battle of Wilson's Creek he was 
taken prisoner, but made his escape in about fifteen minutes after he was 
captured. Parson's command was so close on the Federals that they had 
no time to look after prisoners. He was taken sick at the battle of Lex- 
ington, and could not go south with his command after battle. 

James Hall was a private in company C, Shank's regiment, from Jack- 
son county, Missouri, under General Shelby. Company C was com- 
manded by Captain Franklin. He enlisted October 16, 1864, and was 
discharged March 28, 1865. He was in the Westport, Fort Scott, and 
Newtonia fights. He was left on the road sick, once, but was never 
wounded or taken prisoner. 

Robert T. Cowsert, was a private in company C, Third Missouri 
infantry. He enlisted December 10, 1861, and died in the service Febru- 
ary 4, 1862. 

J. H. Titus was a sergeant in General Price's command. He enlisted 
in September, 1864, and was discharged May, 1865. He was in the battles 
oi Lexington, Pea Ridge, Corinth Farmington, luka, second battle of Cor- 
inth, and Grand Gulf. He was wounded in the battle of Grand Gulf, April 
29, 1863. He was taken prisoner at Port Gibson, May 2, 1863, while in hos- 
pital, and paroled, and afterward rejoined his command at Demopolis, Ala- 
bama, and remained there the most of the fall of 1863. In the spring of 
1864 he was detailed to do duty in commissary department, and remained 
there until the close of the war. 

C. N. Palmer was a surgeon in General Sterling Price's command. 
He enlisted in 1861, and resigned in 1863. He was in the battles of Wil- 
son's Creek, Lexington, Pea Ridge, Shiloh, Seven Pines, Chickahominie, 
seven days' battles near Richmond, Virginia. He was taken prisoner 
several times during the time he was in service, but was released at once. 

Fletcher Graham was a private in company C, Second regiment Mis- 
soury infantry, commanded by Colonel Benjamin A. Rives. Company C 
was commanded by Captain Kelsey McDowell. He enlisted at Spring- 
field, Missouri, in 1861, and was discharged at Van Buren, Arkansas, June, 
1862. He was in the battle of Pea Ridge or Elk Horn. He was 
wounded in this battle, losing an eye, and shot through the thigh, from 
the effects of which wound he is still disabled from the performance of 
any business which requires active exertion. 

R. R. Sumnermann was a private in Gen. Shelby's command. He enlisted 
in October, 1864, and was dispharged June, 1865. He was in various 
engagements. 



288 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

W, H. Flournoy was a private in General Parsons' brisfade. He enlisted 
the spring of 1862, and was discharged June, 1865. He was in various 
enixagfements during^ the war. 

Q. M. Baber was second lieutenant in company A, Third regiment 
Missouri volunteers. He enlisted December 9, 1861, and was discharged 
June 20, 1862. He was in the battles of Pea Ridge and Farmington. He 
was in Mexico one year during the war. After his return to Ray county, 
June 4, 1865, he has followed the business of farming near Richmond, 
and has been quite a successful farmer. He is a prominent man among 
the grangers of Ray county. 

Henry Renfro was a private in company C, 3d Missouri regiment, 
infantry. He enlisted December 10, 1861, and was discharged June 26. 
1865. He was in the battles of luka, Corinth, Grand Gulf, Port Gibson, 
Big Black, Champion Hills, and Vicksburg. He was wounded at Vicks- 
burg, Mississippi, May 20, 1863. He was taken prisoner at Springfield, 
Missouri, February 12, 1862, and taken prisoner at Vicksburg, July 4, 
1863. 

G. W. Montgomery was a private in Capt. R. J. Williams' company, 
Ist brigade. He enlisted in 1861, and was discharged March 20, 1862, 
He was in the battles of Springfield or Oak Hills, Dry Wood Creek, 
Lexington, Pea Ridge. He was wounded in the battle of Pea Ridge, 
Arkansas, March 8, 1862, and was taken prisoner on the road from Pea 
Ridge to Van Buren, Arkansas. 

Wm. B. Parker was a private in Gen. Price's command, and also a 
portion of the time he served in the command of Kirby Smith. He 
enlisted June, 1862, and was discharged May, 1865. He was in the bat- 
tles of Prairie Grove, Helena, Little Rock, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and 
Saline river. 

Marion M. Crithfield was a private in compan}^ H, Col. Hindman's 
regiment, 11th Missouri infantry. Company H was commanded by Capt. 
John P. Dusenberry. He enlisted October, 1862, and was discharged 
1865. He was in the battles of Prairie Grove, Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, 
Jenkins' Ferry, and Helena. He was wounded at Pleasant Hill, Louis- 
iana, but not severely. Was sick for some time at Clarksville, with a 
severe attack of measles. 

T. J. Davis and B. F. Davis, were lieutenant and captain respectively, 
in the command of General Sterling Price. They enlisted in June, 1861, 
and were discharged June 1865. They were in the battles of Carthage, 
Oak Hill, Lexington, Elk Horn, Helena, Cane Hill and Little Rock. 

N. A. Lentz was a private in Gen. Parsons' command. He enlisted 
June, 1861, and was discharged June, 1865. He was in the battles of 
Oak Hill, Elk Horn, Mansfield, and was in some other minor engage- 
ments. He was ne^'er wounded or taken prisoner. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 289 

A. Thompson was a private in Gen. Price's command, and was dis- 
charged in the fall of 1861. He was in the battles of Carthage, Wilson's 
Creek and Dry Wood. 

J. F. Duval was a private in company C, first Missouri brigade, first 
division. He enlisted June, 1861, and was discharged April, 1865. He 
was in the following battles: Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Lexington, Pea 
Ridge, in Missouri; luka, Corinth, Grand Gulf, Port Gibson, Champion 
Hills, Big Black, Vicksburg siege, in Mississippi;, and in all battles in the 
Georgia campaign from Dalton to Atlanta. Not seriously wounded in 
any of these engagements. He was taken prisoner at Vicksburg; sur- 
rendered with second Missouri battery, Captain James L. Farns com- 
manding at Gainesville, Alabama, April 20, 1865. 

W. M. Quarles was a lieutenant and ensign bearer. He enlisted May 
10, 1861, and was discharged May 10, 1865. He was in the battles of 
Carthage, Lexington, Springfield, Pea Ridge, Corinth, luka, Vicksburg, 
Champion Hills, Allatoona, Atlanta, Lovejoy Station, Fort Blakely, Grand 
Gulf, Port Gibson and Big Black. He was taken prisoner at Vicksburg, 
on the 4th day of July, 1863; also taken prisoner at Fort Blakely, April 
9, 1865. Never received any serious wounds, only slight ones, in his long 
service. 

A. J. Greenawalt was a private in General Sterling Price's army. He 
enlisted in 1861, and was taken prisoner at Pea Ridge, and afterward 
exchanged at Vicksburg. While in the service he was wounded twice 
slightly. 

F. J. Walker was a private in General Price's army. He enlisted 
December 10, 1861, and was discharged May 4, 1865. He was in the bat- 
tles of Elk Horn, Corinth, Springfield, Corinth, luka, Baker's Creek, Grand 
Gulf, Franklin, Tennessee, Farmington, campaign of Georgia, and other 
minor engagements. He was wounded at Corinth, Mississippi, October, 
1862. He was never taken prisoner. 

Joel S. Petty was a private in company D, 1st Missouri cavalry, under 
Captain Parker, James Adams' regiment, commanded by Colonel Elijah 
Gates. He enlisted in December, 1861, and was in the battles of Pea 
Ridge, Corinth, Mississippi, luka, second Connth, Champion Hills, Big 
Black river. He was captured at Black river, and was taken as prisoner 
to Point Lookout, Maryland, where he was kept eight and one-half 
months, when he took the oath of allegiance and returned home, then 
went to the plains for five vears, then returned to his native place, where 
he now lives. 

J. W. Asbury was a private in 3d regiment Missouri infantry volunteers, 
commanded by Colonel Rives, and was discharged in August, 1865. He 
was in the battles of Pea Ridge, Corinth, Mansfield, Jenkins' Ferry, 



290 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Blackwater, Lexington and Independence. He was taken prisoner at 
Baldwin, Mississippi, but was not placed in any prison. 

Reuben Shelton was a private in company G, 1st Missouri volunteer 
infantry. He. enlisted in September, 1861, and was in the battles of Lex- 
ington and Pea Ridge, and in numerous skirmishes in Missouri and 
Arkansas. He was wounded at^Pea Ridge, in the right shoulder, by a 
spent ball. He was taken prisoner near Springfield, Missouri, and then 
took the oath of allegiance. 

Toliver Wood was a private of company C, 26th regiment, Tennessee 
cavalry; company was commanded by Captain E. Allen, and the reg- 
iment by Colonel J. M. Lillard. He enlisted in June, 1861, and was in 
the battle of Chickamauga, and numerous skirmishes in Tennessee and 
Virginia. 

Bartlett Sisk was a corporal in company A, 3d Missouri volunteer 
infantry, commanded by Colonel B. A. Rives. He enlisted December 27, 
1861, and was in the battles of Pea Ridge, first and second Corinth, luka, 
Grand Gulf, Port Gibson, and in numerous skirmishes in Arkansas and 
Mississippi. He was wounded at Port Gibson, May 1, 1863, losing his 
right arm just below the elbow. He was paroled at Grenada, Mississippi, 
after the surrender in May, 1865, and returned to Ray county in October, 
1865. 

J. O. Kilgore was a private in company A, 2d Arkansas volunteer 
cavalry, commanded by J. Phelps. He enlisted in July, 1863, and was 
discharged November 17, 1865. He was in Price's last raid in Missouri 
and Arkansas. He served over two years. 

James Burns was a private in company A, 3d regiment, Missouri volun- 
teer infantry, Confederate army. He was in the battles of Wilson's Creek 
and Lone Jack, August 16, 1862. He lost his right arm at the battle of 
Wilson's Creek, August 10, 1861. He was discharged in 1863. 

Thomas J. Leake was a private in the 2d Missouri light artillery. Gen- 
eral Dick Taylor's division. He enlisted December 9, 1861, and was in 
the battles of Pea Ridge, Corinth, Mississippi; second battle of Corinth, 
Thompson Station, Dalton, G^iorgia, Atlanta, Tennessee river, Elliott's 
marine fleet, Jackson, Mississippi; Fort Pillow and numerous skirmishes. 
He surrendered at the close of the war. 

M. G. Taylor was second lieutenant in company D, 1st regiment Mis- 
souri infantry. He enlisted December, 1861, and was in the battle of Pea 
Ridge, and was discharged in June, 1862, in Mississippi. 

Edward T. Dorton was a private and sergeant in Captain James Hobb's 
company. Colonel David McRea's regiment, Confederate army. He 
enlisted June 17, 1861, in company A, 15th Arkansas infantry; after the 
surrender at Vicksburg, mounted infantry. He was in the battles of Wil- 
son's Creek, Pea Ridge, luka, and numerous skirmishes. He was cap 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 291 

tured at luka, and sent to Camp Douglas, Chicago. He was also cap- 
tured at Walnut Grove, Arkansas, but escaped. He was discharged 

April 12, laes. 

Henry C. Perdue was a private m company A, Colonel Reeves' regi- 
ment. He enlisted in April, 1861, and was in the battles of Carthage, 
July 5, 1861, and Wilson's Creek, August 10, 1861. He was captured 
and imprisoned in the jail at Lexington, Missouri, and was paroled a few 
da3's thereafter. He was discharged in January, 1862. 

M. S. Leforgee was a private in company C, 2d Kentucky battalion, 
mounted rifles, under Colonel Tom Johnson, Confederate army. He 
enlisted September, 1862, and was in the battles of Louisa, Kentucky, 
Cave Gap, King's Saltworks, Chickamauga, McMinnville, Tennessee; 
Anderson's Cross Roads, Cumberland, Tennessee; Charleston, Mount 
Sterling, Kentucky, Smithville, and in numerous skirmishes. He was dis- 
charged May 3, 1865. 

Thomas Elder was a private in company C, 3d Missouri infantr}'^, Gen- 
eral Sterling Price's army. He enlisted November, 1861. He was in 
the second battle of Corinth, Port Gibson, Baker's Creek, Big Black, 
Vicksburg, in the campaign through Georgia, and at Johnson's surrender. 
He was wounded at Kenesaw Mountain, June, 1864. He was taken 
prisoner at Springfield, Missouri, and was confined at Alton, Illinois, about 
seven months, and was exchanged at Vicksburg, August, 1863. 

Isaac M. Rifie was orderly sergeant in company A, 4th Missouri 
infantry. He enlisted in June, 1861, and was in the battles of Carthage, 
Dry Wood, Lexington, Pea Ridge, Wilson Creek, Corinth, first and sec- 
ond fight, and numerous skirmishes. He was wounded in the left hand 
at Pea Ridge, March 8, 1862, and was taken prisoner b}- Captain A. 
Allen, and released on parole. He forfeited his parole, and returned to 
the Confederate army. 

Samuel H. Long was a private in company C, 3d regiment, 1st brig- 
ade, Missouri infantry. General Price's army. He enlisted December 20, 
1861. He was in the batdes of Elk Horn, Corinth, Magnolia Hills,, 
Baker's Creek, and Vicksburg. He was taken prisoner at Vicksburg, 
and soon after paroled. 

Joseph Thomas Mulligan was a private in the Confederate army. He 
enhsted in 1863, and was killed at the battle of Champion Hill, May 16, 
1863. 

Turner Elder was a private in General Shelby's command. He enlisted 
in the fall of 1862. He was in the battle of Mansfield, and was wounded 
in that engagement. He was discharged when General Price surren- 
dered. 

Newton J. Parker was a private and sergeant, first under General Price, 
then General Vandorn, then General Pemberton. He enlisted in Septem- 



292 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ber, 1861, and was in the battles of Lexington, Pea Ridge, Farmington, 
Mississippi; luka, Mississippi; Corinth, Grand Gulf, Baker's Creek and 
Vicksburg. He was taken prisoner May 16, 1863, at Baker's Creek, and 
was a prisoner eight months. 

Martin Elder was a private in company C, 3d Missouri infantry, General 
Price's arm3\ He enlisted in November, 1861, and was in the battles of 
Corinth, Port Gibson and Baker's Creek. He was wounded and taken 
prisoner at Pea Ridge, in the spring of 1862, and was paroled. He was 
taken prisoner again at Baker's Creek and taken to Alton, Illinois, mili- 
tary prison. He was exchanged at Vicksburg, August, 1863. 

William B. Sanderson was a private in Colonel Reeves' regiment, Mis- 
souri cavalry. General Price's army. He enlisted in 1861 and was dis- 
charged in 1863. He was in the battles of Lexington, September, 1861, 
and Pea Ridge, March 8, 1862. 

John Rader was a private in General Hindman's command. He enlisted 
in the fall of 1862, and was discharged in December, 1862, and was in the 
battle of Prairie Grove. He was taken sick at Prairie Grove and was 
not able to re-enter the army. 

Stephen Frazier was a private in General Price's army, and was in 
most of the leading engagements. He enhsted in 1861 and was discharged 
in 1865. He was taken prisoner at Vicksburg, and was a prisoner for 
two months. 

George W. Keys was a private in General Sterling Price's army. He 
enlisted at Springfield, Missouri, in 1861, and was in the battle of Lexing- 
ton, Missouri, September, 1861. He was discharged in December, 1862. 

S. O. McGuire was a private in General Sterling Price's army. He 
enlisted, June, 1861, and was discharged in July, 1865. He was in the 
battles of Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, Corinth, luka. Champion Hills, and 
Big Black river. He was taken prisoner at Big Black river about May 
17, 1863. 

L. B. Wright was a private in General Price's army. He enlisted in 
September, 1861; was in the battle ^of Lexington, September, 1861, and 
was taken prisoner there and banished to Indiana until hostilities ceased. 

John W. Gaulden was a private in Colonel Henry's Virginia reserves. 
He enlisted in 1864, and was discharged in the year 1865. 

James O. R. Walker, Thomas J. Walker, Davis Walker, Hardin 
Thompson, Robert Brozendine, Wm. McGaugh, Nicholas Gentry, Joseph 
Hamner, Henry B. McGill, John Odell, Jackson Odell, E. Porter, James 
Johnson, T. Reeves Grant, Lee White, Marcellus White, John Porter, 
(chaplain), Richard Craven, Jackson Craven, James Pointer, Wilson 
Shreeve and brothers, were in various commands in the Confederate ser- 
vice, enlisting in 1861 and 1862, and making excellent soldiers. They 
took part in many engagements and skirmishes while in the service. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 293 

George S. Ewing was a sergeant in company C, 3d Missouri infantry 
(General Price's army). He enlisted in the fall of 18G1, and was dis- 
charged in the spring of 1865. He was in the battles of Corinth, luka, 
Vicksburg, Baker's Creek, Georgia campaign, Franklin, Tennessee, and 
other engagements. He was wounded in the battle of Franklin, Tennes- 
see, and slightly wounded at New Hope, Georgia. On returning to Ray 
county, Missouri, in the spring of 1865, he engaged in the business of 
farming. He has been treasurer of Ray county two terms, since 1872. 

Nathaniel D. Searcy was a private in company A, Colonel B. A. 
Reeves' regiment. He enlisted in the summer of 1861. He was in the 
battles of Carthage and Wilson's Creek. He was killed in the battle of 
Wilson's Creek, August 10, 1861. 

James L. Lewis was a private in company H, commanded by Captain 
Parker, Colonel Reeves' regiment. Slack's division. General Price's 
brigade. He enlisted in 1861, and was discharged in 1864. He was in 
the battles of Lexington, Centralia, and Glasgow. He was captured at 
Columbia, Missouri, in 1864, and held ten days and paroled. 

J. L. Head was a private in company D, commanded by Captain John 
Castleman, 2d Kentucky regiment cavalry, commanded by Colonel Basil 
Duke, General Morgan's command. He enlisted, June 1, 1862, at Chat- 
tanooga, Tennessee, for the war, and was discharged by surrender, at the 
close of the war. He was in the battles of Drainsville, Virginia; Dan 
No. 1 at Yorktown, Peninsula, Williamsburg, Snow Hill, Tennessee; 
Hartsville, Tennessee ; Gallatin, Tennessee; Lebanon, Kentucky ; Augusta, 
and several other engagements of less note. He was taken prisoner 
at Springfield, Kentucky, on or about July 8, 1863, and held in prison at 
Camp Douglas, Illinois, and exchanged March 2, 1865. He was once 
previously captured in Kentucky, and held at Lexington, Kentucky, four 
weeks, in a slave jail, converted into a prison by the federals, from which 
he escaped. 

William S. Tompkins, was a private in company F, Colonel B. A. 
Rive's regiment, 4th division Missouri state guards and company B, in 
the battalion commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert J. Woods, C. S. 
A. He enlisted August 10, 1861, and surrendered May 26, 1865, at 
Shreveport, Louisiana. He was in the battles of Oak Hills, Wilson's 
Creek, Dry Wood, Lexington, Blue River, Westport, Maria des Cygnes 
and Newtonia. He was wounded September 18, 1861, at Lexington, 
Missouri. He was taken prisoner November 18, 1861, by Captain 
Forbes of Missouri militia. Mr. Tompkins^ since the close of the war, 
has been engaged in the business of teaching school. He has acquired a 
splendid reputation as a successful teacher. He is at present engaged as 
teacher in the intermediate department in the Richmond graded school in 
Richmond College, and has won golden opinions from the patrons of the 



^94 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

school as a model educator. He was county school commissioner of Ray 
county for two years, from 1875 to 1877, and made a fine public officer. 

William Baber, was a private in company A, 3d infantry, Missouri 
volunteers, C. S. A. He enlisted December 7, 1861, and was discharged 
May 22, 1865. He was in the battles of Lexington, Missouri; Pea Ridge, 
Missouri; Port Gibson, Mississippi; Corinth, luka, Vicksburg, Mississippi; 
Atlanta, Georgia; Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee. He was taken 
prisoner at Vicksburg, Mississippi. After the war, he returned to Ray 
county, Missouri for some time. At the present time he is engaged in the 
business of grocer in Richmond, Missouri. 

John A. Ross was ordinance sergeant in company A, commanded by 
Captain David Boone, 1st battalion Missouri state guards, commanded by 
Lieutenant-Colonel John W. Payne, 8th division, commanded by General 
James S. Rains. He enlisted June 19, 1861, and re-enlisted June, 1863, 
and was discharged June, 1863. He was in the battles of Dug Springs, 
Wilson's Creek, Dry Wood, Lexington, Pea Ridge, Shiloh, and Farming- 
ton. He was the first to find General Lyon on the battle-field of Wilson's 
Creek. At Farmington, Mississippi, in consequence of having to wade 
through swamps for a considerable length of time, his Hfe was greatly 
endangered. 

Nathan H. Schooler, was a private in company C, commanded by 
Captain Kelsey McDowell, in 3rd regiment, Missouri infantry volunteers. 
He enlisted at Spi^ingfield, December, 1861, and was discharged at Jack- 
son, Mississippi, May 31, 1865. He was in the battles of Corinth, Farm- 
ington, luka, second battle of Corinth, and several other skirmishes. He 
was wounded at Corinth on the 4th of October, 1862, and disabled for two 
years. He was taken prisoner at Springfield, and held two months. He 
was again taken prisoner at the battle of Corinth the time he was wounded. 
He was sick on two different times with fever on account of exposure in 
the said service. 

Arthur B. Elliott was a private in company A, commanded by Captain 
Robt. J. Williams in 3d Missouri infantry volunteers. He enlisted in 1861 
and was discharged in 1865. He was in the battles of Pea Ridge, Corinth, 
luka, Kenesaw Mountain, Allatoona, Georgia ; Vicksburg, Franklin, 
Tennessee, Latimore farm or mills, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Baker Creek. 
First taken prisoner at Vicksburg, next on picket line was captured. 

John C. Burgess was a private in company A, commanded by Captain 
Newton in 1st Missouri volunteers, in army of General Price. He enlisted 
in 1861 and was discharged same year. He was in the battles of Spring- 
field, Carthage and Lexington. 

Isaac H. Hale was a sergeant in General Price's army. He enlisted 
June 16,1861, and was discharged July 1, 1865. He was in the battles of 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 295 

Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Lexington, Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, Helena 
and Saline river, Arkansas. 

John L. Harrison was a private in company A, 3d Missouri infantry 
volunteers, and subsequently in the partisan rangers, 1st Missouri cavalry, 
company A. He enlisted December 7, 1861, and was discharged from 
prison July, 1864. He was in the battles of Sugar Creek, Arkansas, 
October 17, 1862, Cotton Plant, Arkansas. While he was with the ran- 
gers he was in the Ozark fight and the Gasconade fight. He was taken pris- 
oner on Gasconade river on the 30th day of July, 1862. He was held as a 
prisoner until June 30, 1864, when he was discharged from prison. 

James Calvin Brown was a private in company A, commanded by 
Robert J. Williams, in the 3d Missouri infantry volunteers. He enlisted 
December 7, 1861, and was killed in the siege of Vicksburg, May 22, 1863. 
He was an accomplished scholar, and gave bright promise of rising to 
high distinction. He was a faithful and gallant soldier, and greatly loved 
by his comrades. 

James Madison Suits was a private in company E, commanded by Cap- 
tain Davidson in 1st Virginia battalion of infantry. He enlisted in May, 
1863, and was discharged at Appomattox court house, April 9, 1865. He 
was in the battle of Petersburg, Virginia; Hatcher's Run, Virginia; Cold 
Harbor, Virginia, June 27, 1862, and other battles. He was made prisoner 
at the surrender at Appomattox court house, April 9, 1865. and paroled. 

B. F. Baber was a private in company A, commanded by Captain R. 
J . Williams in 3d regiment of infantry, Missouri volunteers, first Missouri 
brigade. He enlisted December 9, 1861, and was discharged at the close 
of the war. He was in the battles of Lexington, Missouri, Pea Ridge, 
Arkansas; Farmington, Mississippi; luka, Corinth, Grand Gulf, Port Gib- 
son, Vicksburg, and in all the battles in front of Sherman in Georgia, 
Allatoona, Resaca, Egypt Station, Blakely, Alabama, last battle of the war, 
April 1865. He was captured at Vicksburg the 4th of July, 1863, Blakely, 
Alabama, April 9, 1865. 

William H. Wilson^ "«vas in Quantrell's independent command, enlisted 
in 1862, and was discharged in 1863. He was in the battle of Lone Jack, 
in Jackson county Missouri, August 16, 1862. 

John A. Wasson was a private in company G, sixteenth Mississippi 
volunteers. He enlisted in 1861, and was discharged in 1865, by surrender. 
He was in the battles of Front Royal, Virginia, Cross Keys, Virginia, 
seven days battle near Richmond, Virginia; Manassas Gap, Virgmia; 
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He was tw^ice captured, and held a prisoner 
a short time. He was wounded in the battle of Cross Keys, in Virginia. 

A. R. Chenault was a private in General Price's army. He enhsted in 
the summer of 1861, and was discharged in the fall of 1861. He was in 
the battles of Booneville, Carthage, Wilson's Creek and Lexington. On 



296 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

leaving the service, he followed the profession of teaching school for some 
time, and afterward engaged in farming. He has been a very successful 
farmer for some years, and owns a large farm near the Richmond and 
Lexington Junction. He also carries on, to some extent, the mercantile 
business at the R. and L. Junction. 

William Cox was a private in company D, Colonel Hughes' regiment. 
General Price's army, and afterward in the 1st Missouri brigade, com- 
pany H, 3d regiment. Confederate infantry volunteers. He was in the 
battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Lexington, Kenesaw Mountain, 
Georgia, and Atlanta, Georgia, and several other engagements. He was 
taken prisoner twice ; first in Saline county, by Pleasonton, and kept in St. 
Louis one month. He was next captured in Chariton county, Missouri, 
and held eleven months in St. Louis, and then exchanged. He was 
paroled after the surrender. 

Martin V. Kite was a corporal in company H, commanded by Captain 
Rippatoe, in the 33d Virginia volunteers, commanded by Colonel Cum- 
mings, in General Stonewall Jackson's army. He enlisted at Lauray, 
Page county, Virginia, in 1861, and continued in the service until the close 
of the war, and the surrender of the Confederate troops. He was in the 
first battle of Manassas, and in a number of skirmishes while under Mosby. 
He was for some time in the hospital as steward, at Lynchburg. 

Thomas R. Gant was a corporal in company, C, 3d Missouri infantry 
volunteers. He enlisted February 23, 1862. He was in the battles of 
Elkhorn Tavern, Arkansas, second battle of Corinth, luka. Grand Gulf, 
Hatchie Bridge, Big Black, siege of Vicksburg, Misssissippi; Atlanta, 
Allatoona, Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia; and Franklin, Tennessee. He 
was taken prisoner at Franklin, Tennessee, and was released at the close of 
the war, at Camp Chase, Ohio. Mr. Gant has been in business for some 
years as a merchant in Vibbard, since the war, and has won the re- 
spect and confidence of a large circle of friends. 

Cyrus D. Grant was a corporal in company C, Third cavalry regiment. 
He enlisted in said company September, 1861, and re-enhsted December, 
1861, in company C, Third Missouri volunteer infantry, commanded by 
Colonel B. A. Rives, Confederate service. He was in the battles of 
Lexington, Pea Ridge, Corinth, first and second; battles of Vicksburg, 
Grand Gulf, Black river Bridge, Peach Tree Creek, Kenesaw Mountain, 
Atlanta, through the campaign in Georgia in front of Sherman. He served 
under Johnson, Bragg, and Hood. He was wounded six times, princi- 
pally flesh wounds. Was captured in the battle of Franklin. He was 
discharged at the close of the war. 

Thomas J. Brooks was a private in Jarnes Johnston's company, state 
guards. Confederate service. Enhsted in June, 1861, and was dis- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. . 297 

charged December 2, 1861, and returned home. He was in the battle of 
Lexington. 

UNION SOLDIERS. 

The number of volunteers furnished by Ray county for the Federal 
army, is estimated at about 1,200. During the first year of the war the 
recruits for the Union army in this county were not many. The counties 
of Ray and Carroll, during the summer of 1861, furnished one company 
of volunteers, who, under the command of Captain Dick Ridgell, did 
service at Lexington, Missouri, until the surrender of General Mulligan to 
General Sterling Price, September 20, 1861. Some other volunteers 
from Ray county served in their companies at Lexington, at the time of 
the memorable siege. In the first week of December, 1861, a large force 
of Federal troops, under General B. M. Prentiss, passed through Ray 
county, halting for a few days at Richmond. The night after their 
arrival a company of volunteers was organized near the residence of 
John Elliott, near Camden, in this county. This company was enrolled 
on the 17th of December, 1861, and mustered into the service January, 
12, 1862. Andrew Elliott was elec.ted captain, who was afterward suc- 
ceeded, September 28, 1862, by Captain George N. McGee. This com- 
pany was company A, 3d Missouri state militia cavalry. 

The next company of volunteers, Missouri state militia cavalry, 3d reg- 
iment, was company B, mustered into service January 12, 1862, and 
commanded by Captain Abraham Allen, who was afterward promoted 
to be major of the 3d Missouri state miHtia cavalry, Captain Eli Hughes 
being the captain of said company B, which was afterward company K, 
of the 6th Missouri state militia cavalry. 

The next company was company D, same regiment, commanded by 
Captain Austin A. King, jr., afterward colonel of the 13th Missouri vet- 
eran cavalry volunteers. 

These companies were in the old 3d Missouri state militia cavalry, com- 
manded by Colonel Walter King, until consolidated, in accordance with 
special order No. 12, from headquarters of Missouri; February 4, 1863, 
they became part of the 6th regiment Missouri state militia cavalry, com- 
manded by Colonel E. C. Catherwood, and companies A and B became 
in the said 6th regiment companies I and K respectively; and company 
D of the 3d regiment was distributed among the difierent companies of 
the 6th Missouri state militia cavalry. 

Company D of the 6th Missouri state militia cavalry, was from Ray 
county, and commanded at first by Captain William F. Kelso, who was 
succeeded by Captain Samuel E. Lanier. 

Ray county also furnished a large number of recruits for company D, 
Captain James M. Morganson, 35th Missouri volunteers; company F, 
19 



298 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

10th Missouri cavalry volunteers, Captain Fred R. Neet; company D, 
12th regiment cavalry Missouri volunteers, Captain Charles Ernst; com- 
panies B and D, 13th Missouri cavalry, Captains Joel H. Shelley and John 
E. Mayo, respectively; company I, 26th Missouri infantry volunteers. 
Captain John McFall; companies B, F, and H, 44th regiment Missouri 
volunteers, Captains William Drumhiller, Isaac N. Henry, and Wm. D. 
Fortune, respectively. 

Ray county also furnished a number of recruits for Kansas regiments. 
In addition to these, Ray county furnished a regiment of enrolled militia, 
the 51st E. M. M., ten companies, that were frequently called into active 
service until the close of the war. 

In July, 1862, James W. Black was appointed and commissioned 
enrolling officer of Ray county, and mustering officer by General Benja- 
min Loan. 

The enrollment of all male persons in Ray county, between the ages of 
eighteen and forty-five years, was commenced July 21, 1862, and com- 
pleted m the month following. 

In August, 1862, a sufficient number of companies of the enrolled mili- 
tia, had been mustered in by J. W. Black, mustering officer, to form a reg- 
iment. The 51st regiment of enrolled Missouri militia was, therefore, 
duly organized. Two companies, Co's. I and K, were afterward mus- 
tered in, making ten companies in all, in said regiment. 

On application of James W. Black, arms and equipments were fur- 
nished the 51st regiment E. M. M., in October, 1862, from the ordinance 
department of the state of Missouri, by order of Governor Hamilton R. 
Gamble. Also a considerable supply of clothing, blankets, &c., were fur- 
nished at the same time, from the quartermaster's department, of the state 
of Missouri, Colonel E. Anson Moore being quartermaster general of 
Missouri. 

The regimental officers and company officers of the 51st regiment E. 
M. M., were as follows: 

FIFTY-FIRST REGIMENT E. M. M. 

A. J, Barr, colonel, commissioned October 2, 1862; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

James W. Black, lieutenant colonel, November 9, 1863; vacated March 
12, 1865. 

John Grimes, major, October 2, 1862; vacated March 12, 1865. 

Rufus B. Finley, adjutant, December 12, 1862; vacated by special 
order 126, 1864. 

Joseph E. Black, adjutant, September 17, 1864; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

Elisha Riggs, quartermaster, December 12, 1862; vacated March 12, 
1865. 



N 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 299 

Wm. W. Mosby, surgeon, October 28, 1862; vacated by special order 
126, 1864. 

Wm. W. Mosby, surgeon, August 10, 1864; vacated by special .order 
126, 1864. " 

COMPANY A. 

Clayton Tiffin, captain, October 2, 1862; detailed to 4th provisional 
regiment by S. O. No. 41, 7th district. * 

S. C. L. Watkins, first lieutenant, August 20, 1863; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

Isaac McKown, second lieutenant, October 2, 1862; detailed to 4th 
provisional regiment by S. O. No. 41, 7th district. 

COMPANY B. 

Martin T. Reel, captain, October 2, 1862; vacated March 12, 1865. 

G. W. Ray, first lieutenant, October 2, 1862; detailed to 4th provisional 
regiment by S. O. No. 47, 7th district. 

G. W. Haven, second lieutenant, June 16, 1863; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

COMPANY C. 

John Sacry, captain, October 2, 1862; vacated March 12, 1865. 

Asa Brockman, first lieutenant, October 2, 1862; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

Anderson Elliott, second lieutenant, October 2, 1862; vacated March 
12, 1865. 

COMPANY D. 

John Hawkins, captain, October 2, 1862; vacated March 12, 1865. 

James T. Lemar, first lieutenant, October 2, 1862; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

Jesse C. Tunnage, second lieutenant, October 2, 1862; killed by guer- 
rillas July 18, 1864. 

Wm. T. Gant, second lieutenant, August 3, 1864; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

COMPANY E. 

Patten Colley, captain, October 2, 1862; vacated March 12, 1865. 

John McKissock, first lieutenant, October 2, 1862 ; detailed to 4th pro- 
visional regiment by S. O. No. 47. 

Miles Bristow, second lieutenant, October 2, 1862; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

COMPANY F. 

D. p. Whitmer, captain, October 2, 1862; detailed to 4th provisional 
regiment by S. O. No. 47, 7th military district. 

John D. Page, first lieutenant, October 2, 1862; killed in action July 8, 
1864. 



300 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V. 

William F. Rolston, first lieutenant, July 9, 1864; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

William F. Rolston, second lieutenant, October 2, 1862; promoted to 
first lieutenant July 14, 1864. 

Robert F. H. Goode, second lieutenant, July 19, 1864; vacated March 
12, 1865. 

' COMPANY G. 

W. P. Milstead, captain, November 22, 1862; vacated by S. O. No. 
126, July 28, 1864. 

Lee Henry, captain, September 24, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. 

William Stone, first lieutenant, November 22, 1862; resigned April 22, 
1864. 

James Baker, first lieutenant, July 14, 1864; vacated March 12, 1866. 

Lee Henry, second lieutenant, October 2, 1862; revoked by S. O. No. 
126, 1864. 

Jacob Lebo, second lieutenant, August 3, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. 

COMPANY H. 

W. W. Mosby, captain, August 19, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. 

Solomon Craven, first lieutenant, October 2, 1862; vacated by special 
order No. 126, July 28, 1864. 

Stephen Lewis, first lieutenant, August 3, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. 

John W. Shotwell, second lieutenant, October 2, 1862; vacated by S. 
O. No. 126, July 28, 1864. 

G. A. Sanford, second lieutenant, August 3, 1864; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

COMPANY I. 

J. E. Henderson, captain, December 13, 1862; vacated by S. O. No. 
126, July 28, 1864. 

John H. Cramer, captain, August 6, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. 

David Comer, first lieutenant, December 13, 1862; revoked by S. O. 
No. 126, July 28, 1864. 

Willy Basham, first lieutenant, August 8, 1864; vacated March 12, 1865. 

Thomas Baker, second lieutenant, December 13, 1862; vacated by S. 
O. No. 126, July 28, 1864. 

J. H. McGlothlin, second lieutenant, August 6, 1864; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

COMPANY K. 

Andrew J. Connor, captain, December 31,1862; vacated March 12, 
1865. 

Burton Snowden, first lieutenant, December 31, 1862; vacated by S. O. 
No. 126, July 28, 1864. 

Marion Phillips, second lieutenant, December 31, 1862; vacated by S. 
O. July 28, 1864. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 301 

In July, 1863, James W. Black was appointed provost marshal of Ray 
county, Missouri, by Hon. Abram Comingo, provost marshal of the sixth 
district of Missouri, under the conscription act of congress, with orders 
to proceed to enrolling all male persons in Ray county, between the ages 
of eighteen and forty-five years, in three different classes, as specified in 
said orders, by suitable enroUing officers. In furtherance of these orders, 
J. W. Black appointed the following enrolling officers: 

Richmond township — Joseph E. Black. 

Camden and Fishing River townships — William A. Rothrock. 

Knoxville and Polk townships — Oscar White. 

Grape Grove and Crooked River townships — John N. Craven. 

The enrollment of the county was completed in the fall of . 1863, and a 
full report made to District Provost Marshal Captain Abram Comingo, at 
Lexington, Missouri. A draft was not ordered until the spring of 1865, 
and only a few persons were drafted from Ray county. The war coming 
to a close shortly after, the drafted men were not required for the service. 

In the fall and winter of 1863, a large number of colored soldiers were 
recruited from Ray county, and mustered into the service in St. Louis, 
Missouri, (Benton barracks.) They were assigned to duty and did service 
in the 18th, 62d, 65th, 67th, and 68th regiments, United States colored 
troops. Companies A and B, 62d United States colored troops, and 
company A, 67th United States colored troops, were composed largely of 
colored troops, recruited from Ray county, Missouri, and continued in the 
service until after the close of the war. 

The first engagement in Ray county, Missouri, was in October, 1861, 
and was called McVeigh's fight, from the name of the farmer who owned 
the farm near the scene of the fight, about six miles northeast of Knox- 
ville, Missouri. The forces engaged were a portion of Major M. L. 
James' battalion of six months' men, on the side of the government, against 
Colonel John Bagby's and Captain Lewis M. Beet's force of Confederate 
recruits. It was a spirited little fight for a short time, but resulted in very 
little injury on either side. 

During the summer and fall of 1864, large bodies of guerrillas, under 
command of Todd, Thailkeld, Bill Anderson, and other noted leaders, 
passed through the county at different times, committing some depreda- 
tions, and once in a while having an engagement with the Ray county 
enrolled Missouri militia. 

On September 18, 1864, a portion of company F, 51st E. M. M., that 
were stationed at " Shaw's Shop " (Morton), in the eastern part of Ray 
county, under command of Lieutenant William F. Rallston, of said com- 
pany F, were surprised by a large force of guerrillas, under command of 
Todd. Before a retreat could be effected, a number of the soldiers of 
Lieutenant Rallston's command were killed. The following are the 



302 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

names of the soldiers killed in this action: William W. Harris, Elias 
McBee, Napoleon B. Petty, Joseph S. Salmon, John H. Phillips, and 
Nicholas C. Lozier. 

The guerrillas met with but slight loss, only one of their men being 
severely wounded. Robert P. Endsley, of company F, was taken pris- 
oner by the guerrillas, and after being detained some time, was released 
by them. 

The complete surprise at Shaw's Shop of company F, was owing to 
the guerrillas being clothed in Federal uniforms, and deceiving the 
pickets. 

On the 17th of July, 1864, an engagement took place near Fredericks- 
burg, Ray county, not far from the Ray and Clay county line. The forces 
engaged were Captain Moses' company (company M), of the 2d Colo- 
rado cavalry volunteers, and a large force of guerrillas and Confederates, 
amounting to about 300 in all, under command of Colonel Thailkeld. 
Captain Moses' company was badly routed, with the loss of six men killed 
and several wounded. The superior force of Colonel Thailkeld com- 
pelled a rapid retreat of the company. 

After the engagement, Thailkeld, with his command, marched rapidly 
in the direction of Richmond, Missouri, deflecting from their course at 
Elkhorn, in order to capture a company of men at Albany, Ray county, 
that had been recruited for the -lith Missouri volunteers (company B). 

They were, however, disappointed in capturing the company, as it had 
left Albany, and taken up its line of march for the assistance of the gar- 
rison at Richmond. They then returned the morning following, to the 
Richmond road. 

The news of the heavy force approaching Richmond was received 
there on Sunda}', about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and caused considerable 
alarm, as there were only thirty men of company F, 51st E. M. M., to 
guard the post, a number of the soldiers being on duty elsewhere at 
that time. 

Captain David P. Whitmer was in command of the forces at Richmond » 
and made vigorous efforts to defend the post. He sent for reinforcements 
to Lexington, Missouri, and an urgent call for the company at Albany, 
Missouri, to come to his assistance. The company at Albany came at 
once that evening, but no reinforcements from Lexington, (Colonel 
McFerran commanding there) until the next day. 

The citizens of Richmond and vicinity were called upon by Captain 
Whitmer for assistance in protecting the city from the great danger 
threatened, and a large number of them nobly responded to the call. 
The small force of soldiers and citizens that had volunteered for the 
defense of the place, lay on their arms all that night, expecting an attack 
of the enemy at every moment. On the Monday morning following. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 303 

Captain Clayton Tiffin, who had been stationed at Liberty, Clay county, 
Missouri, with his company C, of the 4th provisional regiment, arrived 
with his company, and was shortly followed by a battalion of the 2d 
Col. cavalry volunteers, under command of Major Prichard, and strongly 
reinforced the brave little garrison. The attack of the enemy was 
anxiously awaited, but Colonel Thailkeld, finding the force too strong 
for him, changed his line of march, leaving the Richmond road, three 
miles west of Richmond; he took a northeast course, crossing the Knox- 
ville road north of Richmond, at Yokum's farm. 

Major Prichard, on learning this, gave hot pursuit of the enemy with 
his battalion of the 2d Col. cavalry volunteers. 

Captain Whitmer and his brave little garrison of thirty men, and the 
citizens of Richmond, who rallied to his assistance in defending their city 
from .the threatened danger at that time, v/ere highly complimented for 
their gallantry, as also, were Major Abraham Allen, Captain C. Tiffin, 
Major Prichard and others, who had so promptly and rapidly marched 
to the assistance of the garrison and the rescue of Richmond. 

On the 8th of July, 1864, a portion of company F, 51st E. M. M., 
engaged a considerable force of bushwhackers. 

Lieutr-nant John D. Page, of company F, while making a charge with 
some of his men, was drawn into an ambuscade, and received a heavy 
fire from the concealed enemy. In this fight Lieutenant Page was killed. 
Lieutenant Robert F. Goode badly wounded, and William Fields badly 
wounded, who afterward died of his wounds. Lieutenant John D. Page 
was an active, energetic officer, performed fine service in his company, 
and was greatly endeared to his fellow soldiers. 

On the 15th of July, 1864, an engagement took place on Waconda 
creek, in Carroll county, Missouri, with the forces under the command of 
Captain Clayton Tiffin, and a large body of bushwhackers, under the 
command of Bill Anderson. After a short but stubborn fight, the bush- 
whackers were repulsed, and dislodged from their well selected position. 
In this engagement James A. Hess was killed. He was a recruit for 
company B, 44th Missouri volunteers, that was then organizing. Howell 
Searcy, Joel Spitzer, and a number of others were also killed in this 
engagement, and George W. Elliott and others badly wounded. 

October 27, 1864, a heavy force of guerrillas, under the command of 
Bill Anderson, were repulsed near Albany, Ray county, by a portion of 
the 51st regiment, E. M. M., commanded by Major John Grimes, and a 
portion of the Daviess company E. M. M., commanded by Major Samuel 
P. Cox, of the 1st cavalry, M. S. M. In this engagement Bill Anderson, 
the noted bushwhacker, was killed, while making a desperate charge. 
The Ray county troops and the Daviess county troops in the action, 
behaved with great coolness and gallantry. The arrangement of the 



304: HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

forces, and the planning of the method in which the attack was to be 
brought on, were well conceived, and admirably carried out. They 
reflected the highest honor upon the officers in command. On the fall of 
their leader, the bushwhackers, who had met with some loss from the 
well directed fire of the Ray county and Daviess county troops, made a 
hasty retreat, and left Ray county that night. 

The last engagement in Ray county, Missouri, was about six miles 
northeast of Richmond, near Dr. Horace King's farm, on the 23d of May, 
1865. The forces engaged were a portion of 'Captain Clayton Tiffin's 
command and a force of guerrillas under the command of Arch Clemens. 
It was a sharp engagement for a short time, and resulted in the rout of 
the guerrillas. 

In this engagement Madison S. Walker was killed. He had been a 
private in company D, 35th Missouri volunteers and 5th regiment of vet- 
eran reserve corps, and volunteered in the spring of 1865, in Captain 
Tiffin's compan}^ 

On the following day after the fight a force of volunteers from Rich- 
mond gave Arch Clemens and the bushwhackers a hot pursuit. 

This engagement of Captain Tiffin's company with Arch Clemens' 
command on the 23d day of May, 1865, was emphatically the last one of 
the war. 

Captain Clayton Tiffin's company was the last one in active service in 
Ray county, Missouri. It was an efficient company in every respect, and 
performed splendid service during the war. The captain won a deserv- 
ing reputation for gallantry and bravery in his long term of service, and 
is greatly endeared to troops of friends. 

Captam Patton Colley, of company E, 51st regiment, E. M. M. ; Lieu- 
tenant John D. Page, of company F, and Lieutenant Jesse C. Tunnage, 
of company D, same regiment, were killed by guerrillas in July, 1861. 

Simon McKissack, company B, 3d M. S. M. cavalry, was killed at 
Springfield, January 8, 1863. 

Lieutenant Riley B. Riggs, company K, 6th M. S. M. cavalry volun- 
teers, was killed October 9, 1864. 

Thomas H. Elliott, of same company, was killed October 23, 1864, near 
Jefferson City at the time of the invasion of Missouri by General Sterling 
Price. 

Lieutenant John McKissack, company B, ilth Missouri volunteers, was 
killed at Spanish Fort, Alabama. 

FLAG PRESENTATIONS. 

At the time General B. M. Prentiss passed through Camden, Ray 
county, December 5, 1861, with a large Federal force, the Union ladies of 
the place presented him with a beautiful flag of the stars and stripes that 
they had wrought. The general, on receiving it, made a most eloquent 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 305 

speech, paying a beautiful tribute to the patriotism of the ladies, com- 
plimenting them highly for their efforts in behalf of their country; that 
it was the first mark of encouragement and sympathy his troops had 
received on their march from St. Joseph down to that place; that they 
would bear it to battle with them, and amid charging squadrons, the roar 
of artillery, and the clashing of steel in the fiery conflict of contending 
armies, they would proudly bear it aloft, and in gazing on its proud folds 
remember the noble donors, the fair and patriotic ladies of Camden. 

In April, 1862, a beautiful union flag was presented company A, 3d M. 
S. M. cavalry volunteers, commanded by Captain Andrew Elliott, by the 
ladies of Camden, near the residence of Willis Warriner, Esq., on the 
lofty eminence overlooking the Missouri river. 

J. W. Black, on behalf of the ladies of Camden, presented the flag to the 
soldiers of company A, with a neat and appropriate speech, as they were 
drawn up in a long and imposing line. It was received by them with 
great enthusiasm, and borne by them as the banner of their company 
through their long and arduous campaigns in southwest Missouri. 

On returning home after the close of the war, this flag was brought 
with them, and is now in the possession of one of the old soldiers of com- 
pany A, that afterward was company L, of the 6th M. S. M. cavalry 
volunteers. 

From the foregoing pages it will be seen that Ray county furnished a 
large number of soldiers for both the armies of the Federal government, 
and the southern Confederacy, and wherever her sons served they did 
their duty well. 

After peace was restored in 1865, the sublime spectacle was presented 
of the soldiers of the " blue and gray " living peaceably together and fol- 
lowing the same pursuits, glorying in the same common country, its pro- 
gress and renown, its great present and unbounded future. 

The Missouri militia in the counties of Ray, Clay, Platte and Clinton, 
were organized in 1865 by Robert S. Moore, colonel 14th regiment, Mis- 
souri militia, and Joseph E. Black, adjutant 1st regiment M. M. 

The war having closed shortly after this organization of the Missouri 
militia was completed, they were not required to perform any active 
service. 

The following are the names of the officers and privates who composed 
company B, 3d regiment, Missouri state militia volunteers. This com- 
pany was organized in December, 1861, and was mustered into the service 
of the United States in January, 1862, commanded by Captain Abraham 
Allen, who was afterward promoted to be major of the 3d Missouri state 
militia cavalry. The officers of the company when mustered into the 
service in January, 1862, were Abraham Allen, captain, to rank from 



306 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

January 11, 1862; Eli Hughes, 1st lieutenant, to rank from January 11, 
1862; Riley B. Riggs, 2d lieutenant, to rank from January 11, 1862. 

On promotion of Captain Abraham Allen to be major of 3d regiment, 
M. S. M. cavalry, to rank from June 12, 1862, Eli Hughes became captain 
of company B, to rank from July 1, 1862; Riley B. Riggs, became first 
lieutenant of company B, to rank from July 1, 1862; Wm. N. Perkins 
became second lieutenant of company B, to rank from July 1, 1862. 

This company was in the 3d regiment of Missouri state militia volun- 
teers, commanded by Colonel Walter King, until consolidated in accord- 
ance with special order number twelve, from headquarters state of Mis- 
souri, adjutant-general's office, St. Louis, Missouri, February 4, 1863, 
when company B, of the third M. S. M. cavalry volunteers was attached 
to 6th regiment, Missouri state militia volunteers as company K, in said 
6th regiment. 

PRIVATES IN COMPANY B. 

David O. Wallace, first sergeant, enrolled January 12, 1862, at Rich- 
mond, Missouri. 

George P. Cleavenger, second sergeant, enrolled January 11, 1862, at 
Richmond, Missouri. 

David McGuire, third sergeant, enrolled March 7, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Ambrose M. Watkins, fourth sergeant, enrolled January 1, 1862, at 
Richmond, Missouri. 

James H. Fountain, sergeant, enrolled January 8, 1862, at Richmond,. 
Missouri. 

Andrew J. Odell, sergeant, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Abraham Zimmerman, sergeant, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

James B. Bowlen, sergeant, enrolled January 8, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

WiUiam S. Gross, corporal, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

William Scoggins, corporal, enrolled January 9, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Alfred W. Boon, corporal, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

John T. Soggins, corporal, enrolled January 9, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

John W. Nelson, corporal, enrolled January 1, 1861, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Joseph Proftitt, corporal, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Misouri. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 307 

Aaron Odell, corporal, enrolled February 17, 1862, Richmond, Missouri. 

Christian Overman, corporal, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond,. 
Missouri. 

John H. Hightower, bugler, enrolled April 22, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Jeremiah A. Burchett, bugler, enrolled October 22, 1862, at Springfield, 
Missouri. 

William J. Huchison, company smith, enrolled March 27, 1862, at 
Richmond, Missouri. 

William E. Allbright, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Austin P. Boon, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond,. 
Missouri. 

William A. Bogart, private, enrolled March 22, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Elijah Burgess, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 

William Burnes, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Joseph Campbell, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, * 
Missouri. 

James H. Campbell, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond,, 
Missouri. 

George W. Coombes, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Hiram M. Clark, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond,. 
Missouri. 

Richard B. Clarke, private, enrolled Januar}- 1, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

George Cleavenger, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

William Dickie, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Thomas H. Elliott, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

John W. Earl, private, enrolled April 22, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri, 

Thomas J. Francis, private, enrolled January 9, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

William Free, private, enrolled April 2, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 

Stephen J. Francis, private, enrolled January 24, 1862, at Springfield,. 
Missouri. 

WiUiam R. Gross, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond,, 
Missouri. 

James P. Gross, private, enrolled May 21, 1863, at Richmond, Missouri. 



308 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Jesse W. Goodman, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri, 

Moses Hess, private, enrolled April 22, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 

Thomas H. Jones, private, enrolled December 31, 1861, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Thomas H. Lile, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Daniel P. Miller, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Edwin Munn, private, enolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 

Monroe B. Monaghan, private, enrolled January 9, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

William C. MuUican, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

David Odell, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 

John Odell, private, enrolled March 7, 1862, at Richmond Missouri, 

William R. Odell, private, enrolled November 27, 1863, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

George Olive, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 

Charles Overman, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

James Phoster, (James Foster) private, enrolled January, 1862, at Rich- 
mond, Missouri. 

George W. Pearce, private, enrolled November 26, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Jesse Quirk, private, enrolled April 2, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 

Lyman H. Roland, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Jesse E. Rowland, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

John Riggs, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri, 

Harvey C. Ray, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, Mis- 
souri. 

George Robertson, private, enrolled March 2, 1862, at Richmond Mis- 
souri. 

. George R. Rowland, private, enrolled November 27, 1863, at Springfield, 
Missouri. 

James H. Stonns, private, enrolled January 8, 1862, at Richmond, Mis- 
souri. 

Arthur Stonns, private, enrolled February 25, 1862, at Richmond, Mis- 
souri, 

Thomas Sutton, private, enrolled April 22, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri, 

Jas, A, Smart, private, enrolled March, 7, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 309 

Jonas Taylor, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 

William E. Tegarden, private, enrolled January I, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Thomas Thacker, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, Mis- 
souri. 

James L. Tucker, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

William D. Tarwater, private, enrolled November 27, 1862, at Spring- 
field, Missouri. 

John E. Trendle, private, enrolled November 27, 1862, at Springfield, 
Missouri. 

O. H. P. Vanosdoll, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Joseph Woods, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, Mis- 
souri. 

Sam'l Woods, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, Missouri. 

John T. Warmoth, private, enrolled January 11, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

Lawson H. Worthington, private, enrolled March 15, 1862, at Rich- 
mond, Missouri. 

James O. Wallace, private, enrolled May 24, 1863, at Richmond, Mis- 
souri. 

John T. Wallace, private, enrolled May 24, 1863, at Richmond, Mis- 
souri. 

Isaac A. Watkins, private, enrolled January 1, 1862, at Richmond, 
Missouri. 

William R. Lloyd, private, enrolled January 25, 1864, at Springfield, 
Missouri. 

Jacob B. Kunkle, William Wilburn, John Hightower, Jesse E. Row- 
land. 

This company performed fine service in southwest Missouri and north- 
west Arkansas, and was in many engagements and skirmishes, until the 
expiration of its term of service in February, 1865. All its officers per- 
formed their duty well. Captain EH Hughes made a fine record as a 
gallant and brave officer, and was honorably discharged from the service, 
greatly beloved by his men. He is now one of the most valuable citizens 
of the county. 

Company A, of the 3d M. S. M. cavalry volunteers, was mustered into 
the service at Chillicothe, Missouri, January 12, 1862, having volunteered 
for service December 17, 1861. After performing valuable service as 
company A, 3d M. S. M. Cavalry, it was consolidated with the 6th regi- 
ment, M. S. M. cavalry volunteers, by special order No. 12 from head- 
quarters of state of Missouri, dated February 4, 1863, and became com- 



.310 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

pany I, in said 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers. Company A was 
■commanded by Captain Andrew Elliott until September 15, 1862, when 
he resigned. Captain George N. McGee was elected by the company to 
fill his place September 24, 1862. Joseph H. Jackson was first lieutenant 
of company A, which position he also held in company I, after consolida- 
tion with 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers, until he resigned, February 19, 
1864. Arthur T. Parker was second lieutenant until April 18, 1863. 
Robert P. Ballew was second Heutenant from March 15, 1863, until he 
resigned. May 20, 1864. 

The following is a list of the soldiers in company I, 6th M. S. M. 
cavalry volunteers, at the time the company was mustered out of the ser- 
vice, January 16, 1865. A large number of the soldiers of the company 
enlisted in the veteran service, in 1864, mainly in the 13th regiment vet- 
eran cavalry volunteers. 

George N. McGee, captain, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 
17, 1861. 

Nathaniel H. Rone, first sergeant, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, 
December 17, 1861. 

William C. Reaves, commissary sergeant, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, 
December 17, 1861. 

Granville Linnville, sergeant, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 
17, 1861. 

Daniel McKav, sergeant, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 
1861. 

Matthew Burnett, sergeant, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 
17, 1861 

Benjamin S. Proffitt, corporal, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 
17, 1861. 

Thomas H. Clements, corporal, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, Decem- 
ber 17, 186J. 

Charles H. Larkey, corporal, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 
17, 1861. 

Levi Harris, corporal, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 
1861. 

Richard Adams, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 
1861. 

Isaac Burnett, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 
1861. 

Andrew Bailey, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 
1861. 

Harden S. Bailey, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 
1861. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 311 

John H. Cooper, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 
1861. 

James M. Harvey, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 
17, 1861. 

Melancthon Haskell, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 
17, 1861. 

Edward Larkey, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17 
1861. 

Colonel Megonogel, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 
17, 1861. 

Lenhart Powless, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 
1861. 

John Parks, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 1861. 

Josiah P. Tribble, private, enlisted at Camden, Missouri, December 17, 
1861. 

Captain George N. McGee, captain of company A, 3d M. S. M. cav- 
alry volunteers, afterward company I, 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers, 
enlisted in company A as a private, but from his fine qualities as a soldier 
became a great favorite with all his fellow soldiers, so that on the resigna- 
tion of Captain Andrew Elliott, in September, 1862, he was elected to the 
position of captain, which he filled with honor and ability, until he was mus- 
tered out of the service, January 6, 1865. He won a splendid reputation 
for all the admirable qualities of a noble officer while in the service. On 
coming home, after he was honorably discharged from the service, he 
settled down quietly to the pursuits of civil life. His fellow citizens, how- 
ever, did not suffer him to remain in private life long. In the fall of 1866, 
he was elected clerk of the county court of Ray county, which position he 
held for six years, discharging his duties in the most eminently satisfactory 
manner. He was secretary of the school board of directors of Richmond 
graded school for many years, and did much by his liberal and energetic 
course to promote the interests of the Richmond schools. He was, in 
every sense of the term, a good citizen. He died, August 1, 1880, after a 
short illness, greatly mourned, not only by his relatives, but by almost 
every one that knew him. 

SOME NAMES OF SOLDIERS IN FEDERAL SERVICE DURING THE LATE 

CIVIL WAR. 

Joseph Campbell was a private in company B, 3d regiment Missouri 
state militia cavalry volunteers; afterward company K, 6th Missouri state 
militia cavalry volunteers. He enlisted in January, 1862, and was dis- 
charged in January, 1865. He was in the battles of Springfield, Missouri, 
and Neosho, Missouri. He was taken prisoner by General Shelby at 
Neosho, Missouri, October, 4, 1863. 



312 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

William P. Cook was adjutant in the 3d M. S. M. cavalry, commanded 
by Colonel Walter King. He enlisted in December, 1861, and was dis- 
charged in November, 1862. 

Thomas J. Youngblood was a private in company ]), 6th M. S. M. 
cavalry volunteers. He enlisted December 18, 1864, and was discharged 
July 18, 1865. 

G. B. Thacker, was a private in company B, 3d M. S. M. cavalry vol- 
unteers. He enlisted January, 1862, at Chillicothe, Missouri, and was 
discharged December 18, 1862, at Springfield, Missouri. He was injured 
by a horse falling with him while in the service, and was disabled for ser- 
vice on account thereof. 

Wm. J. Smith was a private in company A, Colonel James McFerrin*s 
regiment, 1st regiment M. S. M. cavalry volunteers. He enlisted in 
1862, and was discharged in 1865. 

J. W. Goodman was a private in company B, 3d regiment M. S. M. 
cavalry volunteers. He enlisted in said company B, commanded by 
Captain Abraham Allen, afterward by Captain Eli Hughes, January 9, 
1862, and was discharged May 27, 1865. 

Daniel Cleavenger was first sergeant in company A, in 44th Missouri 
volunteers. He enlisted August, 1864, and was discharged August, 1865. 

Matthew Lile, was a private in company F, 44th Missouri volunteers. 
He enlisted in August, 1864, and was discharged in August, 1865. He 
was in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee; He died in 1872, from disease con- 
tracted in the service. 

Robert M. Lile was a private in the enrolled Missouri militia for a 
short time, and then entered the volunteer United States service. He en- 
listed as a private in company F, 44th Missouri volunteers, in August, 
1864, and was discharged August, 1865. He was in no battles. 

Jesse T. Roberts was orderly sergeant in Captain B. Dillon's company, 
1st Kentucky cavalry U. S. A. He enlisted at Camp Dick Robinson, 
Kentuck}'^, August 16, 1861, and was discharged at Crab Orchard, Ken- 
tucky, in November 21, 1861, on account of disability caused by putting a 
blacksmith's forge into a wagon, November 1, 1861. He was in the battle 
of Wild Cat, Kentucky, October 21, 1861. 

William H. Callison, was a private in company D, commanded by Cap- 
tain Robert L. Butts, 16th regiment Missouri cavalry volunteers. He 
volunteered at Marshfield, Webster county, Missouri, on or about the 27th 
of May, 1864, and was discharged at Springfield, Missouri on or about 
the 30th of June, 1865. He bore an honorable part in every engagement 
that took place in the pursuit of General Price from Jefferson City, until 
he was driven from the state; he was along with his company and regi- 
ment in the advance on Booneville, on the extreme right of the advance 
at Independence, and also at the battle of the Big Blue, where his regi- 







/> drt/^ ^^c<^^^-^^^j 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 313 

ment made a brilliant sabre charge upon an overwhelming number of the 
Confederates. He is now a farmer in Ray county, Missouri. 

Henry T. Whelchel, was a private in company D, 16th regiment Mis- 
souri cavalry volunteers. He enlisted at Marshfield,Webster county, Mis- 
souri, on or about the 27th day of , 1864, and was discharged on or 

about the 30th day of June, 1865, at Springfield, Missouri. He partici- 
pated in every engagement that took place in the pursuit of General Ster- 
ling Price, from Jefferson City, until his army was driven from the state in 
the memorable campaign of 1864, called the " Price Raid." He is now a 
farmer in Ray county, Missouri. 

Walter F. Becker, was a private in company L, of the 2d California 
cavalry volunteers. His company was commanded by Captain A. 
Brown. He enlisted September 24, 1862, and was discharged at Fort 
Laramie in 1865. He was in numerous skirmishes with Indians on the 
plains. He was wounded by an arrow in the left jaw in an Indian skir- 
mish. 

A. J. Narramore, was a sergeant in the 51st regiment, E. M. M. in 
Captain John Haukins' compan}'. He enlisted in 1864, and was dis- 
charged in 1865. He was in the fight at Albany, Ray county, Missouri. 

Captain John Haukins, was captain of company D, 51st regiment, E. 
M. M. He enlisted in 1862, and was in considerable active service at 
different times until 1865. He was a farmer on Rocky Fork of Crooked 
river some miles northwest of Richmond, Missouri. He died several 
years after the close of the war. 

James S. Craig, was a private in company A, commanded by Captain 
Van Quirk in the 85th Pennsylvania regiment infantry volunteers, com- 
manded by Colonel J. B. Howell. He enlisted in September, 1861, and was 
discharged November 22, 1864. He served in the army of the Potomac. 
He was in the siege of Yorktown, battle of Williamsburg, Virginia; Savage 
Station, Virginia; Seven Pines, Virginia; Jones Ford, Virginia; Malvern 
Hill, Virginia, Blackwater, Virginia; Southwest Creek, North Carolina; 
W^hite Hall, North Carohna; Goldsborough, North Carolina; siege of 
Morris Island, South Carolina; siege of Fort Wagner and Gregg, Gettys- 
burg, Pennsylvania; battle of the Wilderness, and many skirmishes. He 
was only once slightly wounded at Petersburg, Virginia, thus going 
through many terrible battles without receiving a serious wound. 

James T. Cummins was a private in the 43d regiment Indiana volun- 
teers, and was transferred to the 85th regiment Indiana volunteers, in the 
army corrimanded by General Sherman. He enlisted at Terre Haute, 
Indiana, in 1862, and was discharged June 14, 1865, at Evansville, Indiana. 
He was in the battle of Resaca, Georgia, May 13 to 16, 1864, and in all 
the battles in which General Sherman's army was engaged in, from 
20 



314 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Resaca to Atlanta, November 9, 1864. He was wounded by a sabre 
stroke, at Resaca, Georgia, but not disabled. He was taken prisoner 
once, on Green river, Kentucky, but was paroled in twenty-four hours. 
He has been a farmer for a number of years since the war, in Ray county, 
Missouri, and has held the position of justice of the peace in his township 
(Richmond township). 

Joseph Gossage was a corporal in the 51st regiment, E. M. M., and 
afterward in Captain Clayton Tiffin's company, 4th provisional regiment, 
E. M. M., commanded by Colonel John B. Hale. He enlisted in 1862, 
and was discharged in October, 1864. He was in the battle of Glasgow, 
Missouri, September, 1864, and in the fight with " bushwhackers," on 
Waconda creek, Carroll county, Missouri, in 1864. He was taken pris- 
oner at Glasgow, Missouri, and was paroled the same day. He has been 
engaged as a farmer, in Ray county, since the war, and for a number of 
years has been employed as farmer of the county poor house farm, and 
has managed it and improved it so greatly as to make it a model farm. 
His term expired last spring, and he is now cultivating another farm. 

George W. Carter was a bugler in company K, 3d and 7th regiments, 
M. S. M. cavalry volunteers, and 13th Missouri cavalry volunteers. He 
enhsted in 1861, and was discharged in 1865. He was in the battle of 
Independence, Missouri; Fort Scott, Kansas; Springfield, Missouri; 
Newtonia, Missouri; Fayetteville, Arkansas, and other battles. 

Samuel A. Harrison was a private in company F, commanded by Cap- 
tain D. P. Whitmer. He enlisted in 1862, and was discharged in 1865, 
having been in active service a portion of the time. He was in a skirmish 
at Shaw's Shop, in the fight with Todd's guerrillas, in 1864. 

Hiram Branso was a private in Captain John Haukin's company, of 
the 51st E. M. M. He enlisted in 1864, and was discharged in 1864. 
He was in the engagement at Albany, Ray county, Missouri, October 
27, 1864, in which Bill Anderson, the noted bushwhacker, was killed. 

John A. McGaugh was a private in company D, 51st regiment, E. M. 
M. He enhsted in 1864, and was discharged in 1865. 

J. M. Stockwell was a private in Colonel Peabody's 11th regiment, 
Missouri militia. He enhsted in 1861, and was discharged in 1861, on 
account of his health. 

Aaron Teagarden was a private in Captain Real's company B, 51st E. 
M. M. He enhsted in 1864 and was discharged in 1865. 

Milton Piercy was a private in Captain Martin T. Real's company B, 
51st regiment, E. M. M. He enlisted in 1862. 

Lafayette P. Branstetter was a sergeant in Captain Bradley's company 
A. He enlisted in Modena, Mercer county, Missouri. 

Alexander Holder was a private in company G, 51st regiment, E. M. 
M. He enhsted in 1862, and w^as discharged at the close of the w^ar. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 315 

Ezekiel Stone was a private of company D, 51st regiment E. M. M. 
H enlisted in 1862, and was discharged in 1864. He was in an engage- 
ment near VVaconda creek, Carroll county, Missouri, and in one at 
Albany, Ray county, Missouri, in which Bill Anderson, the noted guer- 
rilla, was killed. 

Robert Manley was a private in Major John Grimes's battalion. He 
enlisted in 1863. 

Levi A. Holman was a soldier in Sherman's army. He enlisted in the 
fall of 1862 and was discharged June, 1865. He was in the battle of 
Tupelo, Mississippi, May 6, 1863, Selma, Alabama, April 2, 1865, and 
several others. 

Joseph Proffitt, was a corporal in company B, 3d M. S. M. cavalry, 
afterward, by consolidation, company K, 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers, 
and then in the 13th Missouri cavalry volunteers. He enlisted Septem- 
ber, 1861, and was discharged May 7, 1866. He was in the battle of 
Springfield, Missouri; Van Buren, Arkansas; Jefferson City, Missouri; 
Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Osage Crossing, Big Blue, Missouri; Independ- 
ence, Missouri; Newtonia, Missouri; and Neosho, Missouri. He was 
wounded, by a bayonet thrust, at Osage. He was taken prisoner at 
Neosho and paroled. 

Richard O. Craven was a private in company B, 145th Indiana volun- 
teers. He enlisted in 1864, and died while in the service, July 4, 1865, at 
Cartersville, Georgia. He was a gallant young man, and greatly loved b}' 
his companions, 

J. H. Bowman was a private in General A. J. Smith's 16th army corps. 
He enlisted August 15, 1864, and was discharged August 15, 1865. He 
was in the battles of Franklin, Tennessee; Nashville, Tennessee; and 
Mobile, Alabama. 

William M. Roe was a private in company B, Captain Real's company, 
51st regiment, E. M. M. He enlisted in 1862 and was discharged in 1865. 
He was in the engagement at Albany, Ray county, Missouri, in the fight 
with Bill Anderson, the noted bushwhacker. His company was engaged 
in keeping down marauding parties during 1864 and 1865. 

James Roe was a corporal in company B, Captain Martin T. Real's 
company, 51st regiment, E. M. M. He enlisted in 1862, and was dis- 
charged at the close of the war. 

Andrew J. Legg was a private in company F, 51st regiment, E. M. M., 
and promoted to regimental forage master. He enlisted in July, 1862, 
and was mustered out in May, 1865. 

Joseph Burnett was a private in company I, 26th Missouri volunteers. 
He enlisted February, 1863, and was discharged August 13, 1865. He 
was in the battles of Jackson, Mississippi, Champion Hills, Black River, 
Vicksburg, Chattanooga, siege at Savannah, and in Sherman's march to 



316 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the sea. He was wounded in the battle of Champion Hills, and was in 
the hospital a short time. He has been public administrator of Ray 
county, since the war, one term. 

Isaac Burnett was a private in company A, 3d M. S. M. cavalry, after 
consolidation with company I, 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers. He 
enlisted December 17, 1861, and was discharged in January, 1865. He 
was in the battles of Newtonia, Springfield and Neosho. 

James Stewart was a private in company F, 10th Missouri cavalry vol- 
unteers. He enlisted August, 1862, and was discharged June 28, 1865. 
He was in a battle at luka, Mississippi, and in some skirmishes. 

Charles Z. Porter was a private in company B, 44th Missouri volun- 
teers. After he was in the service a short time, he was promoted to cor- 
poral, then to first sergeant. He was in the battles of Franklin, Tennes- 
see, Nashville, Tennessee, and Spanish Fort, Alabama. 

Houston A. Evans was a private in company B, 44th regiment, Mis- 
souri volunteers. He enlisted on the 9th day of August, 1864, and was 
discharged on the 14th day of June, 1865, at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, 
Missouri. He was in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee. He v/as taken 
prisoner at Franklin, Tennessee, and was a prisoner about five months, 
the greater portion of the time being confined in Andersonville, Georgia. 
Since the war he has been engaged in the mercantile business in Camden, 
Missouri, and has served one term as justice of the peace. 

James T. Campbell was a sergeant in company D, 35th Missouri vol- 
unteers. He enlisted September, 1862, and was discharged July, 1865. 
He was in the battle of Helena, Arkansas, and some other small engage- 
ments. He has been living in Ray county since the war, and following 
the business of farming. 

Stephen H. Degraffinseed was a private in the 2d Ohio cavalry vol- 
unteers. He enlisted in 1863, and was discharged in 1865. He was in 
the battle of Brier Creek, Georgia. 

Alfred A. Brown was a sergeant in company D, 35th Missouri volun- 
teers. He enlisted in said company D, commanded first by Captain 
Joseph H, Morganson, afterward by Captain Milton H. David, on or 
about the 12th of August, 1862, and was discharged at Little Rock, 
Arkansas, on or about the 28th day of June, 1865. After his discharge 
he returned to his home in Camden, Ray county, Missouri, and has been 
engaged in business there ever since. 

John J. Leake was a private, afterward orderly-sergeant, in company 
B, 13th Missouri cavalry volunteers. Said company was commanded by 
Captain Shelly. He enlisted in 1864, and was discharged in 1865. He 
was in an engagement at Springfield, Missouri, in 1863. 

Lilburn Harris was third corporal in company B, 44th Missouri volun- 
teers. He enlisted August 9, 1864, and was discharged August 15, 1865, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 317 

at Benton Barracks, St. Louis. He was in the battle of Duck River, 
November 28, 1864, and Spring Hill, Tennessee; November 29, 1864, and 
Franklin, Tennessee, November 30, 1864; Nashville, Tennessee, Decem- 
ber 15 and 16; Cedar Point, Alabama, March 18, 1865; Spanish Fort 
from March 2 to April 8, 1865. 

Joseph Woods was a private in company B, 3d Missouri cavalry, after- 
ward company K, 6th Missouri cavalry volunteers. He enlisted October, 
1861, and was discharged February, 1865. He was in the battle of 
Springfield, January 8, 1863. He served nearly four years in all, in both 
regiments. Colonel Walter King commanding 3d regiment Missouri state 
militia cavalry, and Colonel E. C. Catherwood commanding 6th regiment 
Missouri state militia cavalry volunteers. Since coming out of the service, 
Mr. Woods has been a farmer in Ray county, living near Elk Horn. 

Ephraim Clark was fourth sergeant in company B, 44th Missouri volun- 
teers. He enlisted August 9, 1864, and was discharged in August, 1865, 
at St. Louis. He was in the battles of Cedar Point, Spanish Fort, Ala- 
bama, and numerous other skirmishes. He served one year in said 
company B, 44th regiment Missouri volunteers, company commanded by 
Captain Drumhiller, regiment by Colonel R. C. Bradshaw. 

J. H. Hightower was bugler in company K, 6th regiment Missouri cav- 
alry volunteers. He enlisted in March, 1862, and was discharged in April, 
1865. Was in the battles of Springfield, Brownsville, Westport, and New- 
tonia, Missouri, and in a great many minor engagements in southwest Mis- 
souri. 

David McGuire was a commissary sergeant in company D, 3d regi- 
ment Missouri state militia cavalry volunteers, afterward in consolidation 
in company K, 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers. He enlisted February 
15, 1862, and was discharged in March, 1865. He was in the battle of 
Springfield, Missouri, January 8, 1863, and in the pursuit of General Price, 
in his raid in Missouri in 1864 He served in Missouri and Arkansas while 
in company D. He was in the 3d regiment M. S. M. cavalry volunteers, 
commanded by Colonel Walter King, after consolidation with the 6th reg- 
iment M. S. M. cavalry volunteers; it was commanded by Colonel E. C. 
Catherwood. 

James H. Shults was captain in the 28th regiment of Iowa volunteers. 
He was honorably discharged June 26, 1863. Was in the battle of Shiloh, 
Port Gibson, Champion Hill, and Vicksburg, Mississippi. 

A. W. Boon was corporal in compan}- K, 6th regiment Missouri volun- 
teer. He enlisted January 11, 1862, and was discharged January 23, 1865, 
at St. Louis. He was in the battles of Springfield, Neosho, Booneville, 
Jefferson City, Blue Mills, Independence and south of Kansas City, Fort 
Scott, and Mount Vernon, all in Missouri. He was taken prisoner at 
Neosho, Missouri, and paroled. 



318 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

J. C. Weakly was a private in the army of the Potomac, under General 
Hancock, 2d corps, 1st division. He enlisted in February, 1861, and was 
discharged in July, 1865. He was in the battles of the Wilderness, Spott- 
sylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, North Anna river, and Petersburg, 
Virginia. He was wounded June 16, 1864, at Petersburg, Virginia. 

C. H. Lebold was a private in General Huger's command, 164th Ohio 
regiment, in company C. He enlisted in said company C in October, 
1863, and was discharged in August, 1864. He was stationed in Wash- 
ington City, in the fort, while in the service. 

Alfred C. Kincaid was a sergeant in company B, 145th Indiana infantry. 
He enlisted in company B, commanded by Captain Vincent Williams, 
in said 145th regiment, commanded by Colonel Wm. H. Adams, and was 
discharged February 1866, at Macon, Georgia. Since leaving the ser- 
vice he has been a farmer in Ray county, Missouri. 

Solomon McCall was orderl}' sergeant in company B, commanded by 
Captain J. H. Matheson, in the 1st Nevada battalion, commanded by Major 
Baldwin. He enlisted at Dayton, Nevada, June 21, 1863, and was dis- 
charged June 20, 1866, at Camp Douglas, Utah territory. 

Andrew J. Thompson, was a private in company B, commanded by 
Captain J. C. W. Hall, in 2d Colorado first two years, and then cavalry, 
commanded bv Colonel Ford. He enlisted November 13, 1861, at Fair 
Play, Colorado, and was discharged December 19, 1864, at Fort Leaven- 
worth, Kansas. He was in the battles of Valverde, or Fort Craig, New 
Mexico, February 21, 1862; Cabin Creek, July 1,2,5, and 20, 1863; 
Honey Springs, Independence, Missouri, etc. He was wounded at Val- 
verde, and disabled for two months. He was sick in the service about 
six months in the fall and winter of 1863-4. 

John Holder was a bugler in General Sanborn's command. He enlisted 
in January, 1862, and wav'* discharged in the spring of 1865. He was in 
many skirmishes. 

L. J. Williams was a captain in company H, 35th Missouri volunteers, 
in C. B. Fisk's command. He was discharged July, 1865. He was in 
the battle of Helena, Arkansas. 

George Blackerby was a private in Colonel Cathervvood's regiment. 
He enlisted in February, 1862, and was discharged in the spring of 1865. 
He was in the battles of Blue Mills, Pineville, Fort Smith, and Lone 
Jack. 

William S. Underwood was a corporal in General Prentiss' army. "He 
enhsted November 25, 1861, and was discharged December 20, 1864. He 
was in the battle of Shiloh, April 6 and 7, 1862, and in Sherman's grand 
march to sea. His command suffered greatly at Atlanta, Georgia, on 
account of supplies being cut off. 

P. L. Vanbebber, second lieutenant in company D, 6th M. S. M. cav- 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 319 

airy, commanded by Colonel E. C. Catherwood, and William P. Burgess, 
William T. Forson, and G. W. Burgess, privates in said company D, 
enlisted in 1862, and \vere discharged in February, 1867. They were in 
the battles of Independence, Missouri; Osage, Kansas; and other battles. 
Lieutenant Vanbebber, in the Independence engagement, was wounded 
in the head. 

James M. Wilkerson was a bugler in Major King's command. He 
enlisted in July, 1861, in Captain Clayton Tiffin's company, 51st E. M. M., 
and was in the battle of Glasgow, Missouri, in which engagement he was 
taken prisoner. 

William P. Burgess was a private in company D, 6th M. S. M. cavalry 
volunteers. He enlisted February 3, 1862, and was discharged January 11, 
1866. He was in a number of skirmishes during the war. 

Thomas Clark was a private in Colonel Gatherword's regiment, 6th M. 
S. M. cavalry. He enlisted February, 1862, and was discharged March 
1, 1865. He was in Pleasant Gap and Horse Creek skirmishes. 

James Ragland was a private in company D, 13th Missouri cavalry 
volunteers. He enlisted in 1862, and was discharged at close of war. 
He was in the battles of Independence, Big Blue and Osage river. 

B. F. Dillard, sergeant in 51st regiment E. M. M. Served under Col- 
onel Barr, Colonel Hale and Major Grimes. He enlisted in 1862, and 
was discharged in the fall of 1864. He was in the fight at Shaw's 
Shop, Ray county, Missouri, with the bushwhackers. 

John Dehart, Jerry Conine and Peter Storm were privates in the Fed- 
eral service, enlisting in the fail of 1862. 

Levi Payne was a private in company C, 8th Missouri cavalry, company 
commanded by Captain Demuth. He enlisted in 1861 and was discharged 
June, 1864, at St. Louis, Missouri, as a private. He was in the battles of 
Lookout Mountain, Little Rock, Arkansas, Duval's Bluff, Arkansas, and 
a great many skirmishes. He was taken prisoner at Trenton, Tennes- 
see, by Forrest; was paroled and afterward returned to regiment. 

Franklin Swoveland was a private in Captain Patton Colley's company, 
51st E. M. M. He enlisted in 1862, and saw some service in the pursuit 
of Poindexter and Porter. 

G. W. Riggs was 3d sergeant in company B, Captain Drumhiller's 
company, 4-lth Missouri volunteers. He enlisted at St. Joseph, Missouri, 
August 21, 1864, as a private from Ray county. He died May 16, 1865. 
He was in the battles of- Franklin, Tennessee ; Spring Hill, and several 
skirmishes. He died of chronic diarrhoea, Ma}^ 16, 1865. 

William D. Fortune was captain of company H, 44th Missouri volun- 
teers. He enlisted August 4, 1864, and was commissioned captain, Sep- 
tember 23, 1864, and was mustered out of the service August 15, 1865. 
He was in the battles of Spring Hill and Franklin, Tennessee, and capture 



320 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

of Spanish Fort. Since coming out of the service, Captain Fortune has 
been living near Tinney's Grove, Ray county, and given his attention to 
farming and teaching a portion of his time. He made a good officer 
while in the service, and is esteemed a worthy citizen. 

Thomas Barron enlisted August 4, 1864, and was discharged August 
15, 1865, and was in the battles of Spring Hill, Franklin, and capture of 
Spanish Fort. 

Abraham Barron enlisted in said company H, August 4, 1864, and 
was discharged on account of disability. 

Marcus D. L. Blevins was a private in said company H, and enlisted 
September 2, 1864, and was discharged August 15, 1865. He was in the 
battles of Spring Hill and Franklin, Tennessee, and in Spanish Fort, or cap- 
ture of Mobile. 

Henry J. Blevins was a private in said company H. He enlisted Sep- 
tember 2, 1864, and was discharged August 15, 1865. He was in the 
same battles. 

Matthias Lynch was a private in company H. He enlisted September 
22, 1864, and was killed in the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, November 
30, 1864. 

George Silkwood was a private in company H. He enlisted August 
22, 1864, and was discharged August 15, 1865. He was in the battle of 
Spring Hill, November 29, 1864; Frankhn, November 30, 1864; and 
Spanish Fort. 

John A. Hays was a private in company H. He enlisted August 22, 
1864, and was discharged February 1, 1865. He was in the battles of 
Spring Hill and Franklin. He was wounded in the hand at Franklin, 
Tennessee, November 30, 1864. 

David Tooma}' was a private in said company H, 44th Missouri volun- 
teers. He enlisted August 4, 1864, and was discharged June 19, 1865. 
He was in the battles of Spring Hill and Franklin, November 30, 1864. 
He was taken prisoner at the battle of Franklin, Tennessee. Thomas 
Barron, Marcus D. L. Blevin, Henry J. Blevin, and George Silkwood, 
were also in the two days fight before Nashville, Tennessee, and in the 
pursuit of General Hood's army. 

Christopher C. Garton was a private in company E, Colonel Henry 
Neil's regiment of E. M. M., afterward company F, and I, (Captain Sum- 
mer). He enlisted in 1862, and was discharged in 1S64. He was in some 
skirmishes with bushwhackers. He was taken prisoner at Lexington 
before he enlisted in the service, but was released in twenty-four hours. 
He now lives in Camden, Ray county, Missouri. 

Asa Brockman was first lieutenant of company C, 51st regiment E. M. 
M. He enlisted in said company C, commanded by Captain John Saery, 
in 1862. He was in the battle of Glasgow, in 1864, and taken prisoner in 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 321 

the fall of 1864 in said engagement. He was paroled and never after- 
ward entered the service. He has been a farmer near Camden, since the 
war. 

Willis Meredith was a private first in company C, 2d battalion, M. S. 
M., cavalry volunteers, and afterward in company B, 44th Missouri vol- 
unteers. He enlisted in 1862, and re-enlisted in 1864, and was discharged 
1865. He was in the battles of Lone Jack, Missouri; Duck river, Ten- 
nessee; Franklin, Tennessee; Spring Hill, Tennessee; Cedar Point, Ala- 
bama, and Spanish Fort, Alabama. He was wounded in the battle of 
Lone Jack, Missouri, August 16, 1862: he was shot twice while in the ser- 
vice, and is drawing a pension on account of having been. wounded and 
disabled. 

George W. Thomas was a private in 1st battalion, 26th regiment of 
Missouri volunteers. He enlisted February 6, 1863, in Richmond, Mis- 
souri, and was discharged at Little Rock, Arkansas. He was in the bat- 
tle, of Port Gibson, Mississippi; Jackson, Mississippi; Raymond, Missis- 
sippi; siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi; Mission Ridge, Tennessee; Sher- 
man's march to the sea, siege of Savannah, and the Carolina campaign. 

Michael Feenev was a private in the gunboat service, number two, Rapi- 
dan gunboat. He enlisted in 1863, and was discharged in 1864. He was 
in engagements at Johnsonville, on the Tennessee river; Paducah, Ten- 
nessee; Mound City, etc. 

Samuel S. Burgess was a private in Captain Saunders' coTnpany, General 
James Lane's command in the Kansas war, of 1855 and 1856. He 
enlisted at Cole Creek, near Lawrence, Kansas, and was honorably dis- 
charged at expiration of term of enlistment. He was first sergeant in 
company D, 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers. He enlisted at Knoxville, 
Missouri, on the 4th of February, and was mustered into service the 22d 
of March, 1862, and was discharged March 22, 1865. He was in a num- 
ber of skirmishes and minor engagements in southwest Missouri and 
Arkansas. Since coming out of the service he has been a farmer in Ray 
county. 

Captain John Saery was captain of company C, 51st regiment, E. M. 
M. He enlisted at Richmond, Missouri, in July, 1862, and was dis- 
charged at the close of the war in 1865. He was in the Albany fight with 
Bill Anderson, the noted bushwhacker, October 27, 1864. He is now 
living in -Camden, Missouri, and has been a citizen of this place many 
years. He turns his attention to the business of carpenter and farmer, 
and derives considerable income from his valuable coal lands, 

Thomas Hare was a private in company F, 1st regiment of Kansas, six 
months infantry and eighteen months cavalry. He enlisted May 29, 1861, 
and was discharged June 20, 1864, He was in the battles of Wilson's 
Creek, Missouri; Corinth, Mississippi; Bayou Mason, Louisiana; Bayou 



322 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Tensas, Louisiana; Holly Springs, Mississippi; siege of Vicksburg, Mis- 
sissippi ; Lake Providence, and many other battles of less note. 

Joseph Miller was a private first in company A, 3d M. S. M. cavalry 
volunteers, then in company I, 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers, and then 
in the 13th regiment cavalry, Missouri volunteers. He enlisted 
December 17, 1861, at Camden, Missouri, and was finall}' discharged at 
Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1866. He was in the battles of Springfield, 
Missouri; Neosho, Missouri; New^tonia, Missouri; Glasgow, Missouri, 
and many skirmishes. He was taken prisoner at Neosho, Missouri, and 
immediately paroled. Afterward he was captured at Glasgow, and was 
exchanged in about two months afterward. On being exchanged he went 
west with his regiment, and performed service on the frontier. 

Andrew Elliott was captain of company A, 3d M. S. M. cavalry volun- 
teers. He enlisted in December, 1861, at Camden, Missouri and was 
shortly after elected captain of company A, by his fellow soldiers. He 
resigned in the fall of 1862, on account of being severely injured by the 
fall of his horse while in the service in southwest Missouri. He was a 
vigilant, active Union man, and did much to arouse enthusiasm in the 
cause of the government at the commencement of the war. He made a 
fine officer and was greatly endeared to his men. Since the war he has 
been engaged in the business of farming, near Camden, Missouri. He is 
a worthy citizen and highly esteemed by his neighbors. 

James M. Campbell was a private in company F, 51st regiment E. M. 
M. He enlisted in 1864, and was discharged in 1864. He was in the 
fight of Shaw's Shop, Ray county, with the bushwackers under 
Todd and Thailkeld. 

Benjamin Hagens, was a private in Captain D. P. Whitmer's company 
F, 51st regiment, E. M. M. 

William Pinkey, corporal in company M, commanded by Captain 
David Kane, 10th Missouri cavalry volunteers, commanded by Colonel 
Cornyn. He enlisted in August, 1862, and was discharged July 26, 
1865, at Nashville, Tennessee. He was in the battles of Champion 
Hills, Selma, Alabama; Guntown, Mississippi; Black River, Vicksburg, 
Mississippi, and other engagements. 

William W. Weiss was a sergeant in company D, 35th Missouri vol- 
unteers. He enlisted in August 21, 1862, and was discharged the 26th 
day of Ma}', 1865. His regiment served in Missouri, Kentucky, Arkan- 
sas, and Mississippi, doing fine service during the war. On his return 
from the service, he engaged in farming in the Missouri river bottom, as 
far as his health would permit, having broken down his constitution in the 
war, on account of severe exposure in Arkansas. He was compelled to 
leave his home in the bottom on account of the overflow of the Missouri 
river, in the last of April and first of May, 1881, and seek safety on the 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 323 

higher ground. The last of May, 18S1, he returned to his home, and 
repaired the damage done to his farm by the overflow. 

Thomas A. Lile was a private in company B, 3d regiment, M. S. M. 
cavalry volunteers, afterward company K, 6th M. S. M. cavalry volun- 
teers. He enlisted in 1861, and was discharged in 1864. He >vas in the 
battles of Springfield, Missouri; Lone Jack, Newtonia and Pineville, Mis- 
souri; and Sylamore, Arkansas. The only injury he received while in the 
service, was in the fore finger of the left hand. 

Thomas A. Sloan was a corporal in company I, 6th M. S. M. cavalry 
volunteers, afterward in company B, 13th Missouri cavalry volunteers. 
He enlisted May 2, 1862, and was discharged May 11, 1866. He was in 
the battles of Lone jack, Springfield, Missouri; Prairie Grove, Cane Hill, 
Camden, Little Rock, Fort Smith, Van Buren, Arkansas; and Pilot Knob, 
Missouri. He was taken prisoner at Neosho, October 4, 1863, taken to 
Little Rock and paroled, and again taken prisoner while at Rock Prairie, 
July 28, 1864, by Captain R. Johnson's guerrillas, but got away the same 
night. 

Moses Hess was a private in company B, 3d M. S. M. cavalry volun- 
teers, afterward company K, 6th M. S. M. cavahy volunteers. He en- 
listed March, 1862, and was discharged April, 1865. He was in the battles 
of Springfield, Neosho, Newtonia, Missouri; Pineville, and Little Rock, 
Arkansas. He was taken prisoner at Neosho, Missouri, October 4, 1863, 
and was paroled, and afterward joined his command. 

Oliver G. WilHams was a private in company F, .51st regiment E. M. 
M. He enlisted in 1863, and remained in service until 1864. 

Anderson Elliott was second lieutenant in company C, 51st E. M. M. 
cavalry volunteers. He enlisted in 1862, and continued in the service 
until the close of the war. He made a fine energetic officer, and per- 
formed considerable service in Ray, and the surrounding counties. He 
has been a successful farmer for many years, in the vicinity of Camden, 
Ray county, Missouri. 

James L. Tucker was a private in company B, 3d M. S. M. volunteers. 
He enlisted first in September, 1861, in six months' service. He enlisted 
in said company B, January 11, 1862; said company B becoming after- 
ward company K, 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers. He was in the 
battles of Springfield, Newtonia, Missouri; and Cane Hill, Arkansas. 
After serving about eighteen months, his company was consolidated with 
the 6th M. S.M. cavalry volunteers, as above stated, his company, B, be- 
coming company K, in 6th M. S. M. cavalry volunteers. He was dis- 
charged in January, 1865, at Springfield, Missouri. 

John Ellis was a private in company D, 44th regiment Missouri volun- 
teer infantry, under Colonel Bradshaw. He enlisted August 9, 1864, and 



324 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

was discharged August 15, 1865, at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri. 
He was in the battles of Franklin, Tennessee, and Spanish Fort, Alabama. 

Robert B. Ellis was a private in company K, of the 1st Missouri S. M. 
cavalry. He enlisted in 1862. 

John Bogart was a private in Captain Edgar's company, under Major 
Biggers. He enlisted in November, 1861, and was paroled. He was 
taken prisoner at Agency Ford, on Platte river; was paroled for the time 
of his service, and never was discharged. 

Charles F. Owen was a private in company B, 13th Missouri volun- 
teers. He enlisted in said company B, commanded by Captain J. H. 
Shelley, on or about the 1st of August, 1864, and was discharged at Fort 
Leavenworth, Kansas, on or about May 15, 1866. 

Stephen Savage was a private in Colonel Graham's regiment of Fed- 
eral troops. He enlisted in 1862, and after serving as a private was pro- 
moted to lieutenant of his company. He was in the battles of Redmont, 
Winchester and Snicker's Gap. He was wounded in the arm and thigh 
while in the service. He was honorably discharged in the year 1865. 
He is now living in Vibbard, Ray county, Missouri. 

Isaac C. Hill was a private in company D, regiment of Oregon mounted 
volunteers. He, enlisted in said company on or about the 10th day of 
October, 1855, and was discharged on or about the 20th day of June, 
1856. In the late civil war he served in company C, 4th provisional regi- 
ment, E. M. M., said company being commanded by Captain Clayton 
Tifhn. 



RELIGIOUS. 



CHURCHES IN Rx\Y COUNTY. 
NEW GARDEN, REGULAR BAPTIST. 

This church constitutes the oldest existing religious organization in Ray 
county. It was organized April 23, 1824, b}^ Elders James Williams and 
William Turnage. 

The following list includes the names of all the original members, most 
of whom have been dead many years, to-wit: 

J. Fletcher, C. Odell, S. Hutchins, N. Odell, John Hutchins, John 
Turner, John Cleavenger, Mrs. Elizabeth Fletcher, Rachel Odell, Eliza- 
beth Hutchins, Jane Turner, Mary Odell, Patsy Turnage, Nancy Chap- 
man and Lucy Woods. 

A very rude log building was erected in 1824, as a place of worship. 
To accompHsh its erection the out-lay in money was, of course, very 
trifling; probably the only real cost was the time and labor of the mem- 
bers who built it. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 325 

The first pastor of this church was the Reverend William Turnage, 
whose name is frequently mentioned in this work in connection with 
rehgious services, and as one of the pioneer preachers of the west. He 
preached in the Buffalo settlement as early as A. D. 1816, and subse- 
quently — prior to the organization of the church of which we write — at 
Old Bluff ton, where he also kept a "tavern," in 1821. 

The other pastors of this church at an early day were, R. Hicks, 
Isaac Odell, William C. Garrett, and Aaron Odell. 

The number of the present membership is: Regular Baptists, thirty- 
six; others, fifty. 

About the year A. D. 1858, a new church house was erected. It is a 
frame, the dimensions of which are thirty by forty feet, with twelve foot 
posts. 

In 1862 a dissension arose between the members of this church, grow- 
ing out of the "test oath," prescribed by the St. Louis convention; a 
division took place, and the organization continues disunited, both factions 
retaining the original name, but attending different associations. 

NEW HOPE CHURCH REGULAR BAPTIST. 

The New Hope Baptist Church building is located in Camden town- 
ship, about four miles north of Camden. The church was organized in 
the year A. D. 1827, and is, doubtless, the next oldest religious congre- 
gation, still existing, in the county. The names of the original members 
are as follows: James Holman, Nathan Smith, Joseph Ballew, John 
Bateman, and Aaron Linville. 

The first church house was built soon after the organization of the 
church. Its description is that of the early pioneer buildings of the west. 

In 1872 a new, neat frame building was erected, at a cost of six hun- 
dred dollars, and dedicated the same year, by Reverend William T. 
Brown. 

William Turnage was the first pastor. The present pastor is William 
T.Brown. The church has, now — 1881 — thirty-three members. 

TODD's chapel, M. E. church SOUTH. 

This church- was organized in 1828, but no building was erected till in 
1851. 

Following is a partial list of the original members: D, H. Thorpe, 
Jacob Anderson, Lewis Linville, Thomas Adkinson, J. W. Smith, Presley 
Carter, J. D. Elliott, and others. 

The church building was erected in 1851, at a cost of six hundred dol- 
lars, and named in honor of Reverend Joseph S. Todd, who was at one 
time its pastor. 

In 1852 the building was dedicated to the service of God, by Reverend 
William G. Caples, then presiding elder. 



326 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The following ministers have been pastors of this church: George W. 
Bewley, Jacob Lannius, John Monroe, Jesse Greene, W. W. Redmon, 
George Smith, Daniel Penny, Edward Robinson, A. E. Sears, Benjamin 
S. Ashby, Thomas D. Clanton, Joseph Devlin, J. Y. Blakey, W. M. 
Newland, Joseph Metcalf, W. C. Campbell, Rice H. Cooper, John G. 
Gibbons, J. W. Ellis, F. H. Sumpter, Stephen B. Tabor, and A. Spencer. 

At present — 1881 — there are worshiping at Todd's Chapel about sixty 
members of the M. E. Church South. 

Mr. Peyton T. Smith, who kindly furnished the information concerning 
this church, informed the writer that nearly all of the original members 
are dead. Todd's Chapel is located on section twenty-eight, township 
fifty-two, range twenty-eight, Richmond township, 

M. E. CHURCH SOUTH, AT RICHMOND. 

This church was organized about 1830, at which time it was one of the 
churches composing the Fishing River circuit of Missouri annual confer- 
ence. 

For some years after its organization the church was without a build- 
ing, and held divine worship in the court house at Richmond. 

Mrs. J. H. Morehead and Mrs. David H. Quesenberry were the first to 
make an effort looking to the building of a church house ; the former lady 
economizing her household expenditures that she might contribute the 
more liberally to that laudable undertaking. The example of these ladies 
was followed by others, and soon the proper preliminary steps were taken 
for the erection, in the town of Richmond, of a suitable edifice to be dedi- 
cated to the worship of the Almighty. 

By the quarterly conference held at Richmond, June 10, 1843, the fol- 
lowing trustees were appointed to receive and hold in trust, any property 
that the church might acquire by donation or otherwise, viz.: 

Ephraim Januar}^ Henry Lile, David H. Quesenberry, Austin A. King, 
John H. Morehead, David Bullock and Daniel J. Branstetter. 

The first church edifice of the organization herein mentioned, was 
erected on the site of its present building about the year 1845. It was a 
frame building, of w^hich we have been unable to obtain an accurate 
description. It w^as, however, doubtless in keeping with the prevailing 
character of buildings in the town at that day. 

The first church house was subsequenntly supplanted by a more sub- 
stantial brick structure, which, in 1869, was demolished by a storm.* 

The present, 1881, edifice, a handsome and capacious brick, comforta- 
bly furnished, was erected shortly after the demolition of the other, at a 
cost of not less than six thousand dollars. 

The church owns other property in Richmond, including a parsonage, 

built during the pastorate of Reverend William M. Rush, in 1855 or 1856. 

*The Christian Churcli, then in process of erection, was blown down by the same storm. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 327 

It has, at present, one hundred and forty members, and, under the pas- 
torship (1881) of Reverend C. Grimes, is faithfully prosecuting the work 
for which it was organized, more than half a century ago. 

Following is a list of the ministers who have served as pastors of this 
church : 

G. W. Teas, George W. Bewley, A. H. Spratt, John Monroe, Jacob 
Lannius, Condley Smith, David Kennier, Hugh L. Dodds, Lester James, 
Daniel T. Shearman, Thomas B. Ruble, Monarch Richardson, Robert 
H. Jordan, John A. Tutt (assistant), G. W. Love, Edwin Robinson, 
Daniel Penny, John M. Garner, James Barker, Joseph Devlin (whose 
remains are interred in the Richmond cemetery), Joseph S. Todd (assist- 
ant), A. E. Sears, T. D. Clanton, W. E. Dockery, William Plum (assist- 
ant), William M. Rush, Walter Tool, J. C. C. Davis, M. Pugh, D. M. 
Proctor, Thomas B. King, Tyson Dines, D. C. O'Howell, W. M. New- 
land, R. N. T. Holliday, M. R. Jones, W. H. Lewis, and C. Grimes 
(present pastor). 

In the year 1844 the Methodist Episcopal Church was, by the general 
conference in session in the city of New York, separated into a northern 
and a southern division, each to hold its own general conference, and the 
one to have no connection with the other. Tliis division, as is well known, 
grew out of the question of slavery. Churches in the border states, like 
Missouri, were left free to unite with either branch they might prefer; 
and in the fall of 1844 the church at Richmond, in quarterly meeting, 
appointed Amos Rees, Henry Lile, and David H. Quesenberry a com- 
mittee to prepare a resolution in relation to the proceedings of the (then) 
late general conference in New York City. 

The committee presented the following report: 

The committed to whom was referred the subject of the action of 
the general conference of the M. E. Church as to separate organization, 
growing out of the subject of slavery, agitated at the late general con- 
ference in the case of Bishop Andrews, beg leave to report that they have 
had that matter under consideration, and in view of the great import- 
ance the question of slavery has recently assumed, and the efiects it has 
upon the morals of men, and desiring the permanent peace and prosperity 
of the church, having a due deference and respect for the opinions of all 
the members thereof, and believing that that peace can only be secured 
by the proposed arrangement of holding a northern and a southern gen- 
eral conference; therefore. 

Resolved, That the quarterly meeting conference for the Richmond 
circuit, Missouri annual conference, do advise the adoption of the resolu- 
tions of the general conference. 

(Signed) A. Rees, Chairman. 

The church united with the southern general conference, and has stood 
in connection therewith ever since, under the name of the "Richmond M. 
E. Church South." 



328 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

MARION CHURCH — REGULAR BAPTIST. 

This was organized on the fourth Saturday in June, A. D., 1832, with 
the following first members, to-wit: John Vanderpool, Winant Vander- 
pool, James Campbell, Levi Vanderpool, John Brown, Henry Miles, 
EHsha Butcher, Thomas English and Hiram Clark. 

The original church building was erected of logs, about 1846. It was 
burned some time in the pastorate of Reverend James Duval. 

In the autumn of 1880 the erection of a new frame church was begun. 
It was completed early in the succeeding year, having been on Christmas 
day, 1880, dedicated by Rev. William Brown and Rev. James Duvall. 

Rev. John Stone was the first pastor of this church, and was a good 
man, whose memory is fondly cherished. Rev. James Duvall was pastor 
upwards of thirty-three years (see biography). 

In the fall of 1880 the roll book of Marion Church showed a member- 
ship of twenty-eight. 

At the beginning of the war a division arose in the church from the 
same grounds that caused the schism in the New Garden Church, 
already mentioned. Part of the congregation joined fellowship with the 
Crooked River Church, and took no part in the erection of the present 
church building. * 

M. E. CHURCH SOUTH, AT KNOXVILLE 

was organized in 1837. The Rainwaters, Kincaids, Milsteads and Bur- 
gesses were among the original members. 

The building formerly owned by this church was erected about thirty 
years ago, and has grown so unstable that it is no longer used as a place 
of worship. It was sold March 26, 1881, for one hundred dollars. A new 
frame building is in process of erection, which, when completed, will 
have cost about two thousand dollars. 

We were able to obtain only meager information as to this church. 

CHRISTIAN CHURCH, AT SOUTH POINT. 

This church was organized at a school house, then situated two miles 
east of South Point, in Camden township, in April, 1840, with the follow- 
ing original members, viz: Jacob Warinner, Thomas Blair, John Riffe, 
Willis Warriner, George Blair, William Brockman, Joseph E. Brockman, 
Polly Warriner, Eliza J. New, and Mary Brockman. 

In 1854 the congregation erected a ver}^ handsome frame building for 
divine worship, at South Point. The building cost one thousand dollars, 
and was*^ dedicated to the service of Almight}- God in September of the 
same year of its erection, by Elder Moses E. Lard, a graduate of Beth- 
any College, Virginia — an institution then under the supervision of Alex- 
ander Campbell, the founder of the Christian Reformed Church, and one 
of the greatest theologians of any age. Elder Lard was one of the most 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 329 

eminent divines of his day. He was a brilliant, forcible, and impressive 
speaker, as well as a cogent and elegant writer. He married a lad}^ who 
lived in Richmond, Ray county; subsequently moved to Kentucky, and 
died a few years ago, at his home in Lexington, that state, mourned by 
the church throughout the United States. 

On the dedication of the church house at South Point, the church was 
reorganized. The following is a list of those who were members at that 
time: John Rifle, E. T. Withro, Nancy Withro, Foster D. Tribble, 
Mary Tribble, Z. D. Ralph, Martha A. Ralph, A. Brockman, Sarah 
Brockman, James Winsor, Lucinda Winsor, Thomas Blair, John Tarkey, 
Lydia Tarkay, Jackson Kiffe, A. B. Ralph, Mary Ralph, John W. Chas- 
tine, William Artman, Jesse B. Simpson, Elizabeth Simpson, James Riffe, 
Willis Warriner, Mahala Vaughn, J. B. Elliott, Sarah H. Elliott, Emily 
Young, and three others, whose names, as written on the manuscript con- 
taining the above list, were illegible. 

The following persons have been pastors of this church: 

Richard Morton, S. P. Johnson, N. B. Peeler, W. B. Fisk and James 
E. Dunn. William Trader is the present, 18S1, pastor. 

The roll book shows the names of one hundred and fifty persons as 
members. 

CHRISTIAN CHURCH, AT RICHMOND. 

The Christian Church at Richmond, was organized April 26, 1840, by 
Reverend Thomas N. Gaines, with a membership of forty-five, among 
whom were the following persons, viz: William B. Martin, Malinda 
Martin, Perneta E. Hendley, Mary A. McGee, Charles R. Morehead, 
John B. Warder, Joseph S. Shoop, William H. Warder, Elizabeth War- 
der, Clayton Jacobs, Mary A. G. Jacobs, Celenary Burch, Susan Warder, 
Roan Richardson, William Love, and others. 

Of the forty-five original members, there are now living only five, who 
hold membership in the congregation, to-wit: Clayton Jacobs and wife, 
Joseph S. Hoops, Celenary (Burch) Jacobs and Susan (Warder) Jacobs. 

For several years after the organization of the church, it was without a 
house of its own, in which to hold divine service, and the congregation 
worshiped in the court house at Richmond, and in school houses, until it 
was able to build a church edifice. In 1846 a frame building was erected, 
which, in 1869, was removed, and in its room now stands an imposing 
brick, of stable and beautiful architecture, built in the year last mentioned, 
at a cost of twelve thousand dollars. In an eloquent and appropriate ser- 
mon, delivered in April, 1870, by Elder Alexander Proctor, this structure 
was set apart as a sacred shrine for the worship of the Supreme Being. 

The following is a partial list of the ministers who have been pastors of 
this church: Thomas N. Gaines, Alexander Proctor, Thomas P. Haley, 
21 



330 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

(at this time pastor of a charge in St. Louis, and one of the brightest 
luminaries in the Christian church), A. H. F. Payne, Allen Wright, G. R. 
Hand, George Plattenberg, Josiah Waller, and James E. Dunn. 

Belonging to, and worshiping at this church at present (1881), are 
upwards of one hundred and fifty members in good standing. 

Divine services have been regularly held every Lord's day and every 
Thursday evening (in prayer meetings) almost uninterruptedly since the 
organization of the church, more than forty years ago. A Sunday-school 
has also been conducted regularly, for the past thirty years. 

Few religious societies have more faithfully labored, or more success- 
fully accomplished the end of their formation, than has the Christian 
Church, at Richmond, Missouri. 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF CHRIST, AT RICHMOND. 

This church was organized in March, 1842, by Rev. A. P. Williams, 
(afterwards D. D.) 

Following is a complete list of the original members, to-wit: 

Jabez Shotwell, Elizabeth Shotwell, Sarah Ballew, Anne E. Warder, 
Luther F. Warder, Sciotha McKinney, Marjory Thornton, Sarah James, 
Levina McKinney, M. J. Holman, James W. Sacry, Susan Sacry, Sarah 
A. Sacry, George M. Sacry, Elizabeth Tisdale, America Hunt, Mrs. 
Witcher, Daniel Parker, Polly Parker, Rebecca Smith, Lucinda Duncan, 
William P. Lanieear, and Rebecca, a woman of color. 

The church house was built and occupied, but not finished, in 1854; 
finished in 1855. It was a very good frame structure, and cost about 
fifteen hundred dollars. It was never formally dedicated. 

The following list includes all the pastors of this church from its organ- 
ganization to date (April, 1881,) with the length of service of each, viz: 

Rev. A. P. Williams, six years and nine months; Rev. Japtha L. Smith, 
(M. D.) three years and one month; Rev. William C. Bachelor, one year 
and five months; Rev. R. C. Hill, two years and nine months; Rev. 
Josiah Leake, four years and ten months; Rev. Jeremiah Farmer, one 
year and seven months; Rev. Thomas W. Barrett, eight months; Rev. 
J. W. Luke, one year and two months; Rev. A. Matchett, only a few 
months; Rev. S. E. DeRacken, one year; Rev. James Roan, six months; 
Rev. Thomas H. Graves, one year; Rev. William C. Barrett, two years 
and ten months; Rev. F. M. Wadley, not quite one year; Rev. Robert 
Livingston, the present pastor, entered on his work in May, 1880. 

The number of present membership is seventy-two, with a prospect of 
large increase, when a contemplated new building is erected. 

For two years prior to its organization as an independent body, in 1842, 
the church had been what is called an Arm of the Baptist Church at 
Lexington, Missouri. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 331 

♦ 

Between several of the pastorates mentioned above, there were lengthy 
interivis. 

A brick house, to cost about four thousand dollars, will be built the 
ensuing- summer. The brick are made, and the whole matter is in the 
hands of a building committee, composed of the following gentlemen: 
J. W. Shotwell, J. C. Brown, Reuben E. Brown, L. D. Priest, A. K 
Reyburn, James Hughes, and Robert Livingston. Services are held, for 
the time being, in the M. E. Church. 

Robert Livingston, now pastor of the Baptist Church in Richmond, 
Missouri, is an Irishman, born and educated at Enniskillen, in the north of 
Ireland. He was a Pedo-Baptist minister many years, but embraced the 
principles of the Baptist Church, and became a minister thereof, in Clin- 
ton county, Missouri, in the year 1869. Robert Livingston came to 
America in 1855; was naturalized in 1876, and is now fifty years of age. 
He is deeply interested in the work in which he is engaged; is devoted 
to the members of his charge, and is a genial, obliging companion, as 
well as a pious, pure-minded man. 

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (OLD SCHOOL) AT RICHMOND. 

Organized, under an order from the Presbytery of Missouri, (O. S.) on 
the first Saturday in February, A. D., 1843, by J. L. Yantis, D. D., and 
Lewis Green, ruling elder. 

Following is a complete hst of the original members, to-wit: Dr. 
Thomas Allen, James T. McCoun, Joseph M. Lapsley, Isaac White, A. 
M. Harrison, William Rives, Thomas Slaughter, Baldwin King, Mary 
McCoun, Margaret L. McCoun, Judith White, Susan M. Dunn, Judith 
Williams, Ann Sevier, Elizabeth Leeper, Sally J. Harrison, Susan E. 
Bullock, Nancy Hudgins, Ann Rives, Elizabeth Hooper, Ann Allen, 
Henrietta Watkins, Margaret Sibley, Harriet Tinney, Maria A. Davis 
and Margaret Turner, making a total of twenty-six. 

During the first eight years of its existence, the church was able to 
secure only occasional preaching, by Dr. Yantis and by Revs. Coulter, 
Fulton and others, who were engaged in missionary work. 

In 1851, the church was visited by Nathan H. Hall, D. D., and during 
his stay much interest was taken, and a number of persons were added to 
the church. 

From 1852 to 1858, the friends of Presbyterianism in this section 
exhausted their means and energies in a vain efi:brt to establish and endow 
Richmond College. 

The failure of this enterprise, after so prolonged an endeavor, so par- 
alyzed the church that it had little more than a nominal existence till 1867, 
when it was visited by Rev. J. A. Quarles, of Lexington, Missouri. 
During a series of meetings then held, the session of the church was 
reorganized by election of officers; and a deep interest was awakened. 



332 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY 

which largely pervaded the entire community. For the purpose of hold- 
ing these meetings, the members of this church availed themselves of the 
generous courtesy of other denominations in furnishing them places of 
worship. 

In the course of the two succeeding years, under the labors of the 
Revs. Quarles, Carson and Nail, there were large accessions to the mem- 
bership of the church, and it had thoroughly recovered its wonted life 
and prosperity. 

In November, 1869, a large, substantial brick church edifice was erected 
in Richmond, at a cost of ten thousand dollars, and dedicated by Nathan 
L. Rice, D. D. 

From 1867 to 1872 Rev. R. Carson was part of the time supply, and 
part of the time pastor. 

From 1872 to 1878 the church was partly supplied by the appointments 
of Presbytery and partly by Revs. Quarles and Cheney — each, for a 
time, holding preaching twice a month. 

June 1, 1878, the church was entirely destroyed by a terrific cyclone 
which swept through the town of Richmond, leaving a pathway strewn 
with debris^ devastation and death. 

In consequence of this disaster there were no regular Presbyterian ser- 
vices in Richmond until the fall of 1880. At that time Revs. Quarles and 
Leyburn visited the church and for a few months past Rev. Quarles has 
been supplying the church, holding services twice a month in the hall of 
the opera house. 

STATISTICS. 

The church roll shows that in 1846, by removals and death the mem- 
bership was reduced to eighteen. 

The largest enrolled membership, at any one time, was in 1872, when 
it reached ninety-eight. That number has been reduced by the causes 
above stated, till the present membership is only forty-four. 

The whole number of persons enrolled as members of this church from 
its organization to the present, is one hundred and seventy-one. 

Of the twenty-six original members only five are remaining. 

Following is the list of those who have been elected ruling elders: 
1843— Dr. Thomas Allen, James T. McCoun, J. M. Lapsley; 1851—1. 
N.White, James L. McCoun; 1856- R. W. Finley, G. W. Buchanan; 
1867— Josiah Turner, George W. Dunn, Robert Sevier; 1871— D. B. 
Palmer, Isaac Ruflner; 1881 — John Laforgee. 

M. E. CHURCH SOUTH, AT HARDIN. 

The M. E. Church South, at Hardin, was organized in 1845, by Rev- 
erend B. H. Spencer. It worships in a new frame building, erected in 
1880, at a cost of $1,600. The building is owned by several denomina- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 333 

tions, in common, but we have been unable to obtain a report from any 
of them, save the Methodist, and what we have received of that is 
extremely meager. 

The following persons have been pastors of this church: Reverends 
Callaway, Ellington, Dunlap, Penny, Mattox, Bell, Penn, Cooper, 
McEwen, Johnson, Proctor, Alexander, Bone, Holliday, James, Meffert, 
Tanquary, and Babcock. 

Number of present membership, seventy-four. 

NEW^ SALEM CHURCH, (O. S. PRESBYTERIAN.) 

On petition of certain members of the Bethel, Liberty, and Richmond 
churches, and of other Presbyterians, residing on and near Crooked 
river, in Ray county, Missouri, the Presbytery of Upper Missouri 
appointed Reverends Richard H. Allen and Robert Scott, ministers, 
and Caleb Wilson, ruling elder, a committee 'to organize said petitioners 
into a church, to be called New Salem Presbyterian Church. 

The committee assembled at the place appointed, on the 18th day of 
June, A. D. 1849, and organized the church with the following original 
members: Josiah Morrow, Dicy Morrow, Vincent Morrow, Mary Emily 
Cummins, James Cummins, Jedediah Smith, Jane Smith, Calvin H. 
Cummins, Benjamin Snoddy, Susannah Snoddy, Sarah Snoddy, Ann K. 
Burton, William Murray, Eliza O. K. Murray, Thomas Cummins, Ann 
Cummins, Ann Rives, Ann L. Allen, Eupha Cummins, Madison B. 
Cummins, Robert Rives, William Henry Rives,and Elizabeth J. Parton. 

The congregation met on the same day, and chose Wilham Murray 
and Jedediah Smith, ruling elders; and as such, they were ordained and 
installed. 

September 16, 1849, session met and was opened with prayer by Rev. 
R. H. Allen, moderator. After satisfactory examination, Susan A. and 
Emily J, Smith were received into the church. Session closed with 
prayer by Rev. R. H. Allen. 

September 17, session met and was opened with prayer by Rev. R. 
H. Allen, moderator, and by William Murray and Jedediah Smith, elders. 
Columbus P. Rivers, WiUiam Monroe Woods and Sarah Jane Parton, 
after satisfactory examination upon experimental religion, were received 
as members of the church. Closed with prayer by Rev. R. H. Allen. 

September 22, session met and opened with prayer by Rev. Allen, 
moderator. Mrs. Sarah Morrow, upon certificate, and Charlotte Jane 
Cummins, upon profession of her faith in Christ, were received into the 
church as members therof. Closed with prayer by Rev. R. H. Allen. 

September 23, session met and was opened with prayer by Rev. 
Allen, moderator. The following persons, after satisfactory examination, 
were received as members of the church: Mary Jane and John Joiner, 



334 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

William R. Burton and John G. D. Burton. Closed with prayer by Rev- 
Allen. 

September 25, session met and opened with prayer, as usual, by Rev. 
R. H. Allen. Joseph Cook, after professing his faith in Christ, was re- 
ceived into the church. After prayer by Rev. R. H. Allen, the session 
adjourned. 

At a meeting of the members of New Salem Church, October 30, 1869, 
J. A. Smith was elected ruling elder, and the following day, Sunday, was 
ordained to that office, Rev. D. Coulter, presiding. 

In 1872 the congregation erected a substantial frame church at Lawson. 
It is well furnished, stands on a commanding eminence, and is an attract- 
ive building. The number of present (1881) membership is thirty-nine. 

September 22, 1872, the session met, before public service, in their new 
house of worship, at Lawson, and was opened with prayer. Present, 
Reverend J. M. Scott, moderator, and Elder J. A. Smith. Mrs. Hen- 
rietta Rhaum and Miss Victoria Ann Smith appeared and desired mem- 
bership in the church; whereupon, after the usual examination, they were 
received into full fellowship, they having previously been baptized. 
Closed with prayer by Elder J. A. Smith. 

PISGAH CHURCH — MISSIONARY BAPTIST. 

Organized August 12, 1849, by Reverend Robert James. Original 
members: B. W. Howlin and wife, of Clay county, O. C. Brook, Mrs. 
A. A. McCoskrie, Jno. Cox, James Cox, Wm. Morris, Hiram Morris, 
Isaac Massingale, Belinda Garner, Mary Estes, Mary Nowlin, Adelia P. 
Wyman, Samuel Cleavenger, and Mary Cleavenger. 

The church house is a frame, and was erected in October, 1854. Not 
dedicated. 

Pastors: Robert James, Jeptha S. Smith, James W. Sacray, William 
McClellan, T. N. O'Bryant, G. W. Smith, J. W. Luke, John Harmon, S. 
H. Carter, J. N. Wheeler, and J. W. D. Hunt. 

Present membership, sixt3--three. Pisgah Church is located in town- 
ship 52, range 29. 

NEW HOPE CHURCH — M. E. SOUTH. 

New Hope Church was organized in the year A. D. 1851. The build- 
ing, a substantial frame, commodious within, and comfortably furnished, 
was erected in 1869, at a cost of $3,000, and is situated near Millville, in 
Grape Grove township. The original members of this church are as fol- 
lows: Thomas H. Noble, Nancy Noble, James Elliott, Elizabeth Elliott, 
Thomas Kincaid, Louisa Kinkaid, Cecil B. McCuistion, Sarah McCuis- 
tion, D. Williams, Catherine McBee, David McBee and Catherine Craig. 

The church edifice was dedicated by Rev. W. M. Newlan, March 5^ 
A. D., 1879. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 335 

The following is a list of the pastors since 1851, viz: Joseph Devlin, 

Joseph S. Todd, A. E. Sears, Blackwell, W. E. Dockery, Wm. Penn 

(assistant), J. W. Mattox, William Sutton, Daniel Penny, Samuel Alex- 
ander, G. Tanquary, William Jordan, James A. Spencer, R. N. T. 
Holliday, C. Babcock and J. L. Meffert. 

New Hope Methodist Church has at present one hundred and four 
members, and is in a healthy condition, morally and materially. 

GROVE CHAPEL, M. E. CHURCH SOUTH, 

was organized May 2, 1859. The building is a frame, cost six hundred 
dollars, and is located in Grape Grove township. 

Original members: — John Brown, Matilda Brown, Caleb Brown, Mar- 
tha Brown, W. D. Fortune, Mary Fortune, Sally Brown, Perry Brown, 
Turner Elder, Polly Elder, Elizabeth Elder, D. C. Noftsinger, Mary C. 
NofFsinger, Fanny Noffsinger, John NofFsinger, Warren Hayes, Virginia 

Hayes, Allen Charlton, Narcissa Charlton, Eppa Holder, Mrs. Holder, 

William Holder, Austin Harlow, Susan Harlow, Martin Elder, Mrs. 
Water, Allen Rathburn, Mrs. — — Rathburn, Enoch Rathburn, Elizabeth 
Rathburn, Conrad Oester, Reverend Samuel Grove, Paulina Grove, Mar- 
garet Grove, J. A. Divelbiss, Julia Divelbiss, Samuel Davis, Dennis, and 
Lucinda Davis. 

WAKANDA CHURCH, GERMAN BAPTIST. 

Organized about 1866. 

Names of original members: — John Vantromp and wife, and Joel Spit- 
zer and wife. 

The church house — a frame — was erected in 1871, cost one thousand 
dollars, and is situated near Crooked river, in Crooked River township — 
extreme northern part. 

Reverend John Hayes was the pastor. 

S. B. Shirkey, Eli Metts, and Addison Harper are the present ministers. 

PLEASANT VIEW CHURCH, CHRISTIATV. 

Prior to 1866 there was no organization of the Christian Church in 
Polk township, although a number of persons in that township held fel- 
lowship with Christian congregations at Richmond and elsewhere, in 
adjoining counties. 

About the 1st of August, 1866, Elder John C. Lawson, a carpenter, as 
well as preacher, and at that time plying the former vocation in the 
neighborhood of the present site of Pleasant View, commenced a basket 
meeting in a beautiful grove in William Crowley's pasture, and continued 
the same nearly a fortnight. The result was several confessions and 
immersions. Great interest was awakened; and, at the close of the meet- 
ing, partial organization was effected, by electing David J. Bisbee and 
Thomas J. Crowley elders. Elder Lawson was engaged to labor for the 



33B 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY 



church occasionally, and the place of worship was moved from Benton to 
Butler school-house. Here the church was reorganized, and Andrew J. 
Greenawalt elected elder, and William F. Potter and Samuel D. Osborn 
deacons. 

Services were held at Butler school-house till the following August, 
w^hen at a protracted meeting, conducted by Elders G. R. Hand, Joseph 
T. Rice, and J. C. Lawson, a resolution was passed to build a house of 
worship at Pleasant View. Martin T. Real, James A. Potter, and A. Bis- 
bee, Sr., were appointed a building committee, and vested with the power 
of trustees to receive and hold in trust property that the church might 
acquire. C. B. Bacon was chosen secretary and treasurer of the com- 
mittee. A subscription-book was opened, and therein appear the follow- 
ing names of subscribers and the amount contributed by each, viz: 



Martin T. Real $ 96.30 

Peter Clark 40.00 

S. D. Osborn 230.00 

Wm. Windsor 5.00 

John Fallett 15.00 

Wm. B. Chapman 15.00 

Jas. M. Stockwell 330.00 

E. V. Fowler 201.50 

J. K. Luther 60.00 

A. J. Greenawalt 105.00 

J. Whitsett 15.00 

W. F. Potter 30.00 

John A. Buchanan 25.00 

Wm. Osborn 25.00 

J. A. Potter 363.00 

W. C. Halstead 11.00 

H. H. McClelland 25.00 

Chas. McClelland 25.00 

Wm. H. Bales 5.00 

John Hightower 5.00 

J. H. Raum 15.00 

Frank Elston 10.00 

Wmj.Crowley 185.00 



Milton Piercy 

David J. Bisbee. . . . 

M. Buchanan 

Peter Roney 

A. Douglass 

Milton Becket 

A. K. Piercy 

Cornelius EbersoL. . 
Fowler & Buchanan . 

Reuben Hawk 

Robert Finch 

John A. Goodman . . 
Jesse T. Roberts .... 

J. H. McDonald 

R. W. Babcock 

Jas. Bronaugh 

James Melon 

James Green 

G. W. Stockwell, Jr. 
Gideon Albright.. . . 
C. B. Bacon 



,1 



25.00 

161.70 

20.00 

10.00 

10.00 

10.00 

10.00 

5.00 

6.50 

50.00 

10.00 

5.00 

70.00 

2.00 

10.00 

40.00 

10.00 

2.50 

5.00 

5.00 

389.37 



$2,743.87 



In due course of time the building was erected, and the same year, 
1867, duly dedicated by Elder G. R. Hand, to divine service. It is a 
well-built, neat, and attractive frame structure, and cost three thousand 
six hundred dollars. 

Pleasant View has (1881) seventy members. The edifice is situated in 
section twenty-seven, of congressional tow^nship fifty-four, of range 
twenty-nine. 

ELK HORN CHURCH — CHRISTIAN. 

The building is owned by the Christian and three other denominations, 
but we w^ere unable to obtain information regarding any of the organ- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 337 

izations, other than the Christian. We regret the omission, which on the 
part of the writer, is unavoidable. 

The names of the original members of the organization of Disciples, 
worshipping at Elk Horn Church, are as follows: T. M. Stevenson, 
Joseph Craven and wife, G. A. Sanford and wife, T. S. Vaughan and 
wife, J. T. Ogg, Mary McCallum, Elizabeth McAfee, Moab Berry and 
wife, M. McGaugh, and several others. 

The church is a frame building, erected 1857, and when completed, 
cost $1,100. It was dedicated, as to the Disciples, or Christians, by Elder 
G. R. Hand and A. A. Pickeral. Reverend N. B. Peeler is the present 
pastor. T. J. Ogg and J. N. Smith are elders. William Ogg and T. S. 
Vaughan are deacons. Present membership, twenty-five. 

BETHLEHEM CHURCH — CHRISTIAN. 

Organized in September, 1868. Among the first members w^ere: J. 
D. Gordon, Arch. Moss, R. Moss, J. Messmer, J. N. Davis and others. 

The church building was erected in 1869. It is a frame, located on sec- 
tion seventeen, township fifty-four, range twenty-eight, and cost $1,100. 
It was dedicated in 1869, by Wm. Morton and Anderson Pickeral. Pas- 
tors: A. Pickeral and N. B. Peeler. 

In 1875, a division occurred in this church, growing out of a difference 
in the views of its members on the subject of dancing. The faction favor- 
ing that amusement withdrew, and, building a house of worship, called it 
the 

HOUSE OF PRAYER. 

It is situated on section thirty, township fifty-four, range twenty-eight; 
was built in 1876, at a cost of about four hundred dollars. About twenty 
members — having withdrawn, as stated above, from Bethlehem church — 
formed the original organization. They retain the name. Christian^ meet 
regularly, and are in a prosperous condition — the membership having 
increased to sixty-two. 

M. E. CHURCH SOUTH, AT LAW^SON. 

Full reports of this church could not be obtained. It was probably 
organized about 1870. Among the original members we mention the fol- 
lowing: 

George James, Selina Morrow, Mary Cox, Mary Tiffin, Margaret 
Allen, Sarah Crowley, Alexander McDonald, Joseph McDonald, G. F. 
Crowley, Fanny Huff. 

R. H. Jordan, Jesse Bird, W. C. Campbell, J. A. Hyder, J. Devlin, L. 
F. Linn, A. M. Kiergan and H. A. Davis, have been pastors of this 
church. It has seventy-five members. 

CHURCH OF CHRIST OF CHRISTIAN UNION, KNOXVILLE CHARGE. 

This church was organized in 1871. The original members were as 



338 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

follows: H. Whitsen, J. Greason, J. Cook, J. Turney, S. Leabo, Jod 
Leabo. The church owns no house, but holds services in a school house. 

Names of pastors: D. H. McLuse, H. Holman, Andrew Arnote, J. 
W. Horder. H. Holman is the present pastor. 

The number of present membership is about sixty. The church is 
prospering, and contemplates erecting a church edifice at an early date. 

The doctrines of the Christian Union are probably not so well under- 
stood by the general public as are those of most other religious denomina- 
tions. The church advocates an experimental religion, and endorses bap- 
tism, administering it to satisfy the conscience of the subject; and also the 
Lord's supper. It disfavors debate; its object being to bring all Christian 
people together. It differs from the Methodist church mainly in church 
government. 

Subjoined is a declaration of views on the unity of the Church of Christ, 
adopted by the general council of the Christian Union, held at Wesley, 
Indiana, May 15, 1878. Christian Union principles: 

1. The oneness of the Church of Christ. 

2. Christ the only Head. 

3. The Bible our only rule of faith and practice. 

4. " Good Fruits " the only condition of fellowship. 

5. Christian Union without controversy. 

6. Each local church governs itself. 

7. Political preaching discountenanced. 

The above is a distinct and formulated statement of the principles of 
the churches of the Christian Union. 

REORGANIZED CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS. 

The district in which this branch is located was organized in 1872, and 
contains six branches, with a membership of about two hundred in the 
aggregate. Original members, A. J. Blodget, J. S. Lee, L. W Babbitt, 
James Wood, W. C. Kinyon, J. W. Johnson, Joseph D. Craven, James 
Milligan, and E. W. Cato. 

The church house is a frame edifice, and was built in 1881, at a cost of 
seven hundred dollars. It is situated on section 33, township 51, range 26. 

Joseph I). Craven has been presiding elder of the district since the 
3-ear 1872. His charge includes the membership of Ray, Platte, Carroll 
and Livingston counties. Rev. E. W. Cato is pastor of the church. 
Ray count}^ has only two branches, numbering about sixty-five members 
in all. 

We have received two conflicting statements concerning the branches, 
of the district referred to above, in this county, which we are unable to 
reconcile, but we have gleaned the information here presented from both, 
with the hope that it will be intelligible, at least, to those most interested. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY, 339* 

M. E. CHURCH SOUTH, AT TAITSVILLE. 

The original members were, G. W. Cones and wife, John Tait and 
wife, S. F. Siler, John Reavis and wife, J. S. Barbee, Henry Myers and 
wife, Frances Bennett, and Sarah Shumate. 

The church house is a very neat frame, and was built in 1S80. Its cost, 
when completed, was one thousand dollars. 

The following persons, among others, have been pastors of this church,, 
viz: J. Bovee, N. A. Keyes, T. B. Bratten, — Henley, — Butler, — 
Mozier. 

The present membership is eighteen. Preaching twice a month. 

HICKORY GROVE CHURCH (UNION.) 

Hickor}^ Grove Church building is in Crooked River township, situ- 
ated in a beautiful grove, not far from the river. It was erected in 1876, 
at a cost of one thousand two ^hundred dollars, and is owned by four 
denominations, all of which are prospering, and worship together in the 
most beautiful harmony. 

M. E. CHURCH SOUTH, IN KNOXVILLE TOWNSHIP. 

Original members: Emanuel Peter and wife, J. Switzer and wife, 
George Peter and wife, Jacob Jackson and wife, G. Vandever and wife* 
The church house is a frame, erected in 1876, at a cost of $2,500. J, 
Switzer, Perry, and Leeper have been pastors. 

This church has about one hundred members, and is doing well. A 
Sunday-school, of thirty-live pupils, convenes regularly every Lord's day. 

In connection with the church is a cemetery, established in 1876. 

PLEASANT VALLEY CHAPEL, CHRISTIAN UNION OF MISSOURI. 

This church was organized December 30, 1877, with the following origi- 
nal membership: Cleason Robertson, Susan Robertson, Jas. Snider, Mary 
Snider, Nathaniel Pike, George Porkony, Jeremiah Turner, Octavia 
Basham, Mary Fair, Annie Youngblood, and Emma McCall. 

The church building, a neat and attractive frame, conveniently and 
tastily furnished, was completed August 1, 1880, at a cost of one thousand 
dollars, and dedicated the 26th of the same month, by Elder J. V. B* 
Flack, of Missouri City, Clay county, Missouri. 

Rev. Andrew Arnote is now (1881), and has been since its organization, 
pastor of this church. Under charge of Rev. Arnote the church is. 
prosperous, progressive and harmonious. 

Its membership has increased until it now numbers eighty-seven. 

The edifice is located in Richmond township, about seven miles north 
of Richmond. 

It is appropriate to append the following, as reported to the thirty- 
.sixth annual council of the churches of the Christian Union of Missouri, 
convened at Salem Chapel, Clay county, Missouri, September 16, 17, 18. 
and 19, A. D. 1880. 



340 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES. 
ON STATE AND WISHES OF THE CHURCHES. 

After careful examination, your committee finds the churches in a good 
and prosperous condition. New churches have been added to many of 
the charges; new chapels have been erected; pastors employed at stated 
salaries; new members quite frequently received in the churches; houses 
in good repair; peace prevails among the membership; the doctrine of 
Christain Union is well understood and maintained by our many live local 
churches; prayer meetings are held, and the attendance upon public 
preaching is often very large and universally good; our churches are lib- 
eral and generous toward all reHgious people. 

ON BIBLE CAUSE. 

We, your committee, report 1st, That we favor the general circulation 
of King James' translation of the bible; 2d, That we co-operate with the 
American bible society in its good work; 3d, That we recognize the 
bible as the great, grand, universal creed of the true church of Christ, 
and will have no other creed. 

ON CORRESPONDENCE. 

We, your committee on correspondence beg leave to report, 

1st. That we have continued to write numerous letters to different sec- 
tions of our common field of operation, in which letters we have earnestly 
presented the claims of this blessed Union cause. 

2d. We have written to the leading state meetings, and received words 
of cheer therefrom. 

3d. We have carried on a correspondence with the prominent workers 
in and out of the state, from whose pens we have personally learned that 
our cause was well entrenched in the hearts and minds of all our most 
useful and successful workers. 

4th. We have written to churches in various parts of the state, send- 
ing all the words.of good cheer we possibly could. 

5th. In our correspondence at home and abroad, we find no apparent 
weakening on the part of Christian Union advocates; all are more confi- 
dent, with but very few exceptions. 

6th. We have extended our correspondence beyond our immediate borders 
and have received words of cheer and good fellowship from D. L. Moody, 
J. V. Farwell, J. Cook, President Abernethy, Dr. Lyman Abbott, Dr. N. 
F. Ravlin, H. L. Hasting, H. W. Beecher, and many others, whose 
worthy names we have not space to mention. 

7th. Our correspondence with Tennessee and Kentucky Christian 
Union assures us that the cause is rapidly gaining influence in those 
states. Good cheer reaches us from Brothers Deason, Cook, and others, 
giving accounts of the rapid and etlectual advance of the work among 
their brethren. 

8th. Correspondence shows to us that the good brethren in the north- 
eastern portion of Missouri are pressing the work of Union with earnest- 
ness and faithful prayer. 

9th. We have many communications from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio 
and elsewhere, written by private brethren, in which we have very cheer- 
ing news concerning the advance of our active preachers and church 
workers. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 341 

10th. From letters in our possession we learn that quite a large num- 
ber of members have united with us in the various states; that new 
churches have been established, and new chapels erected, and dedicated 
to the worship of Almighty God. 

11th. We receive urgent appeals to send ministerial help to destitute 
localities. 

12th. Great anxiety is manifest on the part of all our brethren, — 
whose hearts are in the work — in relation to our having a firmly estab- 
lished printing house. Letters reach us almost daily, urging that we 
advance and lead off in this undertaking. Many matters have presented 
themselves to us, which time and space will not permit recounting. 

ON RESOLUTIONS. 

We, your committee, report that, as resolutions expressive of our views, 
we refer our friends to the resolutions of the last state meeting, and those 
of the last general council. We stand upon the broad and catholic plat- 
form received and acknowledged by all Christians as essential to salvation. 
Our people are resolved to hold to no dogma calculated to produce and 
promote division in the church of God. 

ON BOUNDARIES. 

We, your committee, see no occasion for a change in boundaries, and 
recommend that they remain as heretofore; but suggest that district 
councils be held by the brethren of northeast Missouri. 

ON SUNDAY SCHOOLS. 

We, your committee, beg leave to report as follows: We would solicit 
the churches in different localities to establish Sunday-schools in their 
community without any sectarian principles connected with them; to 
establish them upon the principles and platform of American Union. 
Raise your children under the sway of the sceptre of Union and the one- 
ness of the church of Christ; create within them large Union hearts. We 
would further recommend that the council instruct the state evangelist to 
do all in his power to organize American Union Sabbath-schools in the 
different localities visited by him, believing that the Sabbath-school is the 
nursery of the church. 

ON FINANCE. 

We, your committee, report that some of the charges do not support 
their pastors as liberaUy as should be done, and therefore we urge that 
every church should contract with its pastor and pay him -promftly. That 
every member be required to pay to the support of the gospel among 
them. That the elders see to it, that every attendant on our services 
be invited to contribute to the support of the minister, that no one may 
fail of an opportunity to do his duty; that our members be advised to 
pay as the Lord has prospered them, so that our pastors may not be 
embarrassed in their calling. 

• ON FRATERNAL RELATIONS. 

We, to whose care the matter of fraternal relations was submitted one 
year ago, report as follows: 

1st. That brotherly love and peace pervades our home churches and 
membership, clerical and lay. 



342 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

2d. That the best of good feeling exists toward the brethren and 
the general work throughout the entire confines of the Christian *Union 
field. 

3d. That the reports we receive from the fraternal messengers who 
have been appointed to the previous state councils, indicate the best of 
results. 

4th. As your committee, we hereby officially extend our right hand of 
fellowship to every Christian Union man and woman in the world. 

5th. That we hereby and herein declare that, as a people, we stand 
ready to fraternize with every Christian person or body of persons whose 
love and kindliness will prompt them to co-operate with us in our efforts 
to lead perishing mankind to the blood-stained cross of Jesus. 

6th. That in our fraternal overtures we draw no party lines nor pre- 
scribe any sectarian or sectional boundaries or edicts, but ask for broth- 
erly love and affiliation on the primal and essential truths of God's dear 
Son — our Savior. 

7th. We rejoice to know that partisanism and sectarian denomination- 
alism are rapidly dying out, and the great and holy principle of a soul- 
saving gospel getting hold upon and deeply in the hearts of good and true 
Christians in all the various religious organizations. 

8th. The indications, everywhere, justify the conclusion that the 
religious elements of our country are drawing closer and still closer 
together. 

ON PUBLISHING INTERESTS. 

We, your committee on publishing interests, report as follows: 

1st. That the Witness has been suspended, and we are, therefore, 
without a church organ at present. 

2d. That our cause is amply strong to maintain and support a print- 
ing house, at which all needed printing can be done at reasonable rates, 
and a good Christian Union paper provided for the promotion of our 
cause. 

3d. We therefore propose that this council appoint a committee of 
five, whose duty it shall be to proceed and raise means sufficient to buy a 
printing office, with all needful appurtenances, to print a Christian Union 
paper, etc., etc. 

4th. That this committee be ordered by this body to use their wisdom 
in the plan of securing a publishing house, to-wit : That they induce one, 
two or more brethren to provide said office and have the proceeds there- 
of, and hire the editor ; or, else, that said committee raise a general fund 
in a sum sufficient to buy an office complete — said sum to be raised by 
contributions throughout the brotherhood, by a canvass among the local 
churches; and that said office be the common property of the donors, and 
to be used, for all time to come, as the publishing house of the Christian 
Union. 

5th. That we, after buying this office, authorize this said committee of 
five to arrange with Bro. J. V. B. Flack, our former editor, to run the said 
office and edit a Christian Union paper for a period of, at least, five years; 
unless, in the judgment of the committee and donors, his services should 
be discontinued and another take his place, or said editor desires to relin- 
quish the office of his own motion. 

6th. Furthermore, we direct that said committee take under advise- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 343 

ment the idea of the combined contributions of the Christian Union and 
public generally buying a printing office outfit complete, and then tender 
the use of said office for five years to Brother J. V. B. Flack, allowing 
him to have the use of the material, free of all expense, for said period, on 
condition that he provide a Christian Union weekly paper for our people, 
he, the said J. V. B. Flack, to receive all the proceeds for subscription and 
for job work done by the said office, he paying all the expenses for run- 
ning said office, and keeping up the same to a point of usefulness. 

With these suggestions we leave the matter with the council and the 
contemplated committee of five, should you in your wisdom appoint one. 

ON PUBLISHING MINUTES. 

We, your committee, advise that the proceedings of this council be 
printed in pamphlet form, and that means be raised at once to defray the 
expense thereof. 

ON EXAMINATION AND ORDINATION. 

We, your committee, report that, after careful examination, we com- 
mend as proper candidates to ordination, Bros. J. R. Franklin and A. S. 
Gechter. 

ON EDUCATION. 

We, your committee, commend to your notice the wisdom and propri- 
ety of sound education. We urge that our members seek to give their 
children the advantages of learning. We suggest that at an early period 
we adopt measures to secure in our council bounds a first-class college, 
and until then we commend Rutherford College, Happy Home, North 
Carolina, to the patronage of our people. We also desire to hereby express 
our thanks to the above named college and its learned faculty for the 
merited honor they conferred upon our fellow worker, Brother J. V. B. 
Flack, in constituting the said beloved brother a doctor of divinity. His 
learning and faithfulness have rendered him worthy of all honor. 

ON TEMPERANCE. 

Resolved, that we are a temperance people; that we co-operate with all 
movements tending to help lift up the fallen inebriate; that we condemn 
the manufacture, sale and use of ardent spirits as a beverage; that we do 
not believe in organizing political parties on the temperance question, but 
think we should promote the cause by the machinery of the church and 
the conversion of the souls of the unfortunate. 

ON UNFINISHED BUSINESS. 

We, your committee, after careful examination, do not find any unfin- 
ished business demanding attention. 

ON PUBLIC WORSHIP. 

We, your committee on public worship, submit the following complete 
report : Preaching, Thursday night, by Elder A. Arnote ; preaching, Friday, 
at 11 A. M., by Elder J. R. Franklin; preaching, Friday night, by Elder A. 
S. Gechter; preaching, Saturday, at 11 A. m., by Elder N. Nickeson; 
preaching Saturday night, by Elder N. H. French; social meeting, Sun- 
day, at 9 A. M., by Elder D. H. McClure; preaching, Sunday, at 11 a. m., 
by , Elder G. W. Mitchell; sacramental meeting, at 3 p. m., by Elder H. 



344 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Holman; preaching at night, by Elder A. S. Gechter, followed by Elder 
J. V. B. Flack. 

ON MEMORIAL. 

Since, in the mysterious providences of God, our Heavenly Farther, 
some of the beloved members of the Missouri Annual Council have been 
called from labor to reward, from earth-life to heaven-life, from mortal to 
immortal shores, from this valley of grief and partings, to the clime of 
glory and reunion : Therefore, we express our sense of their absence and 
our Christian condolence for the bereaved families of the deceased, by 
hereby recording their names, in token of the fact that their meritorious 
character and many exceeding excellencies are embalmed in the warm 
hearts of the members of this Annual Council. That the coming future 
and its generations may not be oblivious to the estimable and enviable 
memory of Elder Samuel Leabo, and Brothers G. W. Madden and Wil- 
son Samples, we hereby declare that those beloved brethren were true 
and worthy citizens of our common country, and of the Christian Union 
and the State Council of Missouri; that they left behind them abiding 
evidences of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the joyful assurance 
of an abundant entrance into the eternal City of God, and the endless fel- 
lowship of the saints. May the angels of heavenly wing ever watch over 
their silent graves. 

PLEASANT VALLEY CHAPEL. 

Brother Ephland writes the church report of the above-named church: 
This church is a new organization ; was established by Elder Andrew 
Arnote; has sixty-two members in good standing; have enjoyed the spirit 
of revival during the last year; the pastor is very much appreciated for 
his abihtv, zeal and piety; have erected a commodious new church house, 
tastefully finished, and paid for; the house was dedicated by Elder J. V. 
B. Flacic, D.D.; it was claimed that 2,000 persons were in attendance at 
the time of dedication; our future looks bright; we adhere to the doctrine 
of church union; the word of God is our only creed; we are living in 
daily evincement of the teaching of the 17th chapter of St. John. 

REPORT OF ELDER A. ARNOTE. 

Dear Brethreti: Tongue cannot express the thankfulness of my 
heart — to an allwise and loving Father — for the preservation of our lives 
and the many blessings extended to us during another year. It has 
pleased the good Lord to spare us so that we can meet once more and 
behold each other, face to face. I rejoice, brethren, that we can meet and 
congratulate each other that our work is prospering and Christian Union 
is moving forward every da}', but let us not think that we will gain the 
victory riding on flowery beds of ease. The devil trembles lest the 
prayer of our blessed Savior be fulfilled, and the world made to believe; 
therefore he contends for every inch of ground we pass over, and sectar- 
ianism turns its artillery upon us. As men increase in education and a 
knowledge of the Lord, the}' naturally desire to throw off the yoke of 
bondage and dwell together in unity and love, consequently sectarian lines 
are beginning to break, and many are deserting and coming over to our 
ranks, hence we may naturally expect a strong resistance fi*om their lead- 
ers, but, dear brethren, stand firm fear; not to declare the doctrine of 
Union. Christ prayed for it, God ordained it, and as sure as God sits upon 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 345- 

the throne, Christian Union will prevail, and God's people will be one. I 
have served as pastor of Graham, Union, Rocky Fork, and Pleasant 
Valley churches during the year past; have held five protracted meetings 
on my work, all resulting in grand success; God's people were revived, 
sinners convicted, and mourners converted at each meeting; I have wit-, 
nessed forty-eight conversions during the year, and received sixtv-five 
members in the churches; I leave my charges in good spiritual condition; 
to God be all the glory. Pray for me that I may be an humble and suc- 
cessful co-worker with you for Christ and Union. 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CHURCHES OF THE CHRISTIAN UNION. 

In the beginning, when God created man, and then woman, and 
brought her to the man, he pronounced them one. Of one family, — most 
intricately united — he started the wheels of generations. The extensive 
domain of earth was to be thronged by one and the same stock of human 
beings. The early generations were kept in the favorite relation of unity 
and peace as long as they remained in favor of and under the guidance of 
the original All-One-Father. When, by the introduction and conquests of 
sin, the normal status and condition of man was changed; then war, dis- 
quiet, unrest, discord and division tided in upon the world's destinies, and 
consequently, the world's happiness, Satan and sin have ever been the 
fruitful, prominent and effectual causes of the absence of peace and union, 
and the presence of war and disunion. The position has historically dem- 
onstrated itself in all and every age of the past developments of human 
life and society. It would be doing an injustice to God, to intimate that 
He created intelligent, immortal, and undying souls, for the mere purpose 
of variance, inharmony, hate, and cruel vengeance. His spirit, and every 
attribute, puts the Great Maker on the side of quiet, peace, comfort, and 
joy to all beings into whose nostrils He breathed the breath of life. Jeho- 
vah has frowned upon and condemned every divisional and discordant 
note that ever broke its remorseless sound upon the ears of ever-living 
and eternally intelligent mankind; the angelkind, before the world's birth, 
or before the stars had hymned their songs of joyful praise, knew that 
peace and union must tranquilly ever play its balmy zephvrs around the 
dazzling throne; that there could not be a heaven with warring winds, 
and roaring storms; croaking raven, and screaming eagle; roaring Hon 
and howling wolf, God carefully maintained the blessings of unity 
among his chosen people, until they turned their backs upon him. When 
any people, of any country, turn away from God, they are left to them- 
selves, and are riven and torn in twain. Had past generations remained 
loyal to the King of Kings, the floods of blood, carnage, conflagration, 
and death, that have devastated the earth, would never have occurred. 
The great hand and arm of God has been visible at all times, and the evi- 
dent maintenance of peace and pleasantness among his children, has ever 
written — in letters of adamant — that the Divine One was not pleased with 
the presence of the elements of discord and sin. Historic Israel teaches 
that God desires and designs to preserve aunited commonwealth. Jesus 
Christ, the Son of God, came heralded by peace messengers, and mes- 
sages of " Peace on earth, good will to men." Fittingly the Temple of 
Janus was closed, and the whole world was desirous or universal rest and 
peace. The angel host sang " good news," while the audience of har- 
22 



34:6 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

monious stars gave jthem noiseless reverence; and Bethlehem's happy, 
social, and united shepherds looked upon the scene with rapture and 
delight. Christ came to unite, and keep united, the hearts of his follow- 
ers; hence, he bound them with every common tie and sacred chord of 
love; finally, sealing the consummated union with his own royal and 
divine blood. One with the Father, he came to make his people likewise 

one. 

The same holy principle led and stimulated the mission and work of 
the apostles, and was proclaimed and clearly inculcated in all their teach- 
ing. Paul forcibly presented the necessity of this doctrine in his epistles, 
and doubtless urged it in all his wondrful and vivid discourses. The 
principle of the unity of God's people lies in the very genius of the gos- 
pel, and the effects of saving grace on the heart and life of every rescued 
sinner proves the naturalness of the holy and lovable sentiment: "As ye 
receive Christ Jesus so walk ye in Him." The good Christian, who 
can read the illustrious prayer ot Christ, recorded in the 17th of John, and 
not believe in the union of Christians, has not been found. God never 
meant that his people should be divided. Christ emphatically taught us 
to be one, declaring that " there shall be one fold and one shepherd." Paul 
says: "Since there are wars and divisions among you, are ye not carnal, 
and walk as men?" 

For about two hundred years after Christ there was love, union, peace, 
and quiet, when wicked and ambitious priests created discord, schism, here- 
sies and sects. The long series of sins and mistakes that followed, until 
over six hundred rival sectarian bodies were formed, cannot be noticed in 
this connection. Now, what? The object of the Christian Union move- 
ment is to go directly back to first principles, take up the same doctrines 
of Christ and the apostles, ignore all the isms and dogmas that have caused 
sects, and seek to promulgate pure primitive Christianity, standing on 
essentials only. These churches, now numerous, and these Christians, now 
an army for multitude, declare that they adhere to and advocate the fol- 
lowing sentiments, common to every real child of God: (1) The oneness 
of the church. ;2) God, our Creator and Father. (3) Christ, our Savior 
and only head. (4) The Holy Spirit, our regenerator. (5) The Bible, 
our only jcreed. (6) Good fruits, our only condition of fellowship. (7) 
Each local church governs itself. (8) The right of private opinion. (9) 
Christian and church union, without controversy about questions that 
neither save nor damn the soul. 

LAWSON BAPTIST CHURCH. 

This church wa» organized October 4th, 1879, by Elder W. C. Barrett. 
Following are the names of the original members: Mary Hollingworth, 
Josephine Palmer, Tillie Asbury, Lottie Asbury, Mary Jones, Puss Hat- 
field, Mary L. Smith, Sarah Ahart, Jennie Robinett, Eliza Garrison, J. L. 
Smith, William Ahart, M. Nicholson and John Garrison. 

The house of worship is frame; was built in 1879, and cost $1,082.92. 
The building was dedicated on the first Lord's day in 'August, 1880, by 
Revs. W. C. Barrett, of Plattsburg, and T. W. Barrett, of Jefiferson City. 
The pastor of this church is Rev. W. C. Barrett. The present member- 
ship is seventeen. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 347 

EDUCATIONAL. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF RAY COUNTY. 

It is to the interest of every man to live in a refined, moral and educated 
community. Ignorance is the handmaid of vice. Education promotes 
the happiness, harmony and general well-being of society. Where 
ignorance prevails, religion is neglected, progress impeded, crime increases, 
and disorder reigns. The only way of improving the social, mental and 
moral status of mankind is, by the dissemination of useful knowledge 
among all classes, in every community. The great aim of education, in 
the true meaning of that term, is to make moral beings of those upon 
whom the advantages of learning are bestowed. Therefore, every mem- 
ber of society is equally interested in the diffusion of intelligence. Every 
man and woman in Ray county is mutually benefitted by the means of 
education, placed within the reach of all. The good of society demands 
that every member thereof shall receive at least a common school educa- 
tion. It is the one true way of promoting the peace, good order and pros- 
perity of the state. Where public instruction is fostered and maintained, 
men are prosperous and progressive in every department of fife. Educa- 
tion upholds religion, propels the machinery of government, and sustains 
the whole fabric of society. To no community of Christian people is this 
fact better, or more appreciatively known, than to the citizens of Ray 
county ; and to their encouragement and maintenance of common schools, 
under the laws of the state, is largely due the enviable prosperity the 
county enjoys. 

Section I. of Article VI. of the first constitution of Missouri, declared, 
that: "Schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged 
in this state; and the general assembly shall take measures to preserve 
from waste or damage such lands as have been, or hereafter may be 
granted by the United States, for the use of schools within each town- 
ship in this state, and shall apply the funds which may arise from such 
lands, in strict conformity to the object of the grant; one school, or more, 
shall be established in each township, as soon as practicable and neces- 
sary, where the poor shall be taught gratis." 

The general assembly subsequently provided for the appointment of 
commissioners by the county in each county court, to preserve from waste 
or damage the school lands mentioned above ; and at the first term of the 
county court in Ray county, April 2, 1821, the court " ordered that John 
Shields, John Stanley, James Snowden, Sr., John Hutchings and Samuel 
Tilford be appointed to superintend and preserve from waste, all school 
lands in this county; and that they be empowered to lease or rent the 
same for any term not exceeding five years." 



348 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Thus, at a very early day, was an interest taken in free schools by the 
officials and residents of the county. 

As soon as possible after the completion of hovels in which to live, and 
of preparations absolutely necessary for their sustenance and comfort, 
the first settlers commenced the building of school houses. Such as they 
built were poor and mean, it is true, but they could do no better, and 
doing their best, they did -well. 

The character of the first schools, and school houses, and where located, 
have been given elsewhere in this work. 

There are, at present, (May, 1881,) one hundred and twelve school 
buildings in the county. They are commodious, comfortable and sub- 
stantial, and comport well with the advanced and improved condition of 
the county, in other than educational affairs. 

The municipal townships are divided into school districts; and the 
employment of teachers and the control and management of the schools 
(except as to the authority of teachers) are vested in a board of directors, 
composed of three members, elected by the qualified voters of each dis- 
trict, at the annual school meeting, which is held on the first Tuesday in 
April, of each year. 

The public teachers of Ray county, who receive a certificate of qual- 
ification from the county commissioner, are liberally, though perhaps not 
quite adequately, paid for their services, and it is fair to say that, as a rule, 
they are exceptionally industrious and competent. 

Mr. Lindsey Dickey, a courteous, agreeable gentleman, now principal 
of the Taitsville public school, has, doubtless, been longer continuously 
engaged as teacher in the public schools of Ray county, than any of his 
brother teachers, he having taught in this county for fifteen successive 
years. 

Thomas M. Deacy, Esq., county commissioner, kindly furnishes us the 
following educational statistics of the county, for the year 1880. It is 
simply a copy of his report to the state superintendent of public schools; 
and it is believed that, especially in after years, it will be of peculiar 
interest. 

Following is the report: 

To Hon. R. D. Shannon, Superintendent of Public Schools^ Jefferson 

Cityy Missouri: 

Sir: — In obedience to section 38, school law of Missouri, I have the 
honor to submit the following report: 

Number of white children in the county between six and twenty years 
of age: Male, 3,535; female, 2,946. 

Number of colored children in the county between six and twenty years 
of age: Male, 329; female, 227. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 349 

Number of white children attending school during the year: Male, 
2,448; female, 2,112. 

Number of colored children attending school during the year: Male, 
192; female, 153. 

Total number days attendance all such scholars, 306,720. 

Average number days attendance by each, 63. 

Number of days school has been taught: Summer, 34; winter, 102; 
total, 136. 

Average number of scholars attending school each day: Summer, 14; 
winter, 26; total, 40. 

Number of teachers employed during the year: Male, 102; female, 
28; total, 130. 

Average salary of teachers per month: Male, $37.52; female, $25.94 — 
it531.73. 

Number of school-houses in the county, 112. 

Number of buildings rented for school purposes, none. 

Number of scholars that may be seated in the various school-houses in 
the county, 5,432. 

Number of white schools in operation, 97. 

Number of colored schools in operation, 15. 

Value of school property in the county, $46,560. 

Average rate per $100 levied for school purposes in the county, 40 cents. 

Assessed value of property in the county, $39,415.95. 

Amount on hand at beginning of school year, $8,818.27. 

Amount received for tuition fees, $10. 

Amount received from public funds, state, county, and township, $11,- 
285.95. 

Amount paid for teachers' wages in the county during the year, $22,- 
484.60. 

Amount paid for fuel, $851.66. 

Amount for repairs or rent of school-houses, $632.44. 

Amount paid for incidental expenses in the county during the year, 
$615.95. 

Amount paid for erection of school-houses or purchase of sites, 
$1,548.55. 

Amount expended in defraying past indebtedness, $1,918.66. 

Amount paid for library, $30.10. 

Amount paid as salaries of district clerks, $81.55. 

Amount of unexpended school funds in the county at the close of the 
year, $7,895.48. 

Very respectfully, 

Thomas M. Deacy, County Commissioner', 

This 18th day of September, 1880. 



350 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

RICHMOND COLLEGE. 

In the year 1851, the ynod of the Presbyterian Church of Missouri 
realizing the importance of establishing a first-class college to be under its 
control, resolved, " That the time is come to arise and build," and 
appointed a committee composed of elders from different parts of the state,. 
to examine such places as should offer inducements for its location and 
report at the next meeting of synod. 

In 1852, the committee reported, and four places were put in nomina- 
tion, Booneville, Richmond, Fulton and St. Charles. 

For some months preceding the meeting of synod in Fulton, October,. 
1852, the most vigorous efforts were put forth in Ray county to raise a 
large subscription in money and land in order to secure the location of the 
college at Richmond. 

The county was thoroughly canvassed by able speakers, who set forth 
the great advantages that would result, not only to Richmond, but the 
county, by securing the location of this institution of learning at our county 
seat. 

The Richmond Herald^ the only newspaper published in the county at 
that time, the publication of which commenced in March, 1852, in a num- 
ber of able and spirited editorials and articles urged the great importance 
of this movement, and called upon the people of Ray county to present a 
liberal subscription to the synod that was to meet at Fulton in the ensu- 
ing October. 

After a thorough canvass the subscription realized from the county was 
$15,000 in money and ten acres in land within the limits of the city of 
Richmond. The subscription in money was subsequently increased to 
$18,000. This was regarded as the best subscription made by any of the 
contending points. 

A delegation of citizens was selected to represent the county, and pre- 
sent its claims for the location of this institution of learning at Richmond, 
to the Presbyterian synod of Missouri that was to meet at Fulton, Cal- 
laway county, Missouri, on Tuesday, October 12, 1852. 

The delegation consisted of Dr. George W. Buchanan, Joseph S. 
Hughes, William Boyce, Dr. Henry C. Garner, James W. Black, and 
Captain William M. Jacobs. 

Reverend David Harbeson, Hon. Austin A. King, who was then 
governor of Missouri; Hon. E. M. Samuel, of Clay county, Missouri; 
Reverend T. A. Bracken, and a number of other prominent citizens from 
western Missouri, were present advocating the claims of Richmond as 
being the most eligible place for the location of this institution of learning. 

The claims of the other contending points were also ably presented, 
especially those of Fulton and Booneville. Hon. John Jameson, of Cal- 
laway county, and other prominent citizens,, made the most earnest efforts 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 351 

in behalf of Fulton. Considerable influence was exerted by the citizens 
in Fulton and vicinity with whom the Presbyterian clergymen were 
quartered during the session of Synod. The delegation of citizens from 
Richmond, it is proper to state here, were all quartered at Hackady's 
Jwtel and most hospitably entertained^ but met with no Presbyterian cler- 
gymen entertained at this hotel from other portions of the' state than 
western Missouri. 

Hon. John G. Miller, then a member of congress from the third district 
of Missouri, made a most eloquent and impressive speech in favor of 
Booneville, presenting its claims with great clearness and vigor of thought. 
The ingenuity of his arguments, in showing that Booneville was the most 
elegible point for the college, and the most flourishing central city of Mis- 
souri, was highly complimented by many in the audience. 

On taking the v^ote, after all the contending points had been duly heard, 
Fulton received a majority of the votes of the synod, and was consequently 
declared to be the most eligible place for the location of the Presbyterian 
College. Richmond received a large number of votes, being the only 
strong contending point against Fulton. Booneville and St. Charles 
received but a few votes. 

The Reverend Hiram P. Goodrich, after the question of the location of 
the college had been decided, suggested the name, Westminster, as the 
most appropriate name for the college, which was adopted by the synod. 

Considerable disappointment was manifested by the friends of Rich- 
mond, who had advocated its claims for the location of the college. An 
effort was therefore soon made by the Presbytery of Upper Missouri, to 
establish a Presbyterian College at Richmond, Missouri, on the endow- 
ment plan from scholarship. Vigorous etlbrts were at once made to place 
the projected scheme on a proper basis. The citizens of Ray county 
agreed to guarantee the building fund of q)15,000, and the Presbytery of 
Upper Missouri to guarantee the endowment fund of 1^40,000. 

The act giving Richmond College its charter of incorporation was 
passed by the seventeenth general assembly of Missouri, February 23, 
1853. 

The preamble to the act of incorporation is in the following language : 

Whereas, The presbytery of Upper Missouri, (O. S.) in view of 
the rapidly increasing population of that portion of the state, denominated 
Upper Missouri, and the existing and prospective necessity of educational 
institutions of a high order, desire to locate, erect and endow, a college of 
said character, in or near the town of Richmond, in Ray county, to meet 
said necessities; therefore, 

Be it enacted by the general assembly of the state Missouri as follows : 
That William Dickson, R. S. Symington, A. V. C. Schenck, T. A. 
Bracken, Robert Scott, I. W. Canfield, J. B. Harbison, James Young, 
A. H. McFadden, A. W. Hutchins, John G.Ta3dor, J. B. Slaughter, E. M. 



:352 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Samuel, W. M. Paxton, Robert Sevier, James L. McCoun, R. H. Smith, 
Robert Clark, D. F. Green, N. Davis, J. R. Allen, and George W. Dunn, 
shall be, and they and their successors in office, are hereby constituted a 
body politic and corporate, by the name, "The Trustees of Richmond 
College." 

The first meeting of the board of trustees of Richmond College, was in 
the city of Richmond, on Thursday, the 29th of December, 1853. The 
following trustees were present: George W. Dunn, William Dickson, A, 
V. C. Schenck, Thomas A. Bracken, J. B. Harbison, I. W. Canfield, James 
L. McCoun, Lewis Green, Nathaniel Davis, George I. Wasson, Robert 
Sevier (resigned). 

Soon after the complete organization of the board of trustees was 
effected, arrangements were made for building the college. The contract 
for building it was lat to William Hunter, in the year 1856. The site 
selected for it was in the southern suburbs of the city of Richmond, on a 
beautiful eminence called College Hill, surrounded by a delightful and 
inviting "campus." 

The work of the building had progressed so far, and was so near com- 
pletion by September, 1856, that the lower stories could be occupied for 
the purposes intended by the board of trustees. Richmond College was 
therefore formally opened in September, 1856, for students. Reverend 
John L. Yantis, D. D., a distinguished Presbyterian divine, was duly 
installed as president of it. Prof. Oliver Cunningham, a teacher of great 
experience and ability, was selected as professor of languages. Professor 
Rufus B. Finley, a teacher of •high standing, and a thorough mathemati- 
cian, was chosen for the position of professor of mathematics. There 
were also assistant teachers in the different departments. The college 
opened with the most flattering prospects; a large number of students 
was soon in attendance, and everything connected with this young insti- 
tution of learning seemed to progress most admirably, in every respect, 
for about two years. About this time it was ascertained that the resoures 
and liberality of the presbytery of Upper Missouri had been overesti- 
mated. The friends of Westminster College, at Fulton, charged a want 
of good faith, on the part of the presbytery of Upper Missouri, that had 
been one of the contestants for the synodical college; that having failed 
in obtaining it, it should have acquiesced in the decision of synod in estab- 
lishing the college at Fulton, in October, 1852; that it should not have 
engaged in an enterprise and movement that placed it in an opposing atti- 
tude to the interests of the synodical college at Fulton. This was the 
prominent cause of the enthusiasm waning for establishing a Presby- 
terian College at Richmond, and in a great measure caused the enterprise 
to give way. It was also ascertained at this time, that the financial 
scheme for endowing the college from scholarships, was far from being a 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 35B 

success, and fell far behind the expectation of the friends of the college. 
At the end of two years it was found that the fund realized from the 
endowment plan by scholarships was only $13,000 of the $40,000 prom- 
ised, and agreed upon. Failing, therefore, to realize a sufficient amount 
from the endowment fund to meet the annual expenses of the college, and 
that a debt was rapidly accumulating, the presbytery of Upper Missouri 
submitted to the board of trustees of Richmond College the proposal that 
the presbytery would assume the entire indebtedness, not only the debt to 
the teachers, which had become a considerable one, but to relieve it of 
indebtedness of every kind, and cancel the guaranty bond of the citizens 
of Ray county for the building fund of $15,000 for Richmond College, on 
condition that the guaranty bond of the presbytery of Upper Missouri, 
for the endowment fund for $40,000, should also be canceled, and the col- 
lege building revert to the people of Ray county. This proposition was 
accepted. The agreements were not fully complied with until some years 
afterward. The presbytery of Upper Missouri relinquished all claim to 
the college building and grounds, which reverted to the people of Ray 
county, Missouri. 

Some time, however, before this arrangement had been consummated, 
James R. Allen, of Ray county, had completed the Richmond college 
edifice, at his own expense, and received the grateful acknowledgments 
of the synod of upper Missouri in a resolution passed in session at Lex- 
ington, Missouri, September 29, 1860. The synod of Upper Missouri 
was organized some time after the presbytery of Upper Missouri had 
engaged in the work of locating, erecting, and endowing the Richmond 
college. This explanation is made to show the connection of the synod 
of Upper Missouri with the Richmond College, and all matters pertain- 
ing to it. 

Some of the original trustees of the college having resigned, the follow 
ing board of trustees were elected, and classed as required in the charter 
by the synod of Upper Missouri, at the session held at Lexington, Sep- 
tember 29, 1860: First class, composed of Judge George W. Dunn, Rev, 
Robert Scott, George I. Wasson, Lewis Green, and Rev. Ralph Harris; 
second class, Rev. I. Canfield, Dr. B. A. Rives, Preston Dunlap, James Fur- 
guson, and A. W. Hutchins; third class, Benjamin J. Brown, Geo. W. 
Buchanan, D. F. Green, Rev. D. Coulter, D. D., and Dr. I. M. Keith, 
anv seven of which to constitute a quorum. 

After it was ascertained that Richmond College could no longer be 
sustained on account of the reasons already mentioned, private schools 
were organized, and taught in the college building, one by Rufus W. Fin- 
ley, and one by George B. Turner. These schools were well patronized, 
and admirably conducted, until the spring of 1861, when the blast of 
^' grim-visaged war" was heard in the land, they ceased to exist. 



354 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Richmond College building from the commencement of the great civil 
war until its close, instead of being the temple of learning, the home of 
star-eyed science, became, from necessity, a fortress bristling with bayo- 
nets, and arrayed in all the fierce panoply of war. 

From 1862 till 1865 large bodies of troops were quartered in it at dif- 
^ferent times, and as a natural consequence the injuries it sustained were 
considerable. As soon as practicable after the close of the war, repairs were 
made to the college building by the board of trustees, and it was put in as 
good condition, if not better, than it was before the commencement of the 
war. In September, 1867, a tier of lots on the east and west sides of the col- 
lege ground, extending entirely across it from north to south, was sold, in 
accordance with legal process, and the amount realized from said sale 
was appropriated to the liquidation of a portion of the debt against the 
trustees of the college building. James R. Allen instituted suit against 
the trustees of Richmond College, in 1862, in Ray county circuit court, 
for the amount of money advanced by him to complete the college build- 
ing in the year 1858, but dying before the suit was determined, the admin- 
istrators were substituted as plaintifis in the case. Failing to obtain 
judgment in the circuit court, the cause was appealed to the 5th district 
court of Missouri, held at St. Joseph, Missouri, and on being heard, 
resulted in a reversal of the judgment of the Ray county circuit court. 

This claim was afterward fully satisfied by the trustees of the college. 

Public schools were taught in the college building in 1867, by B. F. 
Winfrey, Mrs. Hannah Cunningham and others. 

In 1868 one session of school was taught in it by Prof. J. W. Lewis, 
Prof. B. F. Winfrey and Mrs. Hannah Cunningham and assistant teachers. 

In September, 1868, Rev. Samuel J. Huffaker opened a high school in 
the college building, for the co-ordinate education of male and female 
pupils. The faculty for the collegiate year of this school, from 1868 to 
1861), were as follows: Rev. S. J. Huffaker, principal and teacher in the 
several schools; Lafayette W. Groves, professor of ancient languages, and 
assistant teacher in the Svjveral schools; Frank G. Gibson, professor of 
pure and mixed mathematics, French, and assistant in the several schools; 
Miss Mattie Steele, mistresi of primary school; Miss Docia Smith, assis- 
tant in library school; Miss K.uth B. Colgan, principal of music school. 

College home, Mrs. S. J. Huflaker and S. J. Huffaker. 

The board of trustees at this time, 1868 to 1869, were: Judge G. W. 
Dunn, president; Dr. W. W. Mosby, C. T. Garner, Esq., G. I. Wasson, 
Esq., treasurer; Judge Waiter King, Joseph S. Hughes, Esq., J. C. Cates 
Esq. 

In the year 1869, the presbytery of Upper Missouri, relinquished 
all claim to the college building and grounds in compliance with an agree- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 355 

meant that had been previously made. The college building and grounds 
therefore reverted to the people of Ray county. 

Teachers in Richmond College in scholastic year from 1869 to 1870: 
Samuel J. HufFaker, principal; Lafayette W. Groves, professor of lan- 
guages; Frank G. Gibson, professor of mathematics; Mrs. F. M. Pritch- 
ard, mistress of primary school; Miss Ruth B. Colgan, principal of music 
school. 

Board of trustees from 1869 to 1870, were as follows: Judge Geo. W. 
Dunn, president; Dr. W. W. Mosby, C. T. Garner, Esq., Geo. I. Wes- 
son, Judge Walter King, J. C. Gates, Esq., Joseph S. Hughes, and Isaac 
Hale, Esq. 

Teachers in Richmond College, scholastic year from 1870 to 1871 : Sam- 
uel J. Huffaker, principal; Lafayette W. Groves, professor of languages; 
Frank G. Gibson, professor of mathematics; Miss M. A. S. Clark, 
teacher in intermediate department until February, 1871; Miss Mary 
Woodson, successor to Miss Clark, in intermediate department; Miss 
Alice Colter, teacher in primary department; Miss Ruth B. Colgan, 
principal in music school. 

Board of trustees from 1870 to 1871: Geo. W. Dunn, president; C. T. 
Garner, secretary; Geo. I, Wasson, treasurer; Dr. W. W. Mosby, Judge 
Walter King, Joseph S. Hughes, J. C. Cates, and Isaac Hale. 

The graduating class of this year were: Miss Lucy S. Menefee, Miss 
Ollie Miller, Miss Sallie Harbison, Charles J. Hughes, Jr., James W. 
Garner, and Geo. W. Sweich. The essays and orations of this class on 
commencement day, were splendid efforts. They sparkled with brilliant 
thoughts, and glowed with beautiful imagery. 

Teachers in Richmond graded school, from 1871 to 1872, organized 
under school laws of Missouri as Richmond public school:* N. B. 
Peeler, principal; F. G. Gibson, professor of mathematics; Rev. Sam- 
uel E. Derackin, teacher in intermediate department: Mrs. F. M. Pritch- 
ard, teacher in intermediate department; Alvin S. Child, teacher in pri- 
mary department; Miss Alice Colter, teacher in intermediate department; 
Miss Flora Child, teacher in primary department; Miss Bettie Lynch, 
teacher in primary department; Miss Docia Smith, teacher in primary 
department. 

Board of directors from 1871 to 1872, were: Dr. W. W. Mosby, presi- 
dent; C. J. Hughes, Sr., secretary; A. K. Reyburn, treasurer; Geo. W. 
Dunn, D. H. Harbison, and Geo. I. Wasson. 

*The pul)lic school in Richmond, Missouri, was first ora::inized in the year 1859. Prior 
to that time the public moneys were distributed among tlie children residing in the terri- 
tory afterwards included in the Richmond school district, who attended the various pri- 
vate schools. Joseph E. Black taught the first session of the public school, assisted by 
Miss Cynthia .T. Cole. The publicschool was continued until the organization of Rich- 
mond College, in 1871, as above stated. 



356 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Teachers in Richmond College, for the scholastic year from 1872 to 
1873, were as follows: S.J. Huftaker, principal; T. F. Peake, professor 
of languages; Reverend Thomas B. King, intermediate department, suc- 
ceeded by Thomas J. Dodd, in February, 1873; Miss Emma Pybas,high 
school department ; Miss Maggie Jackson, intermediate department; Miss 
Docia Smith, primary department; Miss Bettie Lynch, primary depart- 
ment; Mrs. Ruth B. Colgan, music teacher; Thomas J. Dodd, (successor 
to Thomas B. King), teacher from February, 1873, to close of term. 

Board of directors from 1872 to 1873: W. W. Mosby, president; 
Chas. J. Hughes, secretary; A. K. Rayburn, treasurer; Geo. W. Dunn, 
Geo. I. Wasson, and Henry C. Garner. 

Teachers for the scholastic year from 1873 to 1874 — (board of trustees 
same as from 1872 to 1873): S. J. HufFaker, president; Thomas F. 
Peake, professor of languages and elocution; James Jane Allen, profes- 
sor of Greek, French, logic, and English literature; Charles J. Hughes, 
professor of mathematics, mathematical science, and political economy; 
Mrs. Clara K. Fore, intermediate department; Mr. Delos Luther, inter- 
mediate department; Mrs. P. M. Luther, primary department; Miss 
Docia Smith, primary department ; Miss Bettie Lynch, primary depart- 
ment; Mrs. C. M. Murray, vocal music; Miss Ruth B. Colgan, music 
teacher. 

Before the close of the session Miss Sallie Smith was chosen teacher in 
place of D. Luther. 

The graduating class of 1874 were: C. T. Garner, Jr., Miss Lizzie S. 
Garner, Miss Josie H. Shweich, Miss Maggie E. Rimmer, and Miss Julia 
M. Beyan. 

Teachers in Richmond graded school, for scholastic year from 1874 to 
1875: Samuel J. Huffaker, principal; Thomas F. Peake, professor of 
languages; Charles J. Hughes, professor of mathematics; Z. M. Willis, 
intermediate department: Mrs. Clara Fore, intermediate department; 
Miss Docia T. Smith, Miss Bettie Lynch, and Mrs. S. E. Percival, pri- 
mary department ; Miss Ruth B. Colgan, music teacher. 

The board of trustees for this year were : Dr. W. W. Mosby, presi- 
dent; Charles J. Hughes, secretary; A. K. Rayburn, Geo. W. Dunn; H. 
C. Garner, and Geo. I. Wasson. 

Graduating class of 1875: William Banister, Geo. Warriner, Warner 
Holt, Miss Maggie Hughes, Miss Mollie Rodman, Miss Susie Demasters, 
Miss Ida Carter, and John R. Watkins. 

Teachers in Richmond graded school, from 1875 to 1876: Samuel J. 
Huffaker, principal; Thomas F. Peake, professor of languages; Charles 
J. Hughes, Jr., professor of rnathematics ; Z. M. Willis, intermediate 
department; Mrs. C. Fore, intermediate department; Mrs. S. E. Perci- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 357 

val and Miss Docia Smith, primar}'- department; Miss Ruth B. Colgan, 
music teacher. 

Board of trustees, same as preceding year. 

Graduating class of 1876: Esrey S. Gosney, C. McCoun, Charles J. 
Parks, Ami Hughes, and Edward Carson. 

Teachers in Richmond graded school from 1876 to 3877: S. J. Huff- 
aker, principal; Joseph Godby, professor of languages; C.J. Hughes, Jr., 
professor of mathematics ; G. M. Caldwell, intermediate department ; Mrs. S 
E. Percival, teacher in primary; Miss Josie Sweich, teacher in primary; Miss 
Bell Jacobs, teacher in primary; Miss Ruth B. Colgan, music teacher; 
Miss M. D. Morehead, music teacher. 

Board of directors from 1876 to 1877, were: James L. Farris, president; 
Chas. J. Hughes, secretary; Geo. I. Wasson, John T. Quirk and Geo. W 
Dunn. 

Teachers in Richmond graded school from 1877 to 1878: Samuel J. 
HufJaker, principal; N. B. Peeler, professor of languages (resigned); 
Elder James E. Dunn, succeeded N. B. Peeler ;T. F. Peake, professor of 
languages; Mrs. S. E. Holt (formerly Mrs. Percival), primary depart- 
ment; Charles B. Armstrong, elected to succeed Mrs. Holt; Josie Sweich, 
primary department; Mrs. Mary H. Menefee, primary department; Mrs. 
Mary H. Shaw, primary department; Miss Ruth B. Colgan, music 
teacher. 

Board of directors from 1877 to 1878, were: Jas. Lt Farris, president; 
C.J.Hughes, secretary; Geo. I. Wasson, John T. Quirk, James D. 
Taylor, George W. Dunn. 

Teachers in Richmond graded school from 1878 to 1879: Rev. Jas. 
Greer, principal; Jno. P. Anshu, intermediate department; Miss Ann 
Greer, intermediate department; Miss Docia Smith, primary department; 
Miss Bettie Lynch, primary department; Mrs. Mary H. Menefee, primary 
department. 

Board of directors from 1878 to 1879: Geo. W. Dunn, president; Jno. 
C. Brown, J. T. Taylor, Geo. I. Wasson, Geo. N. McGee, secretary; and 
Thos. J. Dodd. 

Teachers in Richmond graded school from 1879 to 1880: B. F. Dun- 
can, A. M., professor of history, rhetoric, English literature, civil govern- 
ment, mental and moral philosphy, international law; J. M. Long, A. M., 
professor of natural sciences and latin ; C. B. Shotwell, A. B., professor of 
mathematics and physiology; W. S. Tompkins, principal of intermediate 
department, teacher of fourth grade; Mrs. J. M. Long, third grade; Miss 
Nettie Keith, second grade; Mrs. M. H. Menefee, first grade; Miss Ada 
Butler, teacher of instrumental music. 

Board of directors from 1878 to 1879: James L. Farris, president; 



358 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Geo. N. McGee, secretary; Geo. I. Wasson, treasurer; Geo, W. Dunn, 
Geo. W. Buchanan and James W. Black. 

Teachers in Richmond graded school from 1880 to 1881: Benjamin F. 
Duncan, A. M., professor of history, rhetoric, English literature, civil 
government, mental and moral philosophy, and international law ; James 
M. Long, A. M., professor of natural sciences and Latin; Charles B. 
Shotwell, A. B., professor of mathematics and physiology; William S. 
Tompkins, principal of intermediate department, and teacher of fourth 
grade; Mrs. J. M. Long, teacher of third grade; Miss Nettie Keith, 
teacher of second grade; Mrs. M. H. Menefee, teacher of first grade; 
Miss Ada Butler, teacher of instrumental music. 

Board of directors from 1880 to 1881: James W. Black, president of 
board of directors; George N. McGee, secretary until August 1,1880, 
the time of his death. He was succeeded by George A. Hughes, by 
appointment of board to fill vacancy. George I. Wasson, treasurer; 
George W. Dunn, George W. Buchanan, James L. Farris. 

Teachers for Richmond graded school, elected by board of directors for 
scholastic year, from 1881 to 1882, to commence September 12, 1881: 
Benjamin F. Duncan, A. M., principal; Charles Howard Greathouse, A. 
M., first assistant; James Black, A. B., professor of mathematics and lan- 
guages; William S. Tompkins, principal of intermediate department; 
Miss Lucy Shotwell. teacher of fourth grade; Miss Lutie Palmer, teacher 
of third grade; Miss Bettie Lynch, teacher of second grade; Mrs. Mary 
H. Menefee, teacher of first grade; Miss Florie Duncan, principal in 
music department. 

Board of directors for Richmond graded school in 1881: James W. 
Black, president; George A. Hughes, secretary; George I. Wasson, 
treasurer; John C. Brown, George W. Buchanan, James L. Farris. 

Teachers elected for colored school in Richmond for 1881 to 1882, to 
commence September: John D. Waltan, principal; and Milan McGee, 
assistant teacher. 

The Richmond school is now one of the best in Missouri. The number 
of puplis in attendance is very large. The course of studies is admirably 
arranged, so as to make it complete and thorough in meeting, in every 
respect, the requirements of a people distinguished not onl}-^ for strong 
practical intelligence, but also for refined culture and classical ele- 
gance. Professor B. F. Duncan and his corps of able and accomplished 
teachers have given this school a splendid reputation. The mode and sys- 
tem of their teaching is fully up with all the successful modern improve- 
ments in the art and science of educating, and keeps well to the front in 
the advanced progress of the age. The broad foundation of a solid edu- 
cation in deeply laid in the primary and intermediate departments, so that 
on its Doric strength, the elegant and classical superstructure can be 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 359 

reared in the higher departments, with all the graceful symmetry of Cor- 
inthian pillars and Ionic wreaths. 

The prospect for the future continued success of the school is flattering 
in the highest degree. The good work so nobly done in the past, on the 
part of the teachers in this school is a splendid guaranty of what the future 
will be, in training the minds of our youth as they ascend the " hill of sci- 
ence," in obtaining a virtuous and noble education. 

Richmond College is situated on a beautiful eminence in the southern 
addition to the city of Richmond, that affords a glorious view of the sur- 
rounding country for many miles. No place in the west can boast of 
greater advantages as a seat of a literary institution than Richmond. In 
point of health it is unsurpassed. Its elevated situation frees it from all 
local causes of malarious diseases. The water is pure, the air salubrious. 
Some mineral springs have been recently discovered near it, St. Cloud min- 
eral springs, whose health restoring qualities are attracting visitors from all 
parts of our state. The college building is a spacious and elegant edifice, 
of modern style of architecture, and makes a very attractive appearance 
standing upon the crown of a graceful swell of a sloping hill. 

The citizens of Richmond and vicinity knowyig full well that education 
is the " pearl of great price," have earned the well deserved reputation of 
being great workers in the cause of education, doing all in their power to 
foster, cherish, and sustain their noble institution of learning, so that it 
may be the pride of their city and county. 

The following is the report of Prof. B. F. Duncan, superintendent of the 
Richmond graded school, for the scholastic year from 1880 to 1881, to the 
board of education : 

Richmond Public Schools, ) 
Richmond, April 29, 1881. j 

To the Board of Education : Sirs : — I have the honor to present the 
following as my report for the year closing with this date, being the second 
annual report since my connection with the schools. 

The year just closed, has been, to our people, one of great material 
prosperity, and this has had a marked influence in the success of our 
schools. 

The number in attendance, as may be seen from our tables of statistics, 
is largely in excess of last year's attendance, and we think that there is no 
egotism in saying the work done is far better than during the preceding 
year. 

In getting up the crude materials from which this report is compiled, it 
has been my custom to note from day to day such facts as seemed to grow 
out of the experiences of the school room, and impressions felt at the time. 
There are experiences in our daily work in the school room that are of 
great value to the teacher, and if a proper regard is had to these, they 
become the basis of many sound and healthful improvements. It has 
been my aim to note carefully the effect of an}^ experiment looking to the 
improvement of the schools whether tentatively applied or proved by long 
usages. 



360 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Our school population, since my last report, has increased about ten 
per cent. 

Below is inserted the annual report of the treasurer, showing the finan- 
cial conditon of the schools. 

* * -X- * * * * * * * * * 

STUDIES. 

It is believed that the curriculum of studies pursued in the Richmond 
public schools is not only equal to that of any school, public or private, in 
northwest Missouri, but superior to most and fully abreast with the pro- 
gressive spurt of the age. The course of study comprising the ancient 
languages, natural sciences and mathematics, is, we think, ahead of any 
similar school in this part of the state. 

By reference to the carefully and judiciously graded course of study, it 
may be seen that the time required to complete it properly, embraces a 
period of eleven years, from the time the child enters school at first, to the 
time when it may, with due diligence, finish. It is true that many of our 
students enter upon the active duties and employments of life before com- 
pleting the entire course, feeling that they have acquired enough to meet 
all the exigencies that may arise in life. This, in a certain sense is true; 
but without additional expense to the community we are able to supply a 
much larger and more thorough course of training, a course intended to 
equip for the higher and professional walks in life. This higher training 
cannot, I think, be well dispensed with, without great injury to your 
schools and the course of education generally. In reference to the study 
of Latin, the decision of school officers in other free schools has been uni- 
formly favorable to its retention. We are gratified that this has been the 
result reached, if for no other reason than because there was a popular 
demand for its continuance, which, if disregarded, would seriously injure 
the standing of our schools. I am confident that any eftbrt looking to a 
further contraction of the excellent course of education at present in vogue 
in our schools, would cause the withdrawal from it of some of the best 
material now in attendance. The discussion of the advantage of the study 
of Latin is an old one, but the history of education shows that no great 
headway has been made by those who hold that it is a useless study. 
The thorough study of a language that underlies the modern southern 
languages, and is so largely interwoven with the English, cannot be an 
unprofitable or unpractical study. The chief objection has appeared to 
be that the results of Latin are not like those of what are called practical 
studies. The student of surveying has the results of his knowledge in 
tangible shape, while the results of Latin scholarship, like the moral train- 
ing at home, are a part of and color everything done in life, and yet rarely 
appear in such tangible form as to be readily separated and pointed out. 
The study of Latin is the study of the crystalized embodied thought of 
ages, that thought which underlies and has been made the foundation of 
modern civilization. 

One cannot study the language thoroughly, without better understand- 
ing from a knowledge of that which underlies it, the drift of modern 
thought. Every Latm word in our language, like the river at its mouth, 
contains the spring that was the source, and all the contributions from all 
sides on its way down to us; to follow it back to its source, is not only 
mental exercise of great value, but it is obtaining a knowledge of not the 






^%-r\^' 



<^^ J^^^^^^-^ 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 3gl 

language we speak alone, but also of the thought of this age in the 
material which has contributed to and determined its direction. Certainly 
the highest aim in education is the training of the mind, without which 
practical knowledge is as useless and impracticable as a garret and its 
useless contents. It is true that a mere smattering in any branch is not 
training, and confers no practical benefits, but it is also true that it is the 
very few that acquire more than a mere smattering, whether the aim be 
practical knowledge or mental training. In thorough study of the ancient 
languages, it is the experience and settled opinion ot" great educators, and 
one demonstrated in the practical efficiency of thorough scholars in all 
fields of human endeavor, that it confers the highest mental training, and 
the highest practical efficiency and aptitude for all pursuits, as well as a 
useful knowledge. It does not stand alone, and is not only not incompatible 
with other studies, but the best preparation for thorough knowledge of 
those things miscalled practical — miscalled when it is intended to convey 
the meaning that the languages are unpractical study. This much has 
been said in regard to the ancient languages, because of the belief in 
their transcendant importance in that course of study, that would lay claim 
to anything like completeness. 

Let no one conclude that we undervalue the necessity of preserving 
intact the full course of study in those departments that have contributed 
so largely to the success and reputation of the schools in the past. Arrange- 
ments have been made to place in charge of the mathematics a gentleman 
of very high scholastic attainments, a graduate of the university of Michi- 
gan, while another, a graduate of the university of Missouri occupies a 
position in the school. We feel, therefore, thoroughly competent to the 
work assigned us by the board of education. 

TEACHERS. 

In my report for last year, the teachers were commended for their dili- 
gence and punctuality. I stated that the corps of teachers seemed to 
recognize the pre-eminent force of example and to desire to conduct them- 
selves in such manner as to render other means of securing good habits 
on the part of the pupils unnecessary. This method, to a great extent, 
was successful, as the character and conduct of the pupils amply proved. 
The ability to set a proper example before his pupils is a necessary quali- 
fication on the part of the teacher, and one that should be insisted upon by 
school officers in the selection of teachers, and if, after a teacher has been 
fairly tried, he is found wanting in this important respect, it is plainly the 
duty of the board to displace him. No teacher, however, should be dis- 
placed at the instance of prejudiced complainants or in compliance with an 
ignorant and unjust popular clamor. There are times when communities 
seem to forget that onerous and most delicate responsibilities rest upon 
the teacher, the discharge of which renders it necessary that he should 
combine in his own character some of the rarest elements that enter into 
the make-up of a human being. It is believed that, with the exception of 
a few notable instances, our corps of teachers have exercised great 
patience and forbearance in dealing with refractory pupils, and, as said last 
year, we are still able to say that in no instance have we been forced to 
acknowledge even a partial failure by resorting to expulsion. In this con- 
nection I would state that the right to inflict corporal punishment with the 
23 



362 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

very proper and necessary restrictions thrown around it by the board 
meets all the demands of sound sense, merciful discretion, and public 
justice. 

I am glad to state that our board of education possess the firmness to 
protect their employes in the legitimate discharge of their duties, and that 
no teacher need fear displacement as a consequence of a rigid perform- 
ance of duty. It would certainly be a great detriment to the successful 
operation of the schools were any outside pressure permitted to operate to 
such an extent upon the mind of the teacher as to cause him to hesitate 
in the performance of any known duty, and no conduct would more 
surely or speedily secure his dismissal than the manifestation of this time- 
serving spirit. 

We desire to pursue such a course with the corps of teachers in our 
schools as will stimulate them to high and noble etTort, and inspire them 
with that degree of enthusiasm that will lead to prosperity and renown. 

As the compensation received by teachers is a matter of great concern- 
ment, you will excuse me for suggesting that liberality in this djrection is 
in perfect accord with the strictest economy in the management of school 
finances. Demand controls supply, and low salaries command only a low 
order of talent. Schools should be managed with the strictest economy, 
but in my opinion there is no economy in employing cheap teachers. 
Better dispense with the services of all incompetents and put double work 
and larger salaries on those who are thoroughly informed and able to 
impress their ideas. It is a suicidal policy that applies economy to the 
extreme of driving ofi' efficient service in any business. Especially is this 
true of a profession in which personal qualification and character are 
almost exclusively the forces employed to produce the results sought. 

Finally, returning most sincere thanks to the members of the board 
and of the corps of teachers who have co-operated with and assisted me 
in the discharge of the complicated and arduous duties devolving upon 
me, allow me to express the hope that under your control the schools will 
continue to do well the important work for which they were established, 
and that they will alwaj'^s command the respect, the confidence and the 
cordial support of the entire community. 



SOCIETIES. 

A brief account of the various societies in Ray county, founded for 
objects of usefulness, charity, profit, or pleasure, will be found interesting 
and important. These organizations are beneficial alike to the individ- 
uals who compose them, and to the community at large. That Masonry, 
for instance, the chief and grandest of all secret orders, and which has 
existed for centuries, has wrought much good in the world, no one will 
deny who impartially consider its results. It is an honor to be a Mason; 
and the same is true of all other societies established for similar purposes. 
We have taken special pains to gather the following information concern- 
ing the different lodges of the county; and while the result of our effort 
is not so gratifying as we could wish, it is believed to be, to some extent 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 363 

valuable ; especially as preserving in permanent form a record that might 
otherwise be lost or destroyed. 

RICHMOND LODGE, NO. 57, A. F. AND A. M. 

The first meeting, looking to the organization of this lodge, was held 
July 16, 1842. The date of dispensation, or by whom instituted, was not 
reported, and we have been unable to ascertain. Its charter is dated 
October 12, 1842; and the names of the charter members are as follows: 
Charles R. Morehead, Sinclair Miller, David Bullock, Caleb Tompkins, 
John Jackson, William Hudgins, James H. Smith, Charles V. Hern, Aus- 
tin A. King, J. C. Richardson, and Wm. Berry. Of the above named 
charter members, only the last named is now (April, 1881), living. 

Among the first officers were the following, viz: Charles R. Morehead, 
W. M.; David Bullock, S. W.; and Sinclair Miller, J. W. 

The present officers are: W. A. Holman, W. M.; George W. Trigg, 
S. W.; William Fitch, J. W.; W. W. Ewing, secretary; S. R. Crispin, 
treasurer; J. W. Smith, S. D.; W. A. Williams, J. D., and John G. Bal- 
lard, tiler. 

R. B. Kice, of this lodge, is district deputy grand master, and also dis- 
trict lecturer. 

The members of this lodge owned a well furnished and commodious 
hall, which, together with all their books, jewels, regalia, furniture, etc., 
was destroyed by a cyclone, June 1, 1878. 

Since the organization of Richmond lodge, over 600 persons have 
become members thereof. 

CYRUS ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER, NO. 36, RICHMOND, MISSOURI. 

This chapter was instituted by James Clowdsley; organized September 
14, 1867, and a charter granted October 14, 1868. 

The following are the names of the charter members: John F. Houston, 
l^avid Snowden, J. H. Anderson, R. B. Kice, B. F. Gray, John T. Quirk, 
M. H. Allison, D. P. Proctor, William D. Albright, and D. D. Gant. 

Names of first ©fficers: John F. Houston, H. P.; David Snowden, E. 
K.; J. H. Anderson, E.S.; R. B. Kice, C. H.; B. F. Gray, P. S. 

Names of present officers: Lewis Slaughter, H. P.; S. R. Crispin, E. 
K.; A. A. McCuistion, E. S.; R. B. Kice, C. H.; J. W. Smith, P. S.; J. 
C. Brown, secretary. 

The number of present membership is fifty, and the chapter is in a 
flourishing condition. 

The Hon. John F. Houston, who was a member of this chapter, was 
elected grand master of the grand lodge of Missouri, for the years 1864, 
'65 and ^66. He died of paralysis in St. Louis, December 7, 1870. His 
remains are interred in the new cemetery at Richmond. Over his grave 
the Masons of Missouri have erected a costly and beautiful monument. 



364 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V. 

Mr. Houston was a man of broad charity, great heart, and untarnished 
character, and dying, left a name to go down to posterity, pure and spot- 
less and bright, and revered by all who knew him living, or read his his- 
tory, now that he is dead. 

HARDIN LODGE, NO. 322, A. F. AND A. M., 

was instituted by James E. Drake, W. M., of Wakanda Lodge, No. 
52, D. G. L. Dispensation to establish this lodge was granted July 21, 
1869, and its charter bears date October 12, of the same year. William 
R. Hunt, W. C. Riffe, S. R. Crispin, D. W. Trigg, L. C. Rhinehart, A. 
L. Bailey, James E. Johnston and Robert Livingston are the charter 
members. 

The following persons were the first officers: Robert Livingston, W. 
M.; William R. Hunt, S. W.; W. C. Rifte, J. W.; S. R. Crispin, treas- 
urer; D. W. Trigg, secretary; L. C. Rhinehart, S. D.; A. L. Bailey, J. 
D.; James E.Johnston, tiler. 

Names of present officers: G. P. Long, W. M. ; R. V. Seward, S. 
W.; A. A. Thompson, J. W.; A. N. Barrett, treasurer; W. J. Roach, 
secretary; John Tobin, S. D.; P. C. Smallwood, J. D.; W. R. Meador 
and G. B. Hinman, stewards; J. B. Proctor, tiler. 

This lodge is in a prosperous and healthy condition, morally and finan- 
cially, and has a membership of thirty-seven. 

MYRTLE LODGE NO. 338, A. F. AND A. M. 

This lodge is located at Millville, and was instituted by Elias Parrott, 
D. D. G. M. Date of dispensation, October 12, 1869; date of charter, 
October 13, 1870. 

Following is a complete list of the charter members: Joseph F. Duvall, 
R. S. Thomson, William M. McCuistion, Caleb Witcher, Silas Keith, A. 
A. McCuistion, George W. McCuistion, George W. Lozier, J. M. Carter, 
John Harrison, S. L. McCuistion, Ambrose Young, John Schooler, S. 
S. Young, Kedar Wall, J. G. Williams, William Burnett, and A. R. Camp- 
bell. 

The names of the first officers are as follows: Joseph F. Duvall, W. 
M.; R. S. Thomson, S. W.; William McCuistion, J. W.; Kedar Wall, 
treasurer; A. A. McCuistion, secretary; J. M. Carter, S. D.; S. S. 
Young, J. D.; S. L. McCuistion, tiler. 

The lodge is officered at present (1881), as follows: J. M. Carter, W. 
M.; G. W. McCuistion, S. W.; J. F. Duvall, J. W.; Kedar Wall, treas- 
urer; S. S. Young, secretary; R. C. Craven, S. D.; J. P. Grimes, J. D.; 
R. W. Fletcher, tiler; W. R. Pettus, chaplain; J. N. Graves and George 
W. Lozier, stewards. 

The number of present membership is forty-eight. 

The members of this lodge erected in 1869 a very handsome frame 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 365 

liall, at a cost of $1,S00. This building, together with the furniture, jew- 
els, regaha, etc., belonging to the lodge, was destroyed by fire March 12, 
1878. The insurance of $1,000 was realized, and the hall was rebuilt the 
same year, and dedicated May 3, 1879. 

BEE HIVE LODGE, NO. 393, A. F. AND A. M. 

This lodge, located in the town of Lawson, Polk township, was insti- 
tuted by Dr. R. B. Kice, of Richmond. Dispensation was granted 
December 8, 1870, and its charter is dated October 13, 1871. 

The charter members were: Robert H. Finch, W. C. Halstead, A. C. 
Peterman, B. F. Elston, Francis Brock, W. H. Stockard, James Whit- 
sett, R. J. Clark, R. S. Morrow, Alexander Taggart, W. W. Smith, G. 
W. James, John Crowley, Jere Whitsett, W. C. James, Joel Eastin, D. B. 
Palmer, Milton Piercy, and others. 

The first officers were: Robert H. Finch, W. M.; W. C. Halstead, S. 
W.; Allen C. Peterman, J. W.; John Crowley, treasurer; R. J. Clark, 
secretary; G. W. Montgomery, S. D.; James Morrow, J. D.; Francis 
Brock, tiler. 

The present- (1881) officers are: W. M. Allison, W. M.; James Mor- 
row, S. W.; J. T. Hurt, J. W.; J. C. Weakly, secretary; Joseph Rippey, 
treasurer; J. H. Whitsett, tiler. 

Bee Hive Lodge has, at present, forty-seven members, and owns a 
commodious frame hall, built in 1870, at a cost of two thousand dollars. 

ADA LODGE, NO. 41:4, A. F. AND A. M, 

For the facts concerning this lodge, we are indebted to Captain R. H . 
McWhorter, its secretary — an obliging gentleman, who called at our 
office, in Richmond, to impart the information desired. 

Ada Lodge building, a handsome frame, erected in 1872, at a cost of 
$1,000, is in the town of Orrick, Camden township. 

The lodge was instituted by Honorable Samuel J. Owens, grand mas- 
ter of grand lodge of Missouri. Dispensation was granted February 24 
1872, and its charter is dated the 16th of the following October. 

The following persons were the charter members: J. W. Bain, J. J 
Seth, E. M. Endsley, J. F. Pigg, M. G. Taylor, Joel T. Petty, Z. D 
Ralph, and W. H. Campbell. 

The first officers were: J. W. Bain, W. M.; M. G. Taylor, S. W.; J 
J. Seth, J. W.; E. M. Endsley, treasurer; W. H. Campbell, secretary; J 
F. Pigg, S. D.; Z. D. Ralph, J. D.; J. H. Petty, tiler. 

The present officers are: M. G. Taylor, W. M.; H. C. Purdue, S. W. 
T. K. Kirkpatrick, J. W.; A. D. Brasher, treasurer; R. H. McWhorter, 
secretary; T.J. Leak, S. D.; Rial Creason, J. D.; N. B. Pigg and Absa- 
lom Cruse, stewards, and J. G. Herring, tiler. 

Ada Lodge has forty members, and is in a flourishing condition, free 
from debt, with $300 in the treasury. 



366 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

RICHMOND LODGE, NO. 208, I. O. O. F. 

This lodge was instituted by G. W. McKeon, of Lexing^ton, Missouri. 
A dispensation was granted in January, 1869, and its charter is dated 
May of the same year. The following are the names of the charter 
members: W. W. Orrick, J. T. Child, J. W. Harrison, C. S. W. Taylor, 
Joseph Robb, F. M. Ball, William Carlyle, John Q. Word and William 
Crouch. 

The following persons constituted the first officers, viz: W. W. Orrick, 
N. G.; John Q. Word, V. G.; William Carlyle, treasurer; J. T. Child, 
secretary. 

Names of present officers: J. W. Harrison, N. G.; H. P. Grow, V. G.; 
John C. Bales, treasurer; B. Wigginton, secretary. 

The lodge at present, April, 1881, has thirty-six members. ' It is in 
good working order, and all the members take a lively interest in its 
prosperity. 

LODGE NO. 205, I. O. G. T., MILLVILLE. 

Instituted by John Y. Nesbit. Chartered March 20, 1879. 

Names of charter members: J. M. Carter, Mrs. J. L. Head, J. L. Mef- 
fert, J. P. Grimes, Ida B. Carter, Jere Wilson, Lizzie Carter, Allen 
Thomson, Patty Bullock, C. C. Schooler, Dora Fowler, Susan Grimes, 
Edward Bullock, Edward Boliver, E. M. Carter, and others. 

First officers: J. M. Carter, W. C. T.; Mrs. J. L. Head, W. V. T.; J. 
L. MefTert, chaplain; J. P. Grimes, secretary. 



NEWSPAPERS OF RAY COUNTY, AND EXTRACTS. 

Colonel James W. Black was the founder of the first newspaper pub- 
lished in Ray county. It was called the Richmond Herald^ and the first 
issue thereof was presented to the public, Wednesday, March 17, 1852. 
It was an attractive twenty-eight column sheet, form seventeen by twenty- 
two inches, published weekly. 

The following little poem, written by " Ada " (Miss PauHne J. De Mas- 
ters), is inserted, because appropriate — and for its own sake: 

RICHMOND "herald." 

Herald! bright messenger, welcome art thou, 

Truth, purity, shine on thy beautiful brow; 

We bid thee God-speed in this fair land of ours; 

We list to thy voice in our loneliest hours. 

Bright hopes are awakened and sweet dreams inspired, 

The muse is invoked and our dull hearts are fired, 

As we hearken the sound of thy silvery tone — 

Where thou art a visitor, none are alone. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Herald! thou star of first magnitude bright, 
Thy beams will illumine the dark brow of night; 
We see thee arising in beauty and power, 
Amid thy competitors proudly to tower. 
On the wild western border is a banner unfurled, 
And bravely it floats o'er a wondering world: 
Truth, beauty and wisdom are strongly combined 
On that banner where virtue and love are entwined. 

Then, Herald, arise, let thy proud voice be heard. 
As the heart-thrilling tones of our," Liberty bird," 
Careering all brightly toward the blue skies, 
And bathing his pinions in sunlight's deep dyes. 
I see thee! I see thee! in beauty and power. 
Breathing peace o'er each wild- wood and beautifal bower; 
"Onward and upward," and holy and free. 
Ever bright and untarnished thy future shall be. 

Col, Black continued at the head of the Herald^ as editor and proprie- 
tor, till September, 1852, when he sold it to John B. Stoops and Frank 
Stutzman. 

In the spring of 1853, Stoops & Stutzman sold the paper to Rober Mil- 
ler, Esq., of Cla}' county, Missouri. Thomas Smith became the publisher 
and the name of the paper was changed to the Richmond Mirror. In 
1857 it was sold by Robert Miller to Messrs. John Gwinne and John W. 
Griffin. The latter gentleman became the sole proprietor in 1858, and 
continued the publication of the Mirror until 1859, when it was sold, and 
consolidated with the Richmond Bulletiii, a newspaper pubHshed only a 
short time in the year 1859, in Richmond, by Edward L. King, Esq. 

Taking the name of the JVorthwest Conservator, it was published by 
Richard M. Hubbell & Co., till 1861. In that year it was sold to Chris- 
topher T. Garner, who conducted the paper till 1864, when it was sold 
to Hawkins & O'Gorman. In 1865, O'Gorman sold his interest in the 
paper to Richard M. Hubbell, and the firm name of the proprietors 
became Hawkins & Hubbell. 

In 1866, Hawkins & Hubbell sold the Northwest Conservator to Col. 
Jacob T. Child, who substituted " Richmond " for " Northwest," and the 
name of the paper became the Richmond Conservator, and under that 
name it is still — April, 1881 — edited, owned and operated by Col. Child, 
who has greatly improved the paper by the addition to his office of a new 
power press, modern machinery for job work, and a large amount of 
type, fixtures, etc. His printing establishment is one of the best equipped 
and appointed of any of its class in the state. The paper is democratic in 
politics; is ably and impartially edited, and to the prosperity, amusement, 
and instruction of the people of Ray county, the Richmond Conservator 
is a sine qua non. 

The first number of the Missouri Freeman was published in Richmond, 



368 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

in the fall of 1865, by James A. Berry. Mr. Berry continued to publish 
the Freeman till the last of November, 1866, when he discontinued its pub- 
lication in consequence of the injury his press and material received from 
a detail of Union soldiers, sent from Lexington, Missouri, at that time, by 
Colonel Bacon Montgomery, to arrest the editor of the Freeman^ James 
A. Berry. 

Colonel J. T. Child, edit(M- of the Conservator, was also arrested at the 
same time and taken to Lexington, but his printing press was not dam- 
aged by the soldiers. Colonel Child was released the same day of his 
arrest, and permitted to ret.urn to Richmond. 

Mr. Berry, on his release, published a few more numbers of the Free- 
man and then discontinued it, and removed with his printing press to 
Kansas. 

The Richmond Republican was started by Thomas J. Sutton, Esq., at 
Richmond, in November, 1866. Mr. Sutton continued to publish the 
Refuhlican till 1870, when he sold it to his brother, William A. Sutton, 
who, after publishing it a short time, sold it to Ed. Turner & Co., George 
McFadden being the publisher. Ed. Turner & Company sold the 
Re-publican in 1872, to Manias Buchanan, who in December of the same 
year, sold it to George W. Hendley. The name of the paper was then 
changed to Ray County Chronicle, the first number of which was pub- 
lished December 28, 1872. 

George W. Hendley continued the publication of the Chronicle till Feb- 
ruary, 1875, when Julius C. Hughes became its owner by purchase. Feb- 
ruary 26, 1875, the paper appeared under the editorship of Mr. Hughes, 
and so continued until April 5, 1879, at which time he sold it to Colonel 
Thomas D. Bogie. May 22, 1879, Colonel Bogie changed the name of 
the paper to Richmond Democrat, and under that name continues its 
editor and proprietor. The paper is much improved since he became its 
owner. It is a reliable family newspaper, devoted to the interests of the 
town and count}^ in which it is published. It is, like the Conservator, 
democratic in politics, and, as a county paper, ranks high among other 
similar publications in Missouri. 

Friday April 8, 1881, the first number «f the Lazuson Gazette was 
issued. It is owned and conducted by the Lawson PubHshing Company, 
and is a twenty-eight column weekly paper, neat in appearance and 
worthy of public patronage. 

A few extracts from some of the first numbers of the Herald, the first 
Ray county paper, will, it is believed, be of general and permanent inter- 
est. We therefore subjoin the following: 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 369 

FIRST NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL. 

From the Richmond Herald, Wednesday, March 17, 1852.] 

TO OUR PATRONS. 

As an address is always expected upon the establishing of a paper, we, 
in conformity with this custom, appear before the public. 

As stated in our prospectus, we shall endeavor to maintain a strict neu- 
trality in poHtics, reserving to ourselves the right of commenting upon all 
affairs of state, in such a manner as may be considered consistent with the 
character of a neutral paper; we shall, nevertheless, keep our readers duly 
informed of all the political events that are transpiring, without entering 
the arena of political strife, and becoming a partisan. 

It shall be our constant aim and endeavor to make the paper a valuable 
home journal, by devoting its columns principall}- to the promotion of the 
interests of our rapidly growing section of country, which is unsurpassed 
in fertility of soil, and possesses every facility for carrying on trade. 

We shall give a place in our columns, with pleasure, to all articles 
written for the advancement of trade, agriculture, the mechanics, and other 
arts, education and morals. 

We shall regularly publish such original and selected agricultural 
articles in our farmer's column, as we shall consider calculated to excite a 
lively interest in that greatest source of our wealth and prosperity. 

It shall be our great aim to give variety to the columns — -to have all its 
departments sustained — to relieve the dryness of commercial and political 
intelligence, with interesting tales, anecdotes, and other miscellaneous 
matter. 

We shall spare no pains in securing local items, as well as the latest 
news, both foreign and domestic. In a word, we trust that our labors 
shall render the paper a source of pleasure to every family circle to 
which it may be a visitor. 

With these few words of preface, we commit our enterprise to the 
future, trusting to the liberal patronage of an intelligent community to 
secure permanency and prosperity to the Richmond Hei'ald. 

PRESENTATION OF A MEDAL TO MR. CLAY. 

The citizens of New York, desirious of presenting some testimonial of 
respect to the Hon. Henry Clay, lately caused a medal to be prepared at 
an expense worthy of the man, and highly honorable to the party paying 
him this mark of respect, which was conveyed to this city by a delega- 
tion of business men of that spirited, commercial metropolis, and pre- 
sented to him, yesterday, at his lodgings at the National hotel. 

The medal is of a circular form, three and a half inches in diameter; 
the case of chased silver. The front of the case presents a view of Ash- 
land, the residence of Mr. Clay — above which is engraved the monument 
erected to Mr. Clay, on the great National (Cumberland) road. On the 
other side is a picture of the capitol, the prominent theatre of his public 
life. The front of the medal presents the head and bust of Mr. Clay, 
in strong bas-relief, encircled by a prominent wreath, representing a 
union of the states, in which the leading agricultural staples of the north 
and south form the principal ornaments. On the reverse side are the fol- 
lowing inscriptions, indicative of the illustrious periods in the life of Mr. 
Clay: "Senate, 1806; speaker, 1811; war, 1812; Ghent, 1814; Spanish 



370 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

America, 1812; Missouri Gompromise, 1821; American system, 182 J:; 
Secretary of State, 1825;, Panama instructions, 1826; Tariff compromise, 
1833; Public domain, 1832 and 1834; Peace with France preserved, 
1835; Compromise, 1850. 

The delegation appointed to deliver this token of respect and venera- 
tion to the illustrious statesman, waited upon Mr. Clay at his private 
chamber. 

On presenting the medal, he was also addressed by the chairman of 
the committee. To this address Mr, Clay responded: 

Gentlemen : This is among the most interesting and gratifying days 
of my life, although I have been confined to these rooms for a long time 
by a tedious and doubtful illness. You have come here the representa- 
tives of a large and enlightened body of ardent and devoted friends of 
mine in the city of New York, to present me a beautiful and costly gold 
medal, intended to commemorate my public life. On one face are 
engraved the great public measures, adopted in the national councils in 
which I was supposed to have had any conspicuous agency; and on the 
other a remarkable and accurate likeness of me. The time and place of 
presentation, and the friends who have contributed this splendid testi- 
monial, give to it an inestimable value. 

The time is when I am about to retire forever from public life, and when 
I cannot expect much longer to linger here below; the place is the city of 
Washington, the principal theatre of these public services, which have 
commended themselves to your approbation. Throughout my public life 
I have been blessed everywhere in the United States with more or fewer 
true friends to whom I am bound by the strongest sentiments of gratitude, 
but nowhere have they surpassed those in the city of New York in 
zeal, constancy, and fidelity, and in distinguished and various demonstra- 
tions of their affection and attachment. 

Whilst one is in the pursuit of public life, and is held up for his highest 
honors, it is not practicable always to discriminate, among his supporters, 
between those who bestow their suffrages from pure, patriotic and 
disinterested motives, and those who are actuated by selfish ends; but on 
this occasion no such difficulty exists. You have come, at much personal 
inconvenience, to the bed of a sick and aflHicted friend, to present to him, 
in your names, and in the name of a numerous body of his personal and 
political friends whom you represent, a most precious token of your 
esteem and effectionate regard. Tiiat friend has not now, and never will 
have any public patronage to dispense. The high and honorable and dis- 
interested character of your motives can not, therefore, be questioned. 

Gentlemen, I request you to accept yourselves, and to communicate 
to my absent friends vvhom you represent, my cordial and heartfelt 
thanks, and my grateful and protbund acknowledgements for this honor 
you entertain' towards me; I should have been most happy to have 
expressed mv great obligations to all of them personally, if it had been in 
my power. 

I shall soon pass from the jurisdiction of any contemporaries, and of 
the present generation, to that of history and posterity, if the one shall 
deem me worthv of any record on its pages, or tradition shall transmit 
any recollection of me to the other. 

It is not within my legitimate province to express any opinion on my 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 371 

own public career or public deeds. That office belongs to them, and I 
shall consider my future fame fortunate, if it shall be regarded by them 
with a small portion of the favor with which the partiality of yourselves 
and your associates now contemplate it. 

I shall soon appear before a higher and more holy tribunal than any 
earthly one, which can unerringly judge of the motives as well as of the 
acts of man. To that tribunal I look forward with composure and confi- 
dence, that I shall be acquitted of ever having been prompted, in the dis- 
charge of my public duties, by any mean or selfish ends, or been animated 
by an}^ other purpose than to promote the honor, the prosperity and glory 
of our common country. 

Medals are generally struck by the authority, and paid for out of the 
public treasury of the government, and most frequently are intended to 
reward and signalize the triumphs achieved in war. But that which you 
now so kindly tender to my acceptance, is the spontaneous offering of 
private citizens, from their private purses, for public services exclusively 
in the civil department. I shall fondly and gratefully cherish and preserve 
it whilst life endures, and transmit it to my descendants under the hope that 
they receive and carefully guard it, with emotions of lively gratitude to 
my New York friends, as the proudest and richest legacy that I could 
leave them . 

DEMOCRATIC MEETING IN RAY. 

In accordance with the notice previously given by printed hand-bills, 
set up in difierent parts of the county, a meeting of the democrats of Ray 
was held in the court house, at Richmond, on the 1st day of January, A. 
D. 1852. 

On motion of Dr. Thomas A. King, Captain James H. Gant was 
elected cliairman, and James B. Turner secretary of the meeting. 

On motion of Captain William M. Jacobs, Dr. Thomas A. King was 
called upon to explain the objects of the meeting, which he did, stating 
that they had met for the purpose of organizing for the ensuing polit- 
ical canvass, by making a declaration of the principles by which the 
democracy of Ra}' will be governed, and b}- appointing delegates to the 
democratic state convention, and to the congressional district convention. 
His remarks were brief and appropriate, and conceived in a spirit of 
harmony. 

On the motion of Capt. William M. Jacobs, a committee of nine was 
appointed to draw resolutions for the consideration of the meeting. That 
committee consisted of the following gentlemen, to-wit: Captain Wil- 
liam M.Jacobs, Colonel Benjamin J. Brown, Dr. John B. McGaugh, Col- 
onel B. F. Smith, E.' Sanderson, John E. Wells, Henry Boggess, Major 
Henry Lile, and James B. Turner. 

The committee, after a short retirement, reported through their chair- 
man. Captain William M. Jacobs, the following resolutions, which were 
read, and unanimously adopted by the meeting: 

■ Resolved, That we still adhere to the principles contained in the resolu- 
tions adopted by the democratic national convention at Baltimore, and we 
pledge ourselves to support and defend the great political doctrines 
embraced in that platform of the national democracy. 

Resolved, That, inscribing the Baltimore resolutions on our banner, and 
observing an unfaltering devotion to the union of the states, we will hold 



372 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

no political fellowship with the abolitionists of the north or the nuUifiers of 
the south, and we discard, as unworthy of our confidence, all enemies of 
the union of the states, and all enemies of the union of the democracy. 

Resolved, That we approve the compromise measures of the last ses- 
sion of congress, and we will rely^ upon them as a final settlement of 
the vexed questions which grew out of the slavery controversy, and we 
are opposed to the repeal or modification of the fugitive slave law, and 
demand its faithful execution. 

Resolved, That we still cling to the republican doctrines contained in the 
celebrated Virginia and Kentucky resolutions drawn by Madison and Jeffer- 
son, which contained the platform upon which the republicans of that period 
rallied and swept the alien and sedition laws from the statute books, and 
checked the encroachments of federalism. 

Resolved, That we subscribe to the well known Atherton resolutions, 
passed by the votes of the democratic members of congress, and by which 
the democracy manifested an open and determined opposition to the fell 
spirit of abolitionism. 

Resolved, That we regard the right of instruction as a vital principle of 
republicanism. And representatives and senators are bound to obey in 
their legislative action the instructions of their constituents respectively, or 
resign ; and the people have a right to instruct their senators in congress 
through the legislature, and to hold their members in the legislature 
accountable for any misrepresentation of their will, in giving instructions 
to senators, as well as in electing senators. 

Resolved, That we hereby express our unqualified disapprobation of 
all acts of omission and commission, on the part of our public servants, 
calculated to involve our noble state in schemes of disunion, regarding it 
to be the first and highest duty of every patriot, and especially ' of those 
who have been placed as sentinels upon the watchtower of Hberty, to 
denounce in its inception, without regard to personal consequences, every 
attempt to alienate one portion of the Confederacy from another, or to 
weaken the bonds which hold us together as one people. 

Resolved, That we abhor calculations or combinations of men of oppo- 
site political sentiments for the purpose of securing the spoils of office; 
and we repudiate as unworthy of intelligent freemen, cherishing an attach- 
ment for the same great political principles,, that spirit of intolerance 
which leads to the establishment of factious tests of political fellowship, 
founded in differences of opinion in regard to men and not measures. 

Resolved, That we will join no faction which prescribes as a test of 
political fellowship either the support of or opposition to any man, how- 
ever distinguished; but, sternly adhering to the old landmarks, we will 
continue to act upon the motto: "Union, harmony, self-denial, conces- 
sion, everything for the cause; nothing for men." 

Resolved, That the democracy of Ray, having remained united in 
principle, and acquiesced in the decisions of majorities in regard to men 
throughout the fiercest political storm that ever swept over the state, will 
not separate now, since all the questions that created division have been 
settled; and we, accordingly, pledge the united support of the democracy 
of Ray to the nominees of the national, state, district, and county demo- 
cratic conventions, held according to established usage. 

Resolved, That, while we are ready to give our cordial support to the 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 373 

democratic nominees for president and vice president, we deem it proper 
to declare that we desire no better ticket than Cass and Butler. 

Resolved^ That the chairman, with the concurrence of the meeting, 
appoint six delegates to the democratic state convention, to be called 
together by the state central committee; and six delegates to the congres- 
sional district convention, and that each delegate who cannot attend, shall 
have the power to appoint his own substitute. 

Under this resolution, the chairman, upon the recommendation of the 
committee, and with the unanimous concurrence and confirmation of the 
meetmg, appointed Samuel A. Richardson, Judge Daniel Branstetter, 
Colonel B. F. Smith, Aaron H. Conrow, Colonel John Hannah, and John 
Bales, delegates to the democratic state convention ; and Colonel Benjamin 
J. Brown, Major Henry Lile, John E. Wells, James H. Gant, James W. 
C. Wilson, and Doctor Thomas A. King, delegates to the congressional 
district convention; and Captain William M. Jacobs, with the concur- 
rence of the democracy of Clay and Caldwell, as a delegate from the sen- 
atorial district, composed of the counties of Ray, Clay, and Caldwell, 
to both conventions, and that he be governed in his action, in both conven- 
tions, by the will of the democracy of this senatorial district. 

Resolved^ That we are willing to trust the defense of our principles 
to our distinguished fellow-citizen, Austin A. King, who, whenever he 
has been the chosen standard-bearer of the democracy, has signalized 
himsel*' by his ability, zeal, and fidelity in the democratic cause, and we 
hereby instruct our delegates to the congressional district convention to 
use their efforts to procure his nomination as the democratic candidate to 
represent this district in congress. 

Resolved^ That when this meeting adjourns, it will adjourn to meet on 
the first Monday in June next, to nominate democratic candidates to rep- 
resent this county^in the legislature, and that notice of the adjourned meet- 
ing in June be duly given. 

The vote of the meeting was taken on each resolution separately, and 
every resolution was passed without a dissenting voice. 

On motion of Colonel B. F. Smith, it was 

Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting, duly authenticated b}'- 
the chairman and secretary, be forwarded to the Platte Arous for publi- 
cation, with a request for their publication in the other democratic papers 
of the state. 

The meeting then adjourned to meet in the court house in Richmond,, 
on the first Monday of June next. 

James H. Gant, Chairman. 

James B. Turner, Secretary. 

WHIG meeting in RAY COUNTY. 

The whigs of Ray county, according to the notice previously given, 
assembled at the court house in Richmond, on the 1st day of March, A. 
D. 1852, and organized by calling Major George Woodward to the 
chair, and appointing James Hughes, secretary. 

On motion of C. T. Garner, Esq., 

Resolved, That the chair appoint a committee of seven persons to 
report resolutions for the action of the meeting. Whereupon the chair 
appointed C. T. Garner, Esq., Colonel Joseph B. Terry, Eli Carter, 
Charles B. Allen, John U. Miles, Thomas Barber and A. D. Brashear, 



374 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

who, after a short retirement, returned with the following preamble and 
resolutions, which were unanimously adopted: 

Whereas, We regard the elections of this year with deep interest, 
involving not only the past and present principles and policy of the state 
and general government, but as calculated to exert an influence upon sub- 
jects of vital importance, that may hereafter arise. In view, therefore, 
and for the purpose of securing unity of action, harmony and strength, 
and a thorough organization of the whig party throughout the state: 

Resolved 1st, That the whigs of Ray county, heartily concur with their 
whig brethren throughout the state, in the propriety of holding a state con- 
vention at St. Louis, on the third Monday in April next, to nominate can- 
didates for state officers; electors for president, and for appointing del- 
egates to the national whig convention, to be held in May next. 

2d, That this meeting appoint delegates to represent us in said 

state convention at St. Louis. 

3d, That we are in favor of holding a district convention at Plattsburg, 
to nominate a candidate for congress; and we suggest the second Monday 
in May next, as the most suitable time. 

4th, That this meeting appoint persons delegates to represent 

us in said district covention. 

5th, That we most cordially approve the course of our present chief 
magistrate, Millard Fillmore, and his administration of the aftairs of the 
general government. 

6th, That we fully approve the measures of adjustment passed by the 
congress of 1850, commonly called the " compromise, " and regard them 
as a full and final settlement of the questions to which they relate, and will 
not support any man for either state or federal offices who does not so 
regard them, or who advocates the repeal or modification of them, or any 
one of them. 

Tth, That in the administration of the general government by Millard 
Fillmore, the whigs of this nation behold with gratitude and defight the 
glorious triumphs of an enlarged partriotism over sectional prejudice and 
wicked machinations of fanatics, and enemies to the Union, and in the moral 
courage displayed by him, in the prompt and efficient execution of the 
laws in times of great excitement. In the wisdom and ability with which he 
has conducted our foreign relations, we see the sterling qualities of head 
and heart, that peculiarlly fit him for the high and responsible station he 
now fills. He is, therefore, our first choice for the next presidency; and 
our distinguished fellow-citizen. Colonel A. W. Doniphan, of Clay county, 
our first choice for the vice presidency — subject, however, to the decision 
of the whig national convention. 

8th, That the blank in the second resolution be filled with the names of 
the following persons as delegates to the state convention, viz: Milo C. 
Nuckles, Jesse Esry, John U. Miles, Major W. Boyce, Eli Carter, A. D. 
Brashear, George I. Wasson, William Berry, Randolph McDonald, Col- 
onel Joseph B. Terry, James S. Hughes, Elias Graham, Joseph Hughes, 
A. W. Morrow, Louis C. Bohannon, Charles B. Allen, O. P. Creason, 
Charles R. Shrewsberry, Thomas Hamilton, and A. B. Ralph. 

loth. That the blank in the fourth resolution be filled with the names 
of the following persons, as delegates to said district convention, viz: 
Dr. Joseph Chew, C. T. Garner, Esq., A. J. Gibson, Dr. Wm. T. Bra- 



, HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 375 

shear, Dr. Henry B. Hamilton, George I. Wasson, Mordecai Oliver, 
Esq., Dandridge Morrow, John Q. Quesenberry, Presley T. Petty, Walter 
L. Bransford, and Thomas W. McCuistion. 

11th, That our esteemed fellow-citizen, Mordecai Oliver, is our first 
choice for congress, and the delegates to the district convention are 
hereby instructed to cast the vote of this county for him. 

12th, That the chair appoint a central committee of five persons to fill 
any vacancy that may occur among the delegates to either the state or 
district convention. Whereupon the chair apointed Dr. Jos. Chew, Major 
W. Boyce, C. T. Garner, Esq., George I. Wasson, and Mordecai Oliver, 
Esq. 

13th, That the proceedings of this meeting be published in the Rich- 
viond Ilerald 2ind Liberty T'n'duney and that the whig papers through- 
out the state are requested to copy. 

On motion, the meeting adjourned. 

Geo. Woodward, Chairmmi, 
James Hughes, Secretary. 

RICHMOND ACADEMY. 

March 17, 1852.] 

The exercises of the seventh session of this institution will be resumed 
on Monday, the 22d instant. 

This institution is pleasantly situated in a retired and healthful part of 
the town. The school rooms are well ventilated, and in every respect 
well adapted to promote the health, comfort and convenience of the pupils. 

The course of study includes all the important branches of a substan- 
tial English education. 

Virtue, as well as knowledge, is the object of a sound education. 
Special attention, therefore, is given to the moral conduct of all the pupils 
of the school, as well as to their intellectual improvement, since it is evident 
that the one is almost useless, unless adorned and directed by the other. 

OUR COUNTY. 
March 26th, 1852.] .... 

While California is engrossing so large a share of the public attention, we 
must not overlook the great inducements that Ray county presents to 
those that are in quest of a western home. The interests of our immedi- 
ate section of country have hitherto been neglected, from a want of the 
means to disabuse the public mind with regard to our resources, wealth 
and prosperity. Unfavorable reports have frequently been put in circula- 
tion in adjoining counties as to the true condition of old Ray, for the pur- 
pose of deterring emigrants from settling in it, and, at the same time, not 
losing sight of home interests, make their own counties the subject of 
laudation. As the Richmond Herald is the advocate of home interests, 
we deem it our imperative duty to set before the public mind some state- 
ments as to the soil, productions and climate. 

It is conceded by all that have any knowledge of the soil, that in point 
of fertility it can not be surpassed by any in this western country. The 
rich loam extends to an astonishing depth, and may be tilled for years in 
succession without exhausting its productiveness. While the farmer in 
sections of the country less favored by nature is making use of strenuous 
efforts to restore the exhausted soil to a fruitful condition, he here has but 
to commit his grain to the soil, and with a moderate share of attention, 



376 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

may expect an abundant yield. The surface of the country is generally 
undulating, presenting to the eye of the beholder beautiful rolling prairies, 
skirted with an abundance of fine timber, and traversed by numerous 
streams of water, thus adapting it to grazing, as well as to the culture of 
all kinds of grain. 

The timber is generally of large growth, and as to quantity, well pro- 
portioned to the prairie. 

The staple productions are wheat, corn, hemp and tobacco; great 
quantities of which are shipped annually from different shipping points of 
the county, the principal of which are Camden and Hughes' Landing. 
A ready market can always be had at the different trading establishments 
at home for all kinds of produce. 

The favorableness of a climate to the preservation of health, is always 
an important consideration in settling a country; we can with safety say 
that our county from its salubrious air and excellent water very strongly 
recommends itself in that point of view. 

The efforts of our enterprising citizens are rapidly improving the 
appearance of the country. Villages are springing up throughout the 
country as if by the touch of a magical wand, and thousands of acres of 
land lying waste a few years ago, are now assuming the appearance of 
well cultivated farms. 

Our community is an intelligent one — a thmking people, with whom 
law and order are safe. Vice and immorality no sooner raise their Pro- 
tean heads to the public gaze than they meet with that censure and con- 
demnation which they deserve. 

It would be better, by far, for the man of moderate means to seek a 
home in a land like this, and by gradual accessions of fortune to become 
independent, than to be lured to the land of Ophir by idle dreams of glit- 
tering wealth. 

The expectations of many that have gone to California have been 
blighted, who, after enduring innumerable hardships in pursuit of the 
yellow phantom, and expending all they possessed, return home depressed 
in spirits. The anticipations of but few in amassing splendid fortunes 
are realized, and some sometimes at the expense of health and happiness. 
It should, therefore, be a matter of serious reflection to those who go, to 
know whether they will ameliorate their condition in any wise by emigra- 
ting to the Eldorada of the ninteenth century. 

Friday. April 9th, 1852] 

On the 3d instant, between thirty and forty emigrants were landed at 
Hughes' Landing, from the steamboat, Monongahela. They were desti- 
tute of everything that pertains to comfort. Several of them were dan- 
gerously ill, and one of the number, named Brown, died on the bank a 
few minutes after landing. While one of the party went in quest of a 
physician, Mr. J. N. Hughes, with his characteristic promptness and phi- 
lanthropy, had the whole of them conveyed to his dwelling, where he 
administered to their wants in a humane manner. 

Doctor Crutchy arrived in due time, and did all that medical skill could 
do to alleviate the sufferings of the sick, and the next morning all were 
better, except a child, when our informant left. They were from East 
Tennessee, and intended locating near Millville. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 377 

STEAM BOILER EXPLOSION. 

Friday, April 16th, 1833.] 

It falls to our painful duty to record the destruction of the steamer 
Saluda, commanded by Captain Belt, by the explosion of her boilers, 
attended with an awful destruction of human life. 

The boat was just leaving the wharf at Lexington, bound for Council 
Bluflts, on the morning of the 9th instant, between seven and eight o'clock, 
when the explosion took place, with a report that was heard for miles 
around, while in the immediate vicinity the shock was so great as to cause 
houses to tremble to their foundations. The air was darkened with frag- 
ments of the vessel, and scores of human beings without a moment's warn- 
ing, were swept into eternity. When the citizens reached the spot, the 
most heart-rending scenes were presented to view, of which the imagina- 
tion can possibly conceive. The shore was covered with the limbs and 
mangled bodies of the sufferers, their warm blood trickling down the 
banks, while the screams and the groans of the wounded and the dying 
filled the air, causing the hearts of the beholders to sicken, and the tears 
of sympathy to gush from their eyes. 

Everything that was in human power was done. The boat was 
soon reached and the wounded and dying conveyed to the nearest ware- 
houses, where every possible assistance was rendered that was calculated 
to relieve their sufferings or soothe their dying moments. 

Many were thrown into the river, of which number but few were saved, 
some, however, breasted the waves and succeeded in reaching the shore. 

Through the exertions of Mr. Ball and others, several were saved from 
a watery grave, among whem was an interesting little child, both of 
whose parents were killed, and whom Mr. Ball, in the goodness of his 
heart, intends to adopt as his own. 

The number on board is variously estimated, but it may be put down at 
two hundred, of which number, one hundred and thirty-five were killed, 
and thirty-five wounded so seriously that but few will recover. All of the 
officers of the boat were killed, with the exception of the mate and first 
clerk. The second clerk was literally torn to pieces, and the captain was 
thrown out one hundred yards from the boat against the bluff'. 

The passengers were principally Mormons from England on their way 
to Salt Lake. 

The cit}^ council and citizens of Lexington contributed $900 towards 
defraying the expenses that might be incurred, thus showing in a 
manner worthy of the highest praise, their sympathy for the sufferers. 

The boat is a complete wreck, and but little of the freight will be saved 
uninjured. 

The Saluda was a condemned boat, and the captain of the Isabel had 
the caution to land some three hundred yards below her,, saying that he 
knew she was an old boat, and that it would be unsafe to be near her, 
when she should attempt to stem the strong current above Lexington. 

We were not able to obtain the names of the killed and wounded or 
missing, as under the circumstances, it was utterly impossible.''^ 

* Written by Joseph E. Black, Esq., of Richmond, who was on the ground immediately- 
after the explosion, rendering assistance to the unfortunate sufferers. 

24 



378 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

RICHMOND COLLEGE. 

Friday, May 7, 1852.] 

Feeling a deep interest in the welfare of old Ray, and knowing that the 
location of a college here must be a matter of the utmost importance and 
earnestly desired by every one who has the interest of his county at 
heart, we shall present a few more considerations to the minds of our 
readers. 

On Monday, the 3d inst., a college meeting was held according to 
notice, and, considering the unfavoi-ableness of the weather, there was a 
very good turn out. 

The meeting was addressed by the Honorable G. W. Dunn, whose 
arguments cannot fail to make a deep impression, and to excite a lively 
interest in this matter of such vital importance to the county. We shall give 
a synopsis of the speech, together with a few suggestions of our own, 
desiring that the subject may be fairly laid before our people, who, seeing 
their interests, may act accordingly. 

It is a matter of complaint among the people that they cannot obtain 
competent teachers to fill their schools. Why is it so? The reason is 
plain and obvious. Persons of moderate circumstances are deterred from 
sending their children to a distance on account of the enormous expense 
that must necessarily be incurred, while such as are wealthy enough to 
incur these expenses wish their sons to become professional characters. 
We are, therefore, compelled to get such teachers as we can, who afe, as 
often as otherwise, of more injury than beneht to the cause of education. 
Let us then rear up an institution among us, so that the man of moderate 
means, as well as the man of wealth, may be enabled to educate his chil- 
dren. We will then be able to send forth a corps of teachers into our 
county, of whose intelligence we may justly be proud ; who will give a 
new tone to society, inculcate new love of literature, and in a short time 
place us on a par with the most intelligent communities of the country. 

The importance of having competent teachers to train the minds of 
youth, is a matter that is too frequently unappreciated and too lowly 
rated. The warrior, with a thousand victories inscribed upon his banner, 
or the statesman, encircled with all the glories he may possibly achieve, 
does not exercise greater influence than the teacher, who, unsurrounded 
by the paraphernaHa of war or the pageantry of state, trains the youth 
either to become a terror to the society in which he moves, or makes him 
an honor to himself and a benefit to society and the country at large. 

The very nature of our government requires that every man should 
think and Secide for himself upon the most momentous questions — and 
not that a few minds should do all the thinking and deciding. But how 
can the people think rationally and clearly upon subjects they know noth- 
ing about? Suffer the masses to remain in ignorance, and they will be 
led by fanatics and demagogues, and our government must fall a victim 
to the very principles upon which it is founded, to-wit: the right of 
suffrage ; the right of every one to decide upon all questions of govern- 
ment through the ballot-box. 

Let us, then, rear up this institution among us, where our teachers can 
be instructed, who will teach our children wisdom and virtue. 

The love you hold for vour children and your country appeals to you; 
and shall you turn a deaf" ear to the call, and permit the golden opportu- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 379 

nity to pass unheeded and unnoticed? Should a college be located here, 
men of wealth and enterprise will flock into and around it. Thousands 
of dollars will be added to the wealth of the place, and every species of 
business will receive new impetus and vigor. This place would spring 
into new existence, and from other examples it may be safely asserted 
that our population would be doubled in five years. Look at Liberty. 
What was she a few years ago? It would have been hard to decide if it or 
this place was ahead. But how is it now ? No sooner was a college 
located there, than hundreds flocked to the place, adding vastly to its 
wealth and enterprise; land increased fifty per cent; new spirit was infused 
into every branch of business, and in a few years Liberty has be com 
flourishing city. But the same opportunity is presented to us, and all we 
have to do is to embrace it, and our county seat will likewise become a 
wealthy, populous and thriving place. 

THE AMERICAN EAGLE. 

" O, let the bird of freedom soar, , 

Above the clouds and storms of earth, 
With faultless pinions as of yore 

Till all shall own his heavenly birth; 
And tear not from his bleeding- breast. 

Though tempted by its golden hue, 
The plumage in which Nature drest 

The bird that freemen love to view. 

And though his severed wings might seem 

Still beautiful if torn away, 
Our foes would spurn such toys, and deem 

The bird himself their chosen prey. 
Then pluck not from this glorious bird — 

The plumes with which he mounts on high; 
Rather let freedom's sun be heard 

Rejoicing as he cleaves the sky. 

Proud bird! though marred by ruthless hands, 

Thy name each freemen gladly hails, 
For well he knows in other lands 

Before thy glance the despot quails; 
Still make thy cherished home among 

The shrines reared by our patriotic sires. 
Till the last scepter shall be wrung 

From tyrant hands — till time expires." 
Richmond^ Mo., A. D. 1851. g. w. dunn. 

OUR COUNTY. 

Richmond Mirror, of Friday, March 11, 1853.] 

In the early settlement of the county, the only road leading to Clay 
county, (which was then regarded as the " Eldorado " of Missouri by 
most Kentuckians) passed up through the Missouri bottom the entire breadth 
of the county; and as fever and ague was'then quite prevalent, an impres- 
sion prevailed that Ray was a " sickly county," when nothing could be 
farther from the truth. Even our bottom lands have become healthy 
from cultivation, and the upland part of the county is as favorable to 
health and longevity as any portion of the state. The position, geograph- 



380 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ically, of Ray county, is such as to give it every advantage possessed by 
any county in upper Missouri, and its soil is fully equal to the best. 
Indeed, it is the opinion of many persons, who know the county and the 
state well, that there is more rich land in Ray than in any other county in 
Missouri. It is finely watered, well diversified with prairie and timbered 
lands; and for the growing of hemp, tobacco, wheat and corn, as well as 
for purposes of stock raising, it cannot be surpassed, and time will show it 
to be the " Bourbon " of Missouri. 

The town of Richmond, situated on a high dividing ridge, nearly in the 
center of the county, seven miles from the Missouri river at Camden, and 
ten miles from Lexington, is proverbial for health. It is on the main state 
road from St. Louis to Liberty, Weston and St. Joseph, and all the Platte 
country; has a tri-weekly mail coach passing through it, and is on the 
main road from the Grand River country to Lexington, southwest Mis- 
souri, Arkansas and Texas. 

If the people of Ray county are true to their own interests, and will 
build up and endow the proposed college; if they will foster their own 
mechanics and merchants, and their c>zi^//_;^r/V//er; if they will have good 
schools at home, and not send their children awa}' to be educated; and if 
the people of Richmond will go to work and beautify the natural advan- 
tages which the town possesses, and its merchants and mechanics deal 
liberally with the farmers; the day is not far off when a residence in Rich- 
mond, and a farm in Ray county will be sought after with eagerness. 

We shall say more in future numbers of the Mir^'or in regard to the 
duties of our citizens and the future of our count}-. 

JOHNSON MEETING. 

The Conservator March 24, 1866.] 

Pursuant to a call of the friends of President Johnson, a very large 
meeting of the citizens was held during the sitting of the circuit court at 
Richmond, Missouri, March 10, 1866, for the purpose of endorsing the 
president in his reconstruction policy, and the veto of the Freedmen's 
Bureau Bill. 

At one o'clock, the meeting was called to order and on motion of Hon. 
W. A. Donaldson, George Warren was called to the chair, and on motion 
of Hon. G. W. Eunn, Col. A. A. King was appointed secretar3^ 

The chairman, taking the stand, announced the object of the meeting, 
when, on motion of Honorable G. W. Dunn, the chair appointed the fol- 
lowing committeemen to draft resolutions expressive of the feelings 
and political opinions of those in the meeting, viz: Honorable George 
W. Dunn, Governor A. A. King, Honorable W. A. Donaldson, Doctor 
A. B. Ralph, and Honorable H. P. Settle. 

While the committee was retiring, Governor King was called back by 
the audience, and responded in an able speech, which was the fruitful 
source of much good, by showing to those that opposed ihe administra- 
tion, the danger into which they would take our liberties, if successful. 

At the conclusion of his speech, the committee reported the following 
resolutions, which were read and unanimously adopted: 

Resolved, That we have undiminished confidence in the ability, integ- 
rity, and patriotism of President Johnson, and we will continue to give a 
cordial support to his administration. 

Resolved, That President Johnson's inflexible devotion to the constitu- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 381 

tion and the Union, now, as in all times past, entitles him to the earnest 
support of the friends of civil and religious liberty throughout the Union. 

Resolved^ That we cordially^ approve President Johnson's veto of the 
freedmen's bureau bill, his policy of reconstruction, and his defiant oppo- 
sition to the policy of Sumner, Stevens, and others, who persist in declar- 
ing that the Union has been dissolved. 

Resolved, That the Union has not been dissolved, nor can it be dis- 
solved; it was not dissolved by secession, because secession was uncon- 
stitutional and void. It was not dissolved by the armed attempt to take 
some of the states out of the Union, because the rebellion has been com- 
pletely overthrown by our gallant armies; and it cannot be dissolved by 
those who assert that the Union has been dissolved, while President 
Johnson and his friends, constituting a large majority of the people of the 
United States, continue true to the Union and the constitution. 

Resolved, That we are in tavor of repealing the provisions of the new 
constitution of the state, that conflict with the wise policy of President 
Johnson's administration, and with the principles of civil and religious 
libert}^ transmitted to us by our ancestors, the establishment and preser- 
vation of which cost so much blood and treasure. 

Resolved, That the friends of President Johnson's administration will 
organize in accordance with the suggestions of the state central commit- 
tee, contained in a circular signed by General E. B. Brown, chairman of the 
committee, by formation of liberty clubs, composed of all who agree 
with the policy of the national administration. 

Resolved, That we regard it as our imperative duty to support the 
civil authorities of the state in the enforcement of the laws; and we 
propose to get rid of obnoxious laws whether contained in the new con- 
stitution or in the statutes, by having them repealed, and not by violating 
them, and that we will to the extent of our power, promote peace and 
order, and a love of the federal constitution and the union of the states 
among our fellow citizens. 

Resolved, That while we claim the right to assemble and express our 
views of public policy, we accord to our political opponents the same 
unquestionable right. 

Resolved, That we invite the co-operation of all persons, regardless of 
former political differences, who agree with us in sentiment, in the good 
work of upholding the constitution and Union, and the principles of civil 
and religious liberty. 

Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be published in the 
Missouri Republican, Lexington Express, and in the Richmond papers, 
and that all papers friendly to our cause be requested to copy them. 

After the reading of the resolutions, which were unanimously adopted, 
Judge Ryland, of Lexington, was called upon, and ably defended the 
president in his usual terse, eloquent and logical reasonings, at the con- 
clusion of which, court hour having arrived, the meeting was adjourned. 

Geo. Warren, Chairman. 

Austin A. King, Jr., Secretary. 



382 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

CRIMINAL CAUSES. 
The Coneervator, June 16, 1866.] 

On the 12th instant, Isaac Odell and James Duvall were brought before 
David H. Quesenberry, Esq., a justice of the peace of Richmond town- 
ship, in this county, under a warrant issued by Elisha Riggs, a justice of 
the peace of Fishing River township. The warrant simply charged the 
defendants with ■preachings and commanded the constable to bring the 
defendants before the justice of the peace who issued the warrants, or 
some other justice of the peace of the county of Ray. Judge Dunn and 
C. T. Garner, Esq., appeared as counsel for the defendants, and the state 
was represented by Elijah F. Esteb, Esq., the circuit attorney. 

The defendants moved the court to dismiss the cases, for the reason 
that the warrants charged no criminal oftense against the defendants. 
The cases were ably argued before the justice, the counsel for the defend- 
ants taking the position that even if the section in the constitution, upon 
which the prosecutions were founded, possessed any validity after the 
decision of the supreme court of the United States (not yet published), 
holding it null and void, three things were necessary to constitute the 
offense charged, to-wit: That the party charged was a bishop, priest, 
elder, minister or clergyman, as required by the constitution; 2d, that as 
such bishop, priest, elder, minister or clergyman, he preached; and, 3d, 
that the party so charged preached without taking the oath of loyalty 
required by the constitution. 

The warrants in the cases under consideration only charged the parties 
with preaching, without charging that they preached as bishop, priest, 
elder, minister or clergyman, and without charging that they had failed 
to take the oath of loyalty. They maintained that preaching was not of 
itself an offense against the constitution and laws of the state; that to 
constitute the offense punishable under the constitution, the party charged 
must preach as bishop, priest, elder, minister or clerg3'man, and must so 
preach without having taken the oath of loyalty. 

Mr. Esteb, the circuit attorney, replied, in his usual able, fair, and gen- 
tlemanly style. The circuit attorney represents the state, and not any 
political party or religious sect. 

justice Quesenberry sustained the motions, dismissed the cases, and dis- 
charged the defendants, holding that preaching, instead of being a criminal 
offense, is in the highest degree commendable. This decision does honor to 
the head and heart of the justice, who is a worthy member of a different 
rehgious denomination from that of the parties accused. Messrs. Odell and 
Duvall are elders of the regular Baptist denomination, commonly called 
" Old Iron-side Baptist." 

This result may be mortifying to Drake, Strong, Fletcher, and Bab- 
cocke, but the best way to avoid similar mortification in the future, is for 
them to join the friends of civil and religious liberty in repealing this 
relic of bigotry and barbarism, which ought never to have been placed in 
the constitution of a free people. 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 383 



TOWNS AND VILLAGES. 



CITY OF RICHMOND. 

The land on which the original town of Richmond is located was 
donated to the county of Ray, May 5, 1827, by John Woolard, Isaac 
Thornton, William B. Martin and William Thornton, the proprietors 
thereof. 

The donation was made in consideration of the selection, by a commis- 
sion legally appointed by the county court, of the site as a place on which 
to locate the permanent seat of justice of Ray county. 

On the 20th day of July, A. D. 1827, the county court in session at 
Bluffton, ordered an election, that the proposition to remove the county 
seat to the place selected by the commissioners, and by its owners donated 
to the county of Ray, might be submitted to the people for their approval 
or rejection, as the law required. 

On the 20th and 21st of August following, the election was duly held, 
and resulted in one hundred and eight votes being cast for the proposition 
and fifty-five against it; and in due course of time, as already fully stated, 
the county seat was removed, and public buildings erected, etc. Hence, 
Richmond owes its existence to the fact of the land on which the original 
town is located having been selected first by commisioners, and then by 
a majority of the qualified voters of the county as a site for the permanent 
seat of justice of the county of Ray. 

Richmond was, when laid out, the county seat of territory since divided 
into eight counties, having the following seats of justice, to-wit: Carroll- 
ton, Chillicothe, Trenton, Princeton, Bethany, Gallatin, Kingston and 
Richmond. 

Richmond was surveyed and laid out into blocks, lots, streets and alleys 
by Thomas N. Aubry, Esq., under the direction of William S. Miller, 
commissioner of the seat of justice, between the 24th of September and 
the 15th of October, A. D. 1827. 

The town site was divided into one hundred lots, and these, with the 
exception of those reserved for the use of the county, were sold at public 
vendue, the sale commencing Thursday, October 25th, 1827, and continu- 
ing from day to day. The sale was made by beginning with lot No. 
100, and selling eac*h alternate lot till lot No. 1 was reached. 

When the county court convened in special session, Monday, October 
22, 1827, it changed the boundaries of lots 8, 9, 40, 41, 72, 73 and 100, by 
taking off of each the space of twenty-five feet. The space thus taken 
off was reserved from sale. 

The first jail in Richmond was located on lot No. 62, and the "prison 
bounds " thereof was as follows: Sixty rods square, with the jail in the 



384 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

centre; said space accurately laid off, and the distances marked by plant- 
ing in the earth, to the depth of at least eighteen inches, at each of the 
four cardinal points of the compass, well charred, white-oak posts, nine 
inches square, rising four feet above the earth's surface. The jail itself, 
and also the first court house have been described. 

Richmond was first incorporated November 19, 1835; and the follow- 
ing gentlemen constituted tlie first board of trustees: Berry Hughes, C. 
R. Morehead, H. G. Parks. William Hudgins and Thomas McKinney. 

The first county road leading to and from the town of Richmond was 
established by the county court in November, 182T. It extended to 
Jack's Ferry, on the Missouri river. 

One Anderson Martin was the first town constable of the town of Rich- 
mond. The town was again incorporated by act of the general assembly, 
approved November 9, 185T. 

Richmond was laid out in the midst of a broad field of the " bright ever 
beautiful maize;" that is to say, where Richmond now stands, John Wool- 
ard, in 1827, cultivated a field of corn. John Woolard was an unlettered 
man, somewhat eccentric, but a kind neighbor, a warm-hearted friend, and 
an enterprising, public spirited gentleman. He has been dead many 
years, but has sons yet living in the county, who are upright and useful 
citizens. 

Richmond, so named by the county court, Monday, September 24, 
1827, is situated in sections thirty and thirty-one, township fifty-two, range 
twenty-seven, and on the northeast quarter of section thirty-six, township 
fifty-two, range twenty-eight, on the St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, 
St. Louis and Pacific railway, forty-four miles east of Kansas City, two 
hundred and thirty seven miles northwest of St, Louis, and sixty-seven 
miles southeast of St. Joseph. 

Richmond is simply a fine old town, whose people are remarkable for 
urbanity, kindness, and genuine, old-fashioned hospitality; and in which a 
stranger, no matter whence he comes, so he conducts himself as a gentle- 
man, is soon made to feel himself at home, and in the midst of friends. 

It is surrounded by a country exhaustless in natural resources; pictur- 
esque and beautiful in surface configuration; rich, productive, and pleasant 
to see. It is the attractive business and social centre of an intelligent, 
enterprising. Christian community, and — to borrow the language of Paul, 
the apostle — it is " a city of no mean importance." 

The main or central portion of Richmond stands upon the crown of a 
graceful swell, and the suburban portions are located upon the slopes of a 
succession of beautiful wooded hills that nearly surround the central 
town. The slopes abound in the most attractive building sites that com- 
mand fine city and open valley views in almost every direction. It has 
scores of fine cottages, villas, and dignified old mansion homes, represent- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 385 

ing the hospitable southern style of architecture so common in the south. 
The spacious veranda, or porch, is an almost universal accompaniment to 
these pretty, inviting home places, and the ample, shaded lawns and broad 
walks are in more pleasant contrast with the closer and more severely 
artistic surroundings of the average northern home. There is every- 
where in this little, half-rural city an air of amplitude, ease, freedom and 
home comfort that is thoroughly enjoyable to the visitor. The business 
town expresses solidity and permanency, rather than any effort at archi- 
tectural display, being built in the plain fashion of the old time. Among 
the public buildings are a handsome court-house, two very pretty churches, 
and a plain, but massive and stately, high-school building. Two more 
churches are projected. Of late, a good many very pretty homes in the 
modern styles have been added, and, altogether, Richmond may be named 
among the most attractive towns of its class in the west. The business 
town is in keeping with the wealth and thrift of the country that fosters it. 
If it ever had a speculative period, is has long since passed. The business 
men are characterized with stead}', sensible, practical and well defined 
methods of commercial life, and evidently prefer solvency and high credit 
to the exciting, spasmodic, and speculative ways of too many western towns. 
They have the confidence of the community, and preserve it as if it were 
their best " stock in trade." They never seem hurried or fretful, but move 
straight on from year to year with the greatest deliberation and confi- 
dence. A list of the business houses, manufactories and industries of 
Richmond in April, 1881, will, it is believed, be found of interest in after 
years, if not at present; such a list is therefore subjoined, as follows: 

C. D. Sayre, dealer in groceries, queensware, and produce. 

A. J. Bopps, hardware, stoves, tinware, etc. 

Ford Bros., fancy groceries. 

W. M. Marshall, manufacturer of and dealer in boots and shoes. 

A. J. Dresler, merchant tailor. 

Smith & Patton, druggists and pharmaceutists. 

Keel & Bro., dealers in groceries, queensware, and country produce. 

Grow & Abbott, carpenters and builders. 

Powell & Sons, blacksmithing, and wagon and carriage manufac- 
turers. 

W. R. Jackson, furniture and hardware. 

Exchange and banking house of J. S. Hughes & Co., J. S. Hughes, 
president; Burnett Hughes, cashier. 

Fowler & Ewing, dry goods, boots, shoes, notions, etc. 

S. R. Crispin & Co., dry goods, clothing, boots, shoes, etc. 

M. F. McDonald, staple and fancy dry goods, piece goods and hosiery. 

Mrs. M. E. Burhop, milliner. 

Mrs. S. Strader, confectionery and groceries. 



386 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Hudgins House, William B. Hudgins, proprietor. 

Warriner & Monroe, stoves, tinware, and furniture. 

Daniel T. Duval, saddles and harness. 

W. H. Darneal, dry goods, notions, and clothing. 

W. H. Garner, groceries and queensware. 

G. E. Niedermeyer, barber. 

J. C. Brown & Co., dry goods, notions, and clothing. 

Miss L. Ford, millinery and notions. 

RicJmiond Cottservalor, Jacob T. Child, editor and proprietor. 

Baber & Shoop, groceries and queensware. 

Shoop & Son, undertakers. 

Kemper Marble Works, Ed. W. Kemper, proprietor. 

Sam. McDonald, confectioner. 

Alex. A. McCuistion, livery and sale stable. 

Garner & Jacobs, druggists and pharmacists. 

Hubbell & Son, general merchandise. 

B. J. Menefee, hardware and agricultural implements. 

Holt & Son, general merchandise. 

Richmond Democrat, Thomas D. Bogie, editor and proprietor. 

Ray County Savings Bank, Thomas D. Woodson, president; H. C. 
Garner, cashier. 

Delmonico Restaurant, D. W. Farris, proprietor. 

L. Megede, watch-maker and jeweler. 

W. W. Mosby & Son, druggists, booksellers, stationers, etc. 

Farris & Co., groceries and queensware. 

R. L. Jacobs, saddles and harness. 

F. W. Joy, meat market. 

W. D. Rice & Sons, hardware and groceries. 

E. Spear, groceries, queensware and tinware. 

Kiger & Wertz, dry goods and notions. 

M. C. Jacobs, druggist and apothecary. 

A. H. Jacobs, watches and jewelry. 

J. P. Quesenberrv & Co., hardware and groceries. 

Whitmer & Co., livery and feed stable. 

R. D. Asbury, blacksmithing and horse-shoeing. 

W. P. Strader, carriage and wagon manufacturer. 

McDonald Lumber Compan3\ 

Brown & Wiggington, carpenters and builders. 

Hamacher Steam Flouring Mills, J. H. Hamacher & Bro., proprietors. 

O. T. Dickinson, livery and feed stable. 

Jackson & Patton, lumber yard, and wagons and agricultural imple- 
ments. 

Richmond Wagon Factory, Powell & Son, proprietors. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 387 

Wasson & Baum, dealers in live stock. 

Richmond Coffin Company. 

Title Abstract Office of Lavelock & Trigg. 

William Fisher, photographer. 

Wasson House, George I. Wasson, proprietor. 

Burgess Brothers, blacksmiths and wagon-makers. 

Ax-Handle Factory, J. M. Parker, proprietor. 

The Olympic Hall, completed in Decemlaer, 1880, is substantially built, 
convenient, and commodious. It is well ventilated, tastily and comfort- 
ably furnished, and has a seating capacity of four hundred and fifty. The 
seats are well arranged and command a full view of the stage from any 
part of the hall. Olympic Hall does credit alike to its proprietors, Doctor 
W. W. Mosby & Son, and to the city of Richmond. 

The Richmond Opera House, owned by a joint stock company, under 
the corporate name of Richmond Hall and Library Association, was built 
in 1880, and cost seven thousand dollars. It is fifty feet iri width by one 
hundred feet in length, and will seat about eight hundred persons. The 
hall is thoroughly ventilated, well furnished, and provided with attractive 
scenery. Perhaps no town in the west has a more capacious or better 
hall for public entertainment, than is the Richmond Opera House. 

The old cemetery, due north of town and just within its corporate 
limits, was laid out in 1845. It is the burial place of many distinguished 
persons. 

The remains of Bill x\nderson, the notorious desperado, were deposited 
in the old cemetery. The people, of course, without exception, depre- 
cated the man and his dastardly and revolting acts, perpetrated in the 
spirit of diabolical revenge, indiscriminately directed, and dishonoring 
alike himself, his followers, and the cause he claimed to defend; they knew, 
however, that in death, he was harmless, and that, as a fellow mortal, he 
was entitled to decent burial. 

This fact is not mentioned on Anderson's account, but simply to show 
that in the hearts of the Christian people of Richmond, the spirit of resent- 
ment perishes, when the ability of the culprit to do further harm has 
ceased, and, sharing the common lot of mankind, he lies powerless in the 
embrace of death. 

The new Richmond cemetery, near the west end of South Main street, 
on the north side thereof, was laid out in 1871. It contains three acres 
and is situated on a high hill commanding an extensive and beautiful 
prospect of the surrounding country. 

The dead are everywhere, and the last kind offices in their behalf are 
to accord them burial in conformity to established custom, and to place 
above them some testimonial of the esteem in which they were held 
while among the living, or that may at least " implore the passing trib- 



388 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ute of a sigh." In this respect the Richmond cemeteries are enduring 
monument, not alone to the dead, but likewise to the humane and tender 
promptings that govern the hearts of the living. 

Several beautiful and costly shafts are reared in the new grave-yard, 
and, for a " silent city of the dead," it is perhaps as neat and inviting a 
place as one could desire to see. 

It becomes necessary in writing the history of Richmond to record 
some events of melancholy interest. 

At half past three o'clock, Thursday, May 23, 1867, a band of brigands, 
eleven in number, heavily armed with navy pistols, entered the city from 
the east, by three different streets. One detachment came in by the first 
street south of South Main street, running parallel thereto, and passing up 
that street to its intersection with College street, turned north to South 
Main; another party passed up the latter street, while the third came into 
the city by North Main street. The bandits concentrated in the vicinity 
of the M. E. Church South, and all but one dismounted, and repaired 
immediately to the banking house of Hughes & Wasson. Four of the 
party entered the bank, and with pistols presented, demanded the money 
therein. The other six remained outside, in front ot the bank building, 
and kept up a continual fire upon citizens who dared to show themselves 
on the streets. Immediately upon entering the bank, one of the bandits 
fired at the book-keeper, Willis Warriner, Esquire, as he retreated in 
the direction of the vault. At the report of the pistol, Mr. Warriner fell 
to the floor and continued prostrate so long as the robbers remained in 
the bank, though he was uninjured. 

There happened to be only thirty-five hundred dollars in the bank, and 
when that amount was seized, the robbers turned upon Mr. George I. 
Wasson, the cashier, and covering him with their pistols, commanded him 
to get more. But upon Mr. Wasson's assuring them that they had taken 
all the money on hand, they dismissed him without further molestation. 

The robber who remained on his horse, tcok a stand in the middle of 
the street, near the bank. He was mounted on a very fine and well- 
trained horse. Having wound the bridle-reins around the bow of his sad- 
dle in such a manner as to give greater tension to one rein than to the 
other, the horse continued to move round in a circle, thus enabling his 
rider to see about him in every direction. With a navy pistol in each 
hand the horseman fired up and down the street, while the robbery was 
going on in the bank. 

The citizens began to rally to drive the bandits out of town. Frank 
Griffin, from his position behind a tree in the court-house yard, was dis- 
charging his gun at the man on the horse without effect; when the latter 
discovered Griffin's head from behind the tree he fired at it, with unerring 
aim. The ball penetrated the brain, and Griffin instantly expired. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 389 

Youn£^ Griffin's father, William Griffin, after the killing of his son, ran 
up to the bank, supposing the robbers had vacated it. Upon stepping 
within he was confronted by the robbers, and started to run out of the 
house, when he was fired upon; the ball, taking effect in the back, passed 
through his heart. 

John B. Shaw, a highly respected gentleman, and at that time mayor of 
the city, was in the middle of the street, near the Shaw House (now 
Wasson House), of which he was proprietor, endeavoring to rally the 
citizens, when he was shot in the abdomen. He lived but a few hours. 
He also was killed by the man on horseback. 

After the robbery, the bandits rode rapidly out of town. They were 
followed by a posse of citizens a distance of about nine miles, but none of 
them were captured. 

The pursuing party fired upon the robbers near Holt Station, on the 
Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, wounding one of their horses, which was 
left behind and died next day. 

One of the robbers, whose name was supposed to be William McGuire, 
was captured in St. Louis the following winter, brought to Richmond, 
and lodged in jail; and a few months after his capture, the man who sat 
on his horse in front of the bank and killed John B. Shaw and young 
Griffin, was apprehended in Kentucky, by John W. Francis, then sheriflT 
of Ray county. This bandit's name was supposed to be Devers. He 
was also confined in the Richmond jail. 

McGuire had a preliminary trial before a justice of the peace, and was 
held to await the ensuing session of the circuit court. They were both 
taken from the jail, however, by a vigilance committee and hanged. 

What became of the other participants in this atrocious robbery and 
murder, is unknown. 

The following persons were in the bank when the robbers entered: Geo. 
I. Wasson, cashier ; Judge Willis Warriner, book-keeper, and Major Rob- 
ert Sevier, Ephraim January, and Ben Chipeze. The three last named 
were in no way connected with the bank. None of the above named 
gentlemen were injured. 

A TERRIBLE CYCLONE. 

On June 1, A. D. 1878, the city of Richmond was visited by one of the 
most violent and destructive cyclones that ever passed over this section of 
the country. Nearly every thing in its pathway was utterly demolished. 
Huge trees were torn up by the roots, buildings swept away, and human 
and animal life destroyed. 

For several days previous the weather had been unusually warm and 
sultry; the air was heavy and oppressive, the mercury in the thermome- 
ter indicating a temperature ranging.from eighty-five to ninety degrees, 
Fahrenheit. 



390 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The morning of June 1st was bright and tranquil, but later in the day 
clouds gathered, and early in the afternoon the wind, accompanied by a 
slight fall of hail, began gently blowing from the southwest. Immediately 
after the hail ceased falling, a wind from the northwest arose, and, con- 
tinuing probably ten minutes, was succeeded by a suffocating calm of 
about three to five minutes' duration. Within twenty or thirty minutes 
after the falling of the hail, the clouds in the southwest seemed to be fall- 
ing apart for a moment or two, presenting ragged edges; then, suddenly, 
streams began to shoot out from the margins of the clouds, and to mingle 
together by a twirling, intertwining motion. 

The calm above alluded to was caused by the current from the north- 
west meeting a similar current moving in the opposite direction. After 
this momentary cessation of wind, a strong breeze from the southwest 
set in, followed by a violent rush of wind, the immediate precursor of 
the terribly devastating cyclone that was to follow almost instantaneously. 

The wind began its destructive work about three miles southwest of 
town. Moving in a northeasterly direction, it struck the railroad at J. S. 
Hughes & Co.'s coal shaft; then turning northward, it struck six tenement 
houses, occupied by miners, and owned by J. S. Hughes. These houses 
were moved out of position an4 otherwise damaged, though not seriously. 
Leaving the tenement houses, the C3'clone slightly injured six dwelHngs 
situated next to the railroad. The upper story, back wall, and porch of 
W. R. Jackson's house, in the extreme southeastern part of the cit}', were 
torn off. The next house in its northward course, was that of Dr. Noah 
Gaines, a one story frame, which was considerably wrecked but not torn 
down. Bounding across the street at this point, the storm unroofed the 
old homestead residence, a one stor}- brick, of Jacob Whitmer. Mrs. 
Haynes was struck and damaged seriously. 

In its onward passage north of Dr. Noah Gaines, it levelled to the 
ground a small frame building, occupied b}' a colored family; next a large 
one story frame building, property of the late Major Sevier, but occupied 
at the time, by one Mr. Deer and family. The house was utterl}^ demol- 
ished. Striking, next, the fine brick residence of J. S. Hughes, Esq., it 
blew down the ell and unroofed the main building. 

Next in the storm's pathway stood the Bid well property, occupied by a 
man named Berry, and his family. The building, a two story frame, was 
totally destroyed; and so, also, was the large two story frame residence 
of W. R. Holman. Veering to the west from the residence of J. A. 
Hughes, it struck and completely destroyed the residence of G. A. Hughes, 
as well as his very fine young apple orchard. The residence last named 
is on College street; west of it and on the same street, are the residences 
of Judge Charles J. Hughes and Messrs. B. J. Menefee and P. V. Ber- 
nard, all of which were injured. Of the three houses mentioned, Mr. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 391 

Bernard's is farthest; it is a one story brick, was unroofed, and a portion 
of its walls blown in. This building marked the western limit of the 
storm's fury, in the city. 

The cyclone was somewhat narrowed in its destructive course through 
the city, after leaving South College street, which extends east and west; 
yet from this street in its northward passage, it extended over two entire 
blocks of buildings, as well as wrecking some, and wholly demolishing 
other of the buildings on the east side of the college grounds; and first of 
the latter was the one and a half story cottage residence of Mrs. Bassett, 
occupied by C. J. Hughes, Jr., which was totally destroyed. Dr. H. P. 
Jacobs owned and occupied a new and beautiful residence, which in its 
fury, the storm-god spared not ; every vestige of the building was swept 
from its foundation. Neither did it respect the Presbyterian Church, a 
large, costly and substantial brick structure, but razed it to the ground. 
The next building to the northward, was the story and a half residence 
of Mr. E. Spear, which, though not blown down, w^as greatly damaged; 
then the one story brick of Phihp J. Woodson, Esq., was unroofed. Next, 
to the northward stood the Baptist Church and residence of R. E. Brown, 
Esq., side by side, which were likewise swept away by the irresistible 
rotary current. 

We have followed the storm in its desolating progress to Lexington 
street, and, going back again to south College street, and beginning with 
the block next east of the one last described, and separated therefrom by 
Thornton Avenue, we mention first the two story frame dwelling of Judge 
Joseph E. Black, which was entirely destroyed; then the residence of 
Captain G. N. McGee, a total loss; next the one story residence belong- 
ing to Mrs. Mary Brown, but occupied by a tenant, also completely de- 
molished, and the residence of Ephraim Holman, which shared a similar 
fate. 

Passing east, in our description, to the residence of Doctor Frank 
Gaines, on Lexington street, we have to mention that building as also a 
total loss. The residence of Mrs. Amelia Jacobs, in this neighborhood, 
was also totally wrecked. 

Again returning to South College street, we begin with the block east 
of the one last mentioned; and first, the dwelling house of Paul Wertz 
was literally blown away; and so, also, w^ere the' residences of N. P. War- 
riner, and of Mrs. Morrison, and Mrs. Carson. 

Proceeding with his melancholy task, the writer has again arrived at 
Lexington street, at a point where the cyclone again narrowed its destruc- 
tive work, and thence northward, embraced only two blocks. First, on 
the west, starting northward, is the lumber yard of Brown & Limerick, 
which was com.pletely wrecked; the calaboose, a stone building, was par- 
tially blown down, but the blacksmith-shop of Ball & Asbury was totally 



392 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

destroyed. In the same block, but east of the buildings mentioned, stood 
the residences of the late Judge Burgess, Colonel Dodd, and Houston 
Jacobs, all of which were swept awa3\ 

East of this block, the residences of George Jacobs and Wyatt Baker 
were destroyed. The Shaw House (now-, 1881, Wasson House), the next 
building north of Ball & Asbury's (now Asbury's) shop, suffered great 
injury. Its east wing was blown down entirely, and every portion of the 
building received considerable damage. Prior to the storm it was a three- 
story building, but has since been repaired, without replacing the third 
story. East of the Shaw House was the residence of James Harmony, 
and east of that the elegant two-story residence of John P. Leeper, occu- 
pied by Doctor G. W. Buchanan, both of which were entirely destroyed. 
Immediately east of the buildings last mentioned stood the wagon factory 
of Burgess Bros., the buggy factory of O. T. Dickenson, and the resi- 
dences of Isaac Burgess, Captain Ben. Wigginton, and R. F. Asbury, 
all of which were swept away. 

Our description has brought us to South Main street. In the two 
blocks of buildings on this street, extending to the northern limits of the 
city, were about twenty-five houses, all of which were utterly demolished, 
among the number we may mention the residences of David Whitmer, 
Benjamin Jacobs, Fritz Lierman, William Marshall, Thomas Word, J. 
W. Garner, Samuel Nading, John G. Ballard, T. J. Casey, F. W. Joy, 
Thomas McGinnis, and George Warren. 

The above were all one and two-story buildings, and were a total loss. 
In this were located the African M. E. Church, and the school-house of 
the colored people, both of which were torn to fragments. 

On the street leading northward from the public square, and which is 
west of the buildings last mentioned, the residences of Mrs. Mary Brown, 
Thomas D. Woodson and W. A. Donaldson were greatly damaged; Mrs. 
Brown's residence being blown to the ground. 

The following business houses on the east side of the public square suf- 
f erred material damage, viz: The three story brick dry goods store of 
S. R. Crispin & Co., at the southeast corner of the square. The 
Masonic hall was in the third story of this building, and was completely 
destroyed, as the third stor}'^ was blown off, as well as part of the second 
story; the house occupied by C. Sayre; W. R. Jackson & Co.'s furniture 
store ; Jackson & Asbury's saloon ; boot and shoe house of William Mar- 
shall; drug store of Taylor & Smith (now Smith & Patton); and the store 
house of Monroe Bros. All pi these, except the first mentioned, were 
two story brick buildings. 

Just north, and across the street from the last mentioned, the lumber 
yard of Jackson & Patton, and the wagon manufactory of Powell & Son, 
were destro5'ed. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 393 

South of the public square the business houses of J. P. Quesenberry, 
Dr. M. C. Jacobs, and Kiger & Wertz were partly unroofed; and the same 
is true of Mosby & Son's drug store and the Ray county savings bank. 

The post office was literally blown away. The court house was 
unroofed and otherwise damaged. The livery stable of C. W. Schweich 
& Co. was considerably injured. 

Thus have we given a minute description of the entire devastated por- 
tion of the city, which included fully one-third of its area. The total loss 
of property was estimated at over $200,000. 

This devastating wind current was a genuine cyclone, its motion being 
rotary and irresistible. It was funnel-shaped in appearance, resembling 
a water spout. 

It is said that during its passage through the town, not a drop of water 
fell.' There were ascending and descending currents, and flying frag- 
ments darkened the earth. After the cyclone had passed, its desolated 
pathway presented the appearance of having been deluged with muddy 
water. This was owing to the fact that a heavy rain preceded the 
cyclone a moment or two. 

On leaving the town, the cyclone veered slightly to the east; thence 
north, striking Crooked river; thence west, demolishing the residence of 
Thomas J. Bohannon, and carrying down the iron bridge at that point; 
thence its course was northeast, to Hiram Settle's, seven miles from Rich- 
mond; there it rose from the earth, and moved directly east, passino- over 
Morton, a small village in the eastern portion of the county. It acrain 
descended to the earth at Highsinger's, a point twelve miles from where 
it arose, at Settle's; thence taking a northeasterly direction, it lay waste 
everything in its course. 

The storm is estimated to have been three minutes in passing through 
the city. It swept over that portion of the city in which were located 
most of the mechanical shops and factories. 

The destruction of property was great, indeed, but that was not irre- 
parable. The energetic and enterprising citizens have so repaired and 
rebuilt the desolated district, that now (1881) scarcely a vestige of the 
great cyclone of 1878 remains. The buildings which were destroyed 
have been replaced with new, more costly and more substantial ones. 
The loss of human life makes the saddest recollection of this terribly 
destructive cyclone. The following persons were either killed outright, 
or died from injuries received: 

Captain William M. Jacobs was caught in front of C. D. Sayre's, by 
the falling debris from the store and the Masonic hall, and completely 
buried, and was not found till eleven o'clock the following day (Sunday). 

Squire Bellis was buried by the fallen debris of Jackson & Patton's lum- 
25 



394 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ber yard. Mr. Bellis resided in the country, and was killed while seeking 
safety in the lumber yard. 

John Campbell had started from M. C. Jacobs' drug store for his home 
in the eastern part of the town, and when having reached a point on Lex- 
ington street, just beyond Brown and Limerick's lumber yard, was killed 
by the passing missiles. 

Mattie Holman, aged five years, a child of W. R. Holman, was killed. 

Miss Martha A. Ross, who was living at Ephraim Holman's, was 
crushed by the falling building, and died in a few moments. 

Mrs. Mary Joy was struck and killed by the falling house of F. W. 

Joy. 

Mrs. Martha A. Casey was instantly killed. 

James Duncan, at Powell & Son's shop, was caught up by the wind, 
carried one hundred yards, and mortally wounded. A missile was driven 
into his head, entering near the nose. He lived but a few moments. 

Miss Josie Couch, at the residence of William Marshall, was disem- 
boweled, and died in a short time. 

William A. Donaldson, Esq., was on his way from his law office to his, 
residence, when he was struck by frying debris^ and died in an hour or two. 
Mrs. Alvin Child was mortally wounded, and died in a short time. 
Andrew Nading, son of Samuel Nading, was killed in the wreck of his 
father's house. 

Miss Florence Word, whose thigh was broken, died on Tuesday even- 
ing, and was buried the next day. 

Francis M. Ball, severely bruised about the head, legs and body, died on 
Monday. 

An infant child of Charles Ottman's lived till Tuesday, when it died of 
injuries received in the storm. Mrs. Salina Bohannon died on Thursday 
morning. 

Miss Sarah Burgess, Berry Fox, Thomas J. Bohannon, Laura Wash- 
ington (colored). 

Following is a list of those who were seriously wounded: F. W.Joy, 
leg broken; C.J. Hughes, Jr., leg broken; Willie Buchanan, Miss Emma 
Shackelford, Miss Pauline Shackelford, Mrs. Perry Jacobs, Robert 
Asbury, Charles and Lee Asbury, Dr. G. W. Buchanan, George War- 
ren, George Crispin, James Donaldson, Blanche Harmony, Mrs. Thomas 
McGinnis and four children, Thomas Bohannon and wife, V. P. Bernard, 
Miss Mollie Streets, Colonel T. J. Dodd, Mrs. Paul Wertz, Robert OfTutt, 
Mrs. Belle Warriner, H. C. Burgess, Thomas Burgess, Isaac Burgess, 
Mrs. "William Marshall, William Burgess, Miss Mary Hughes, Mrs. Car- 
son and two daughters, G. W. Schweich and infant child, Miss Laura 
Belle Hughes, Albert Flumen, Mary E. Sheets, Thomas Word, Mary E. 
Casey, David Whitmer, G. T. Limerick, Mrs. Julia Shweich. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 395 

A number of colored persons were also seriously injured. Many per- 
sons lost everything they had, and were left wounded and helpless. Those 
who escaped threw open their doors, taking in the wounded and homeless. 
Every one did all in his power to relieve the unfortunate sufferers. Peo- 
ple from all parts of the country gathered in Richmond, eager to lend a 
helping hand. 

On Sunday, the day after the terrible storm, a mass meeting was held 
and the following resolutions adopted: 

Whereas, An unprecedented storm has visited our city, leaving much 
loss of life, destruction of property and personal suffering in its pathway; 
therefore, be it 

Resolved^ That a committee of arrangements and relief be appointed 
to co-operate with the mayor and city authorities, consisting of ten per- 
sons, whose duty it shall be to receive any contributions that may be 
made for the relief of the poor and destitute, and to provide for and take 
care of the many who have been injured; and generally to make such 
arrangements as the circumstances may require, in aid of the suffering of 
our fellow citizens, occasioned by the recent storm, and for the burial of 
those who were killed. 

Resolved^ That all citizens who may feel disposed to render any assist- 
ance for the object contemplated by the foregoing resolution, will please 
to make application to some member of this committee, or to the mayor 
or members of the city council, who will see that all contributions are 
honestly and strictly applied for the relief of those needing it. That the 
thanks of this meeting are hereby tendered to our neighbors from the 
country, and citizens of other counties, for the interest and sympathy 
they have manifested and the aid so freely and cheerfully given, and to 
the medical fraternity for their prompt and skillful attention rendered to 
the suffering. 

At a meeting of the relief committee the following resolution w^as 
adopted: 

Resolved^ That Berrien J. Menefee, be, and he is hereby appointed treas- 
urer of this committee to receive all contributions and donations made to 
the relief board in money or other things, and that he apply the same 
under the direction of Judge Chas. J. Hughes, chairman of this committee, 
or of George I. Wasson, mayor of the city, and that full reports be made 
from time to time to this committee of the amount and character of the 
contributions made and how distributed. 

The following general committee was then appointed, viz: A. W. 
Doniphan, James Hughes, B. J. Menefee, C. T. Garner, Sr., Dr. W. W. 
Mosby, Captain J. L. Karris, Colonel J. W. Black, George N. McGee, 
Thomas D. Woodson and John C. Morris. 

On motion, Judge Hughes was made chairman of the committee. On 
motion of J. T. Child, a committee composed of gentlemen from each 
township, to solicit aid, was appointed. 

At a called meeting of the relief committee on Monday evening, the 
following action was had: 



396 HISTORY OF RAYCOUNTV- 

On motion of James W. Black, Major R. S. Williams was instructed to 
employ a sufficient number of hands to remove the debris from the streets. 
The daily wages for laborers was fixed at $1.25. The proposition of 
Major McKissack, to furnish ice and transportation free was accepted, and 
the magnaminous offer properly acknowledged. 

The committee of relief met Tuesday morning. A number of telegrams 
were received, which the mayor was instructed to answer. Judge C. J. 
Hughes was directed to instruct the different towns, as to the condition of 
Richmond. C. T. Garner, W. P. Hubbell and W. D. Rice, were appoin- 
ted to ascertain the real condition of the sufferers, to take their names and 
ascertain their actual wants. 

At the suggestion of many citizens from the country, a public meeting 
was held in the court house yard on Monday. This meeting was attended 
and participated in by a large number of citizens from different parts of 
the county. This meeting resolved that the judge of the county court be 
requested to make an appropriation, if in his judgment such an appropria- 
tion was needed, to the sufferers of Richmond. 

Committees were also appointed in all of the townships to solicit aid 
from the citizens, and to receive and forward all contributions to the 
relief committee at Richmond. 

Besides the human beings enumerated, about ninety head of stock — 
horses, cattle, etc., were killed. One team of horses was lifted up and 
blown over the brick lumber yard of Jackson & Patton, and, being 
dashed to the ground, in the back yard, were killed. Chickens and 
geese were literally stripped of their feathers, and trees which were not 
blown down or torn up by their roots, were barked from bottom to top. 

On the west side of the cyclone, the debris moved south, on the east 
side it moved north, showing the rotation to have been from right to left. 

The postoffice building was a light, two story frame, on the east 
corner of the north side of the public square. It was totally demolished, 
and the contents scattered along the pathway of the cyclone for many 
miles. 

A registered package of stamped envelopes, intended for Millville, was 
found eight miles out of town. 

One package of envelopes for registered letters, was found in Caldwell 
county, twenty miles north of Richmond, and returned. 

One dead letter addressed, Michael Reeves, was found near James 
Hughes' home farm, eight miles northeast of Richmond. 

One package of paper, weighing two pounds, was found on a straw 
pile, four miles from where the postoffice stood. 

A registered letter was found thirteen miles north of town, lying against 
a house. The letter was picked up by a farmer, who, finding it contained 
two fifty dollar bills, returned it to the post master at Richmond. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 397 

A letter was found near Tinney's Grove, twenty miles to the northeast, 
in Grape Grove township. 

A photograph of a Mrs. Engler, blown from one of the demolished 
residences of Richmond, was found near Tinney's Grove, twenty miles 
away. 

Thousands of persons visited Richmond for several days succeeding 
the storm. Nearly all came, and did all in their power to relieve the 
immediate wants of the sufferers. 

The destruction was complete over two entire blocks of buildings, from 
the southern to the northern limits of the city. Outside of those blocks, 
on either side the buildings and property, generally, were injured to a 
greater or less extent along its entire path. 

We find in the first issue of the Ray Ckro?iicIe2ii\.er^\.\\Q cyclone, the fol- 
lowing observations: 

1. It was not over three hundred yards high. 

2. The breadth of its forward motion was not more than eighty yards. 

3. No rain fell during its passage. 

4. The head, source, or place where the power was applied was after 
the cyclone was perfectly formed, a dark cloud, moving with the firmness 
of a mountain, and the rapidity of the swiftest horse. 

5. The rotary motion gave it a lateral diameter of one hundred and 
fifty yards. The rotation was often so rapid as throw air waves to either 
side, with very destructive effects, and sometimes reaching a distance of 
three hundred yards bevond the main path. 

6. There was no particular development of heat, as to scorch green 
substances or to burn persons. The ground was soaked with rain twenty 
minutes in advance of the cyclone, and the soil was worked into a thin 
mortar, and smeared overything; hence the appearance of a flood.* 

Two members of the city council were killed, and the council adopted 
the following tribute of respect: 

Richmond Council Room, 
Wednesday, June 5, 1878. 

City council met, and was called to order by the mayor, George I. 
Wasson. The roll was called. Present, the ma3^or, and councilmen, J. 
W. Black, James W. Garner, George A. Hughes, and William Wilson. 

The following resolutions were then presented by J. W. Black, and 
adopted by the council: 

Whereas, Our city having been visited on last Saturday afternoon, by 
a most terrible cyclone, carrying death and destruction in its pathway, 
and many families were rendered houseless, and the home circle bereft of 
of its loved ones, stricken down in its devastating course, and among that 
number our esteemed fellow citizens and members of the city council, Wm. 
A. Donaldson and Francis M. Ball; therefore be it resolved by the council, 
of the city of Richmond, 

That in the death of Wm. A. Donaldson and F. M. Ball, their families 

*We are indebted to the Ray Chronicle, of June 7, 1878, and to Dr. G. W. Buchanan for 
the history of the Richmond cyclone. 



398 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

have sustained an irreparable loss, society has been deprived of two of its 
most worthy and useful citizens, and the city council of two of its most 
active, energetic and faithful members. 

Resolved^ That we tender to their bereaved families and relatives, our 
heartfelt sympathy and condolence, in this, the hour of their great 
affliction. * 

Resolved^ That a copy of these resolutions be communicated to the 
families of the deceased, by the city recorder, and that they be spread 
upon the records of the city council. 

Resolved^ That the Richmond Conservator and the Ray Chronicle 
be requested to publish these resolutions. 

Resolved, That in respect to the memory of the lamented deceased, we 
adjourn until Wednesday, June 12th, 1878. 

Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

W. C. Patton, City Recorder. 

It is not easy to imagine how greater destruction could be wrought in 
the same length of time than was caused by the Richmond cyclone of 
June 1, 1878. It was indeed a great calamity, and will long be remem- 
bered. 

From personal experience, endured at another time, in another state, 
the writer is fully prepared to appreciate the suffering of those who were 
so unfortunate as to be in the pathway of the terribly devastating whirl- 
wind. 

With a list of the members of the bar and medical profession, and the 
city charter and revised ordinances of the city of Richmond, we close its 
history. 

The Richmond bar has long been noted for the ability, learning and 
eloquence of its members. 

Lawyers who have distinguished themselves in various departments of 
life, have either lived or practiced law at Richmond. Among them we 
mention: Alexander W. Doniphan, Hamilton R. Gamble, Charles French, 
Robert W. Wells, Abiel Leonard, Amos Rees, Thomas C. Burch, Mor- 
decai Oliver, Austin A. King, Peter H. Burnett, and Aaron H. Conrow. 

General Doniphan's fame as a soldier is world-wide. His heroic mil- 
itary exploits are read in the school room, and live in the hearts of his 
countrymen, yet he is not unknown as a brilliant and successful lawyer. 
He is now retired from practice, and is a resident of Richmond. 

As to Aaron H. Conrow, see biographical sketch in part second. 

The rest, including Hon. Geo. W. Dunn, are mentioned elsewhere in 
this work. 

The Richmond bar has, at present, twenty members; several of them 
have practiced in Richmond for many years, and are well and widely 
known, as well for their professional ability as for their sterling worth as 
members of society. The majority, however, are energetic and talented 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 399 

young gentlemen, either recently admitted to the bar, or who have been 
engaged in the practice but a few years. 

Following is a list of members of the Richmond bar in April, 1881: 
Geo. W. Dunn, Christopher T. Garner, James W. Black, Joseph E. Black, 
Chas. J. Hughes, John W. Shotwell, David P. Whitmer, James L. Farris, 
Adam J. Barr, Elijah F. Esteb, James W. Garner, Frank G. Gibson, C. 
T. Garner, Jr., William S. Conrow, Thos. N. Lavelock, J. E. Ball, John 
R. Hamilton, John H. Dunn, George A. Stone and John F. Morton. 

The medical profession is most ably represented in Richmond by the 
following physicians, to-wit: Doctors G. W. Buchanan, H. P. Jacobs, 
W. W. Mosby and son, H. C. Garner, J. D. Taylor, James W. Smith, M« 
C. Jacobs (eclectic), and R. B. Kice (D. D. S.) 

Dr. Nathaniel Davis was a physician of Richmond for many years, but 
is now retired from the practice, and is living quietly at his home, just 
without the eastern limits of the city. 

AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE CITY OF RICHMOND. 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri., as fol- 
lows : 

ARTICLE I. 

Section 1. All that district of country contained within the following- 
boundaries, to-wit: Beginning at a point fifty-eight chains and fifty links 
north of public square, on the line between the land of G. W. Dunn and 
Mrs. Darneal; thence east to the section line between sections twenty- 
nine and thirty, fifty-two chains and fift3'-four links; thence south one 
hundred and three chams and eighty-two links; thence west one hundred 
and five chains and eight links; thence north one hundred and three chains 
and eighty-two links; thence east fifty-two chains and fifty-four links, to 
the place of beginning, shall be, and the same is hereby erected into a 
city, by the name of " The City of Richmond," and the inhabitants thereof 
shall be, and they are hereby constituted, a body corporate and politic, by 
the name and style of "the mayor, councilmen, and citizens of the city of 
Richmond," and by that name they and their successors forever shall 
have perpetual succession, shall sue and be sued, implead and be 
impleaded, defend and be defended in all courts of law and equity, and in 
all actions whatsoever; may contract and be contracted with, may pur- 
chase, receive, and hold property, real and personal, within said city, and 
may sell, lease, or dispose of the same for the benefit of the city, and may 
purchase, receive, and hold property, real or personal, beyond the limits 
of said city, to be used for the burial of the dead of the city, or for the 
establishment of a hospital lor the reception of persons afflicted with con- 
tagious or other diseases, or for the erection of a poor-house and farm, or 
work-house, or house of correction, and may sell, lease,or dispose of such 
property for the benefit of the city, and may do all other acts and things 
as natural persons. They may have and use a common seal, and may 
break, alter, change, and make a new seal at pleasure. 

Sec. 2. The city of Richmond hereby created, as soon as may be, 
shall be divided into six wards, so as to include, as near as may be, the 



400 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

same number of free white male inhabitants in each ward, and the city 
council shall have the power to alter or change the boundaries of said 
wards from time to time, as they see fit, or to increase, or diminish the 
number of said wards, having regard to the number of free white male 
inhabitants, as aforesaid, so that each ward shall, as aforesaid, have, as 
nearly as may be, an equal rmmber of inhabitants. 

ARTICLE 11. 

Section 1. The corporate powers of the inhabitants hereby incorpor- 
ated under the name and style of the " mayor, councilmen, and citizens of 
the city of Richmond," sh Jl be vested in and exercised by a city council, 
to consist of one member irom each ward, to be elected by general ticket, 
by the qualified voters of said city, on the first Monday in April, annually, 
unless otherwise provided by ordinance. 

Sec. 2. No person shall be a member of the city council, unless he be 
a free white male citizen of the state of Missouri, over the age of twenty- 
one years, and shall have resided within the city limits three months, next 
preceding his election, and be a bona fide resident of the ward for which 
he is elected. 

Sec. 3. If a councilman shall, after his election, remove from the ward 
from which he was chosen, his office shall be thereby vacated. 

Sec. 4. The council, in the absence of the mayor, shall elect one of 
their number to be a president -pro tempore of the council, and the presi- 
dent -pro tempore thus elected, shall, during the absence from the cit}' of 
the mayor, or of a vacancy in the office, or of inabihty of the mayor to 
serve, perform all the duties of mayor. 

Sec. 5. The mayor and the city council shall and may annually choose 
such agents and servants as they shall deem necessary in the transaction 
of their business, and remove them at pleasure. 

Sec. 6. The mayor and the city council shall be the judges of the elec- 
tion returns, and qualifications of such mayor and members of said city 
council, and shall determine contested elections. 

Sec. 7. A majority of the council shall constitute a quorum to do busi- 
ness, but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may com- 
pel the attendance of absent members in such a manner, and under such 
penalties, as the council may prescribe. 

Sec. 8. The council may determine the rules of their proceedings, 
punish their members for disorderly conduct, and, with the concurrence 
of two thirds of all the members elected, expel a member, but not a sec- 
ond time for the same offense. 

Sec. 9. The mayor and council shall keep a journal of their proceed- 
ings, and the ayes and nays of the members on any question shall, at the 
desire of any member present, be entered on the journal. 

Sec. 10. Neither the mayor or any member of the council shall, dur- 
ing the time for which he or they are elected, be appointed to any office 
under the provisions of this act, unless a petition to that effect be signed 
by two-thirds of the qualified voters of the city. 

Sec. 11. All vacancies that shall occur in the council shall be filled 
in such manner as shall be provided by ordinance. 

Sec. 12. Every member of the council, before entering upon the 
duties of his office, shall, in addition to the oath of office hereinafter required, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 401 

make affidavit that it is his bona fide intention to reside within the ward 
for which he was elected during the term for which he was elected. 

Sec. 13. Whenever there shall be a tie in the election of members of 
the council, the judges of election shall certify the same to the mayor, or 
person exercising the duties of mayor, who shall immediately thereupon 
issue his proclamation, stating such facts, and ordering a new election, 
giving twenty days' previous notice thereof, and if such ties shall occur 
upon any election for mayor, such judges of election shall certify the same 
to the city council, and such council, after qualification, shall elect 
between such candidates having an equal number of votes; and in the fur- 
ther event that neither of such candidates for mayor shall receive a 
majority of the votes of said council, a new election for maj'or shall be 
ordered by said council immediately, giving twenty days' previous notice 
of the time and place of such election. 

Sec. 14. There shall be stated meetings of the council once in ever}'- 
calendar month, at such time and place as the council, by ordinance, shall 
designate, and other and further proceedings of said council may be con- 
vened by the mayor or person discharging the duties of mayor, at any 
time in his discretion, provided always that said maj^or and council may 
adjourn any meeting from day to day, or to any time within said calendar 
month. 

Sec. 15. Upon the passage of all and every bill appropriating money, 
imposing taxes, or increasing, lessening or abolishing licenses, or borrow- 
ing money, the yeas and nays shall be entered upon the journal upon the 
motion of the mayor or any member of the council. 

Sec. 16. A majority of all the members of the council shall be neces- 
sary to pass any tax bill, or bills appropriating any sum amounting to one 
hundred dollars, or any other bill or bills, involving a like amount in any- 
wise increasing, affecting or diminishing the city revenue. 

ARTICLE III. 

Section. 1. The council shall have power within the city ordinance: 
1st, To levy and collect taxes not exceeding three-fifths of one per centum 
per annum upon the assessed value of all property made taxable by law, 
for state purposes, and also to provide for the collection of the same by 
the sale of real and personal estate within the city, in such manner as 
this act or the council by ordinance shall provide. 2d, To borrow 
money on the credit of the city, upon a vote of two-thirds of the mem- 
bers of the council. 3d, To appropriate money and provide for the pay- 
ment of the debts, appropriations, contracts, liabilities and expenses of the 
city. 4th, To make regulations to guard against and prevent the 
introduction of contagious and infectious diseases into the city, and to 
make quarantine laws for that purpose, and enforce the same within two 
miles of the city. 5th, To establish hospitals, employ physicians' attend- 
ance, and procure drugs and medicines, and to make regulations for the 
government and care thereof. 6th, To make regulations to secure the 
general health of the inhabitants, and to abate, prevent, and remove nuis- 
ances. 7th, To provide the city with water, by digging wells, making 
cisterns, and improving springs and creeks, and. erecting and providing 
pumps on the streets, avenues, and sidewalks within the boundaries of the 
city, for the convenience of the inhabitants thereof. 8th, To create, open 



402 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

alter, abolish, widen, extend, establish, grade, pave, or otherwise improve, 
and to clean, macadamize and keep in repair streets, avenues, lanes and 
alleys within the city, with the express restriction that the council shall not 
establish, or open, any street, lane, avenue or alley through any property 
which has not been laid out into town lots, and a plat thereof filed accord- 
ing to law, unless by the written consent of the proprietors of such prop- 
erty; provided always, that the council may, by ordinance, require the 
owner of such property, when laid out into lots, or outlots, to have the 
streets, lanes, alleys, or avenues to correspond as near as may be with the 
streets, lanes, alleys or avenues in use in the city; and no lane, or avenue, 
or alley shall be altered unless such city council shall pay the owner of 
such real estate such damages as may be found due to such proprietor, to 
be ascertained by a jury of twelve men, or by any other provisions as the 
council may, bv ordinance, prescribe, or by any other legal proceedings. 
9th, To establish, erect and keep in repair, bridges, culverts and sewers, 
and regulate the use of the same. 10th, To establish, sup- 
port and regulate the night watch and patrol. 11th, To erect market- 
houses, establish markets and places, and provide for the government and 
regulation thereof. 12th, To^provide for the erection of all needful build- 
■ ings, for the use of the city. 13th, To provide for enclosing and improv- 
ing any real estate belonging to the city. 14th, To license, tax and regu- 
late auctioneers, grocers, merchants, retailers, dram shop keepers,, 
ordinaries, taverns' and inns. 15th, To license, tax, regulate and 
restrain and suppress hawkers, peddlers, shows, theatrical and other 
performances and exhibitions. 16th, To license, tax and suppress, pro- 
hibit and restrain gaming and gambling houses, bawdy houses, and other 
disorderlv houses. I7th, To provide for the extinguishment of tires, 
and prevention thereof; to organize and establish fire companies, and to 
provide necessary and suitable engines, hose, buckets, ladders, fireworks 
and apparatus; also to regulate and prevent the carr;ying on of any business, 
pursuit or manufactorv of a character to cause or produce fires, or preju- 
dical, or injurious to the health of inhabitants, and to compel the owners 
of the houses and other buildings to have scuttles upon the roofs of any 
such houses or buildings, and stairs and ladders leading to the same. 
18th, To regulate and order the cleaning of chimneys, and to fix the 
flues thereof, to regulate the storage of gunpowder, tar, pitch, resin, 
hemp, cotton, and all other combustible materials, and to regulate the use 
of lights and lighted lamps or candles in all stables, shops and other places; 
to remove or prevent the construction of any fire-place, hearth, chimney, 
stove, oven, boiler, kettle, or apparatus used in any house, building, man- 
ufactory, or business which may be dangerous in causing or promoting 
fire, to prohibit under suitable penalties the firing of fire-crackers, and the 
discharging of fire arms, to direct the safe construction of deposits for 
ashes and to enter into at reasonable hours, or to appoint one or more ofli- 
cers at reasonable times to enter into and examine all out-houses, lots, 
yards, enclosures, and out-buildings of every description, in order to dis- 
cover whether any of them are in a dangerous state, and to cause such as 
may be found by tlie verdict of a jury to be dangerous, to be put in safe and 
secure condition. TJth, To provide for the inspection and weighing of 
hay, the storing and measuring of charcoal, stone coal, fire wood, and 
other fuel to be used in the city. 20th, To regulate the inspection of but- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 403- 

ter, lard and other provisions, vendincr of meat, poultry, butter, eggs, and 
fruit, and to suppress the huckstering within market hours. 21st, To pro- 
vide for taking an enumeration of the inhabitants of the city. 22d, To 
provide for the election of all elective city officers, and provide for the 
removing from office an}' person holding an office created by this act or by 
ordinance not otherwise provided for, to fix the compensation of the city 
officers and regulate the fees of all jurors, witnesses and others for services 
rendered under this act or an}' ordinance. 23d, To regulate the police of 
the city, to impose fines, forfeitures, and penalties for the breach of any 
citv ordinance, and provide for the recovery, and appropriating such fines 
and forfeitures, and the enforcement of such penalties. 24th, To erect a 
workhouse and house of correction, and provide for the regulation and 
government thereof. 25th, To levy and collect a poll tax, not exceeding 
one dollar, upon every free V\'hite male person over twenty-one years 
of age, who shall have resided three months within the city. 26th,, 
To remove all obstacles from the side-walks, and for the cleaning of the 
same, and of the gutters at the expense of the owners of the ground front- 
ing thereon. 27th, To prevent and restrain any riot, noise, disturbance 
or disorderly assemblage in any street, house, or place in the city. 2Sth,. 
To prevent and remove all obstructions in and upon all streets, lanes, 
avenues and alleys, established b}^ law or ordinance. 29th, To have and 
exercise complete control over any commons belonging to the city, and all 
property belonging to the city, real and personal, whether lying in or 
beyond the limits of the corporation created b}- this act, and the same to 
lease, sell, transfer and dispose of either absolutely or with limitation, to 
any person or persons whatsoever. 30th, To make such general rules, 
regulations, bv-laws and ordinances, for the purpose of maintaining the 
peace, good morals, and good government and order of the city of Rich- 
mond, and the trade, commerce, business and manufacturers thereof, as 
the city council may deem expedient, not repugnant to the constitu- 
tion or general laws of the state, and also to enforce the observance 
thereof, by inflicting penalties upon any inhabitants thereof, or other 
person or persons for violation of anv ordinance, not exceeding ninety 
dollars for anv one offense, to be recoverable with costs in any action 
of debt, by and in the name of the "mayor, councilmen and citizens 
of the city of Richmond," for the use of the city, before the recorder 
of any court having jurisdiction or cognizagce of the same. 31st, To 
make all ordinances subject to restriction in the last preceding subdi- 
vision of this section, specified, which shall be necessary and proper for 
carrying into effect the powers specified in this section, and all other 
powers vested by this act in the corporation, the city government, or any 
department or officer thereof. 32d, That all taxation laws passed by this 
city council, other than those applying to hucksters, menageries, circuses, 
concerts, shows, theatrical exhibitions and similar amusements, shall be 
based upon the ad -valorem principle. 33d, No monev shall be drawn 
from the treasury, except in pursuance of an ordinance or resolution of the 
city council regularly passed, at a regular or special meeting of the coun- 
cil. 34th, Every ordinance or resolution passed by the city council, 
shall be signed by the mayor or president pro tern, of the city council, 
and attested by the clerk of the city council before it takes effect. 35th,, 
The style of the ordinances of this city shall be, "Be it ordained by the city 



404 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

council of the City of Richmond." 86th, All ordinances, passed b\' the 
city council shall, within thirty days after they become laws, be published 
in pamphlet form or in some newspaper printed in the city of Richmond, 
in the discretion of the city council, or by copies thereof set up in three 
public places in different parts of the city; but the failure to publish any 
ordinance within the time specified in this section, shall not render voici 
or effect the validity of any such ordinance, unless such delay may cause 
such ordinance to act retrospectively over the rights of individuals. 37th, 
All ordinances of the city may be proven by the seal of the corporation, 
and until a seal is provided, by the private seal of the clerk of the city 
council, and when such ordinances have been printed and published by 
the authority of the corporation, the same shall be received in evidence 
in all courts and places without further proof. 

Sec 2. No person shall, within the limits of this city, directly or indi- 
rectly, sell intoxicating liquors, of any kind, without first taking out a 
special license therefor, obtained as may be prescribed by the city council 
by ordinance. Upon every license there shall be levied a tax not less 
than five nor more than one hundred dollars for city purposes, at the dis- 
cretion of the city council for every period of six months. 

Sec. 3. No person having a license, as in the last preceding section 
provided, shall directly or indirectly, sell, barter, exchange or give away 
any intoxicating liquor, or strong drink of any kind, to any slave with- 
out permission in writing from the rAaster, owner or overseer of such 
slave. 

Sec. 4. No person having a license from the city council, as above 
provided, shall, directl}' or indirectly, sell, barter, exchange, or give away 
any intoxicating liquor, or strong drink of any kind, to any apprentice or 
minor, without first having permission in writing from the parent, guar- 
dian, or person with whom the minor may at the time be living or board- 
ing, and in case of apprentices from the person to whom the individual 
is bound, or his parent. 

Sec. 5. Any person convicted of a violation of either of the preced- 
ing sections of this act, shall be fined in a sum not less than twenty, nor 
more than one hundred dollars for each oflense, to be recovered as may 
be prescribed by ordinance. 

ARTICLE IV. 

Section 1. The chief executive of this city shall be the mayor, who 
shall be elected by the qualified voters of the city, and shall hold his 
office for the term of one year, and until his successor is dul}^ elected 
and qualified, provided that an election to fill a vacancy shall be only 
for the remainder of the term for which his predecessor was elected. 

Sec. 2. No person shall be mayor, who, at the time of his election, is 
not possessed of the qualifications for a councilman. 

Sec. 3. If two or more persons shall have an equal number of votes 
for mayor, or if the election be contested, the city council shall decide the 
election by vote. 

Sec. 4. Whenever any vacancy shall happen in the office of mayor 
it shall be filled by election, in such manner as shall be provided by 
ordinance. 

Sec. 5. The mayor may be removed from office for any misdemeanor, 
by a majority of two-thirds of the city council. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 405 

Sec. 6. The mayor shall act as president of the city council, and shall 
(have) power to nominate, and by and with the consent of the city coun- 
cil, to appoint all city officers not ordered by this act to be otherwise 
appointed. He shall take care that the ordinances of the city are duly 
performed, enforced, respected and observed in the city. He may remit 
lines, punishments, forfeitures and penalties accruing from or imposed for 
the violation of any law or ordinance of the city. He may fill all vacan- 
cies which may occur in any elective office other than that of a member 
of the council, until the same be filled by election; and in any other office 
until the end of the next session of the council, which may happen after 
the vacancy shall have occurred. He shall, from time to time, give to 
the city council information relative to the state of the city, and shall rec- 
ommend to their consideration such measures as he may deem expedient 
for the advantage of the city. The mayor, while presiding in the city 
council, shall have no vote on any measure or question, except there be 
a tie, in which case he shall'give the casting vote. 

Sec 7. The mayor may call special meetings of the council by proc- 
lamation or by written notice. 

Sec. 8. Whenever a special session of the council shall have been 
called by the mayor, he shall state to them when assembled, the cause for 
which they have convened. 

Sec. 9. There shall be a recorder within and for said city, who shall 
be ex-officio clerk of the city council, and perform such other duties as the 
city council may direct; a city treasurer, a city constable, a city assessor, 
and city attorney, who in addition to the duties prescribed in this act, shall 
perform such other duties prescribed by ordinance. All of said officers 
shall be elected by the qualifed voters of the city at the regular annual 
city election, on the first Monday in April of each year. There shall also 
be such other officers, servants and agents of the corporation as may be 
provided by ordinance, to be appointed by the mayor, by and with the 
consent and advice of the city council, and to perform such other duties 
as may be prescribed by ordinance, and such officers shall be removable 
at the pleasure of the city council, by a majority of two-thirds of the city 
council. 

Sec. 10. The city council may, by ordinance, provide for the election 
by the qualified voters of the city, of any of the officers. 

Sec 11. It shall be the duty of the clerk of the city council to keep a 
journal of the proceedings of the council, to record in a separate book all 
ordinances or resolutions appropriating mone3%to keep a record of all the 
official acts of the mayor, and when necessary to attest them; he shall 
keep and preserve in his office the common seal of the city, and all 
records, public papers and documents, not properly belonging to any other 
officer. 

Sec 12. It shall be the duty of the city treasurer to receive and keep 
the money of the city, and to pay out the same on warrants drawn by 
the mayor or other officers authorized by ordinance to draw them. 

Sec 13. The city constable shall, within the city, possess the same 
powers, perform the same duties, and receive the same fees and compen- 
sation as the constable of Richmond township, for similar services. He 
shall execute and return all process to him directed, whenever issued by 
the mayor, recorder, or any member of the city council, or by a justice of 



406 'HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the peace, when any justice of the peace is authorized to issue process 
under this act, or any ordinance of the city; he shall also be collector of 
the city taxes. 

Sec. 14. The mayor and all other officers of the corporation shall 
reside within the limits of the corporation during their continuance in 
office, and if the mayor of the corporation shall cease to reside within the 
limits of the same, his office shall be thereby vacated. 

Sec. 15. The recorder shall be a resident of the city, and shall possess 
the same qualifications as the mayor and city council, and shall hold his 
office one year, and until his successor is duly commissioned and qualified. 
Such recorder may be removed from office in the same manner as the 
mayor. He shall have the same jurisdiction as the justices of the 
peace within and for the limits of the city. He shall have exclusive juris- 
diction over all cases arising under any ordinance of said city, subject, 
however, in all cases, to an appeal to the circuit court of Ray county, 
and every such appeal shall be granted as in this act is expressed. He 
shall have power under the seal of the city, to take and certify the 
acknowledgement of deeds, conveyances and all other instruments of 
writing requiring authentication, and such deeds, conveyances or other 
instruments may be recorded in any county of the state, or may be read 
in evidence in any court in this state, without further authentication; he 
shall be authorized to administer oaths and affirmations, and take and cer- 
tify depositions; he shall be entitled, in all cases, to the same fees which 
are now, or may be hereafter allowed by law to justices of the peace for 
similar services, which shall be taxed and collected as other costs, by fee 
bill or execution. 

Sec. 16. In the event of the absence, sickness, removal, or inability of 
the recorder to act, any justice of the peace, residing within the limits of 
the city, shall have power to hear, try and determine all cases properly 
cognizable before the recorder; and if no justice of the peace should be 
residing in said city, then any justice of the peace within and for Rich-, 
mond township, shall have power to hear, try and determine all cases 
properly cognizable before the recorder. 

ARTICLE V. 

Section 1. A general election for all the officers of corporation required 
to be elected by this act or by any ordinance of the city, shall be holden 
on the first Monday in April in each year, unless otherwise provided by^ 
ordinance. 

Sec 2. At all elections for city officers, the voters shall vote viva voce^ 
and the manner and place of holding such election shall be regulated by 
ordinance. 

Sec 3. Three judges of election, and two clerks shall be appointed by 
the city council, unless otherwise provided by ordinance; they shall take 
an oath to faithfully and impartially discharge their duties; they shall 
open the polls at nine o'clock in the morning, and keep open until six 
o'clock in the afternoon, when they shall proceed forthwith publicly to 
ascertain the result of the election, and when ascertained to make proclam- 
ation thereof. The poll books shall be, after certified as aforesaid, 
returned by the clerks of the election to the city council, there to remain 
for inspection and examination. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 407 

Sec. 4. All persons qualified as electors under the tenth section of the 
third article of the constitution of the state of Missouri, who shall have 
resided three months within the cit}' next precedinf^ the elections shall 
be deemed qualified voters at all elections for city officers. 

Sec 5. Elections for city officers shall continue for one day only; 
special elections to fill vacancies shall be held under such regulations as 
may be provided by city ordinance. 

ARTICLE VI. 

Section 1. It shall not be lawful for the city council to grade, pave 
or macadamize any streets, lanes or avenues not opened, and established 
according to law or ordinance; it shall be lawful, nevertheless, for the city 
council to order the owner or owners of ground fronting on any private 
alley to keep the same clean, and if necessary thereto, to direct him or 
them to pave the same. 

Sec. 2. When it is necessary to take private property for opening, 
widening, altering or extending any pubHc street, lane or avenue, the cor- 
poration shall make a just compensation therefor to the person whose 
property is taken, and if the amount of such compensation cannot be 
agreed upon, the recorder shall cause the same to be ascertained by a jury 
of twelve disinterested free-holders of the city. 

Sec 3. In opening, altering, widening or extending alleys through 
blocks or squares of the city, the same proceeding shall be had in case of 
opening, widening, altering or extending public streets, lanes or avenues, 
with the addition that the jury will ascertain the amount of benefit that 
will accrue to the person whose property is taken, and those who may 
have petitioned for the opening, widening, altering or extending of such 
alley. 

Sec 4. When the owners of the major part of all the property on the 
street, lane, avenue or alley proposed to be opened, widened, altered or 
extended shall petition therefor, the mayor and city council may open, 
widen, alter or extend such street, lane, avenue or alley, upon conditions 
prescribed by ordinance, but no compensation shall, in such case, be made 
to those whose property shall be taken for opening, widening, altering or 
extending such street, lane, avenue or alley, who have petitioned for the 
same; nor shall there be any assessment of benefit or damaged that may 
accrue thereby to any of the petitioners. 

Sec 5. All jurors empanelled to inquire into amount of benefit or 
damages which shall happen to any owner of property proposed to be 
taken for opening, widening, altering or extending any street, lane, avenue 
or alley, shall first be sworn to that effect, and shall return to the mayor 
their inquest, signed by each juror. 

Sec 6. The mayor shall have power, for good cause shown in ten 
days after inquest shall have been returned to him, as mentioned in pre- 
ceding section, to set the same aside and cause a new inquest to be made. 

Sec 7. The mayor and councilmen shall have power by ordinance to 
enforce the payment of all sums, which a jury shall declare to be the 
amount of benefits accruing to the owners of property upon which any 
alley shall be opened, widened, altered or extended, if the owner be one 
of the petitioners for opening, widening, altering or extending such alley. 

Sec 8. The mayor and council shall have power by ordinance to levy 



408 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

and collect a special tax on the holders of any lots or any street, lane, or 
avenue or alley, or any part of any street, lane, avenue or alley, accord- 
ing to the respective fronts owned by them, for the purpose of paving or 
grading such street, lane, avenue or alley, provided always said tax shall 
not exceed three-fifths of one per centum; nor shall the grading or paving 
be done at the expense of the owners of the lots fronting on the street, 
lane, avenue or alley, unless a petition for such grading and paving, 
signed by the owners of a major part of the ground fronting thereon, be 
presented for such purpose. 

Sec. 9. The city council shall have power by ordinance to direct the 
manner in which any property, real or personal, advertised for sale or sold 
for taxes, general or special, or for the costs of any improvement done, or 
ordered to to be done by the authority of the corporation, may be redeemed. 

Sec. 10. Lands within the limits of the city, which have not been laid 
off into blocks or lots, shall not be taxed or assessed, otherwise than by 
the acre as agricultural or waste land, and shall continue to be so taxed 
and assessed until laid off" into blocks or lots by the owners, respectively; 
and the owners of such lands, in laying the same oft" into blocks or lots, 
shall so arrange the streets that they shall* correspond with the present 
established streets of the city. 

ARTICLE VII. 

Section 1. The city council shall cause to be published at the end of 
each fiscal year, a full, complete and detailed statement of all moneys 
received and expended by the corporation during the preceding fiscal 
year, and on what account received and expended, classifying each receipt 
and expenditure under its appropriate head. 

Sec. 2. All suits, actions and prosecutions mstituted, commenced or 
brought by the corporation hereby created, shall be instituted, com- 
menced and prosecuted in the name of the " mayor, councilmen and citi- 
zens of the city of Richmond." 

Sec. 3. All actions, fines, taxes, penalties and forfeitures which have 
accrued to " the inhabitants of Richmond," or the trustees of said town 
under their former incorporation, and the by-laws and ordinances for the 
recovery of which no suits or actions at law shall have been commenced 
or instituted, shall be, and the same is hereby vested in, and be prosecuted 
for b}' the corporation hereby created. 

Sec. 4. All property, real, personal, or mixed, money, effects and 
choses in actions now or heretofore belonging to "the inhabitants of the 
town of Richmond," or the trustees of said town in their corporate 
capacity shall be, and the same is hereby declared to be vested in the 
name of the corporation hereby created, for whomsoever the same may 
be in the possession, or under the control, any law, usage or arrangement 
to the contrary notwithstanding. 

Sec. 5. This charter and incorporation shall not invalidate any act 
done by the " inhabitants of the town of Richmond," or the trustees or any 
officer thereof, nor divest them of any right which may have accrued to 
them prior to the passage of this act. 

Sec. 6. This act is hereby declared to be a public act, and may be 
read in evidence in all courts of law and equity in this state without 
further proof. 

Sec. 7. All persons residing within the limits of the city of Richmond 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 4Q9 

are hereby exempted from working upon any road without and beyond 
the boundaries of said city, and from paying any tax, fine or penalty, to 
be applied to employ laborers, furnish means or tools, or provide materials 
to work, or to be used upon any road beyond the limits of said city. 

Sec. 8. Any and all persons who shall fail, neglect, or refuse to pay 
any fine, forfeiture, penalty or costs imposed upon him or them, by any 
ordinance of said city, for any misdemeanor, after conviction thereof by 
the verdict of a jury, shall and may be committed to the common jail of 
Ray county, by the recorder of said city or other officer having jurisdic- 
tion, until such fine and costs are paid, provided that such imprisonment 
shall not exceed the term of ninety days, to be regulated by ordinance, 
and to be found by such jury, and any such commitment shall be recalled 
by any such committing officer whenever the person to be fined, convicted 
or imprisoned shall take an appeal to the Ray circuit court, according to 
the rules and regulations and provisions governing the taking of appeals 
from the justices of the peace to the circuit court, provided, nevertheless, 
that the corporation hereby created shall be liable for costs, fees and 
other expenses incurred under this section, whenever the person so con- 
victed, sentenced and imprisoned is unable to pay the same. 

Sec. 9. The fiscal year of said city shall terminate on the day preced- 
ing the second Monday of March, of each year, and such period, or ter- 
mination of said fiscal year may be altered or changed by the city council 
by ordinance. 

Sec. 10. There shall be a digest or revision of the ordinances of the 
city which are of a public or general nature, published in a newspaper, 
printed in said city, or in pamphlet form, or in both, in the discretion of 
the city council, within twelve months after the passage of this act, and a 
like digest within every period of three years thereafter. 

Sec. 11. The council may provide by ordinance for the collecting, 
from every delinquent officer of the city, any revenue, money, or property 
improperly detained, or not accounted for by such officer, and may pro- 
vide the penalty or punishment for such delinquency or failure to account 
for such money or property. 

Sec. 12. The city council, or any officer or department thereof, shall 
not have the power to issue any bills, scrip, or paper, of any description 
soever, to circulate as currency, or representative thereof; but any war- 
rant, draft, note, obligation, or bond of the city may be transferred and 
made transferable by endorsement thereon from each holder, under such 
restrictions and regulations as the city council may prescribe, not contrary 
to the true meaning and intent of this section. 

Sec. 13. Whenever any real estate shall have been advertised for sale, 
or shall have been sold for the payment of any fine, judgment, penalty, 
forfeiture or taxes, or in consequence of a failure upon the part of the 
ov/ner thereof to grade, pave or curb the front of any sidewalk fronting 
upon any public street or avenue by the authority of the corporation, such 
owner or owners, whether resident or non-resident of said city, may 
within two years after such sale redeem the same by paying to the pur- 
chaser or purchasers thereof the full amount of said purchase money, and 
all taxes subsequently paid thereon, together with all costs and full value 
of any useful or necessary improvements or needful repairs made thereon 

26 



410 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

by such purchasers, to be assessed by a jury of twelve householders 
before the recorder of said city, together with one hundred per centum 
upon the original amount of purchase money paid therefor by such pur- 
chaser, provided, however, that married women, persons of unsound mind, 
and minors shall have the period of five 3^ears after such disabilities are 
removed to appear and redeem the land sold as above provided. 

Sec. 14 Any purchaser of any real estate, sold for the non-payment 
of any fine, judgment, penalty, forfeiture, or taxes, or in consequence of a 
failure on the part of the owner thereof to grade, curb, or pave any front 
or sidewalk fronting upon any public street or avenue, upon the payment 
to the treasurer of the corporation hereby created, of the purchase 
money thereof, shall receive of and from such treasurer a certificate 
of the payment of said amount of purchase money, describing such real 
estate by lot and number, upon the recorded plat of said town of Rich- 
mond, or by the metes and bounds thereof, and briefly describing the 
judgment, penalty, forfeiture, tax, or improvement, for the non-payment 
of which the same was sold, together with the date of sale, which certifi- 
cate shall be countersigned by the mayor of said city, under the seal of the 
corporation. 

Sec. 15. Any holder of such certificate, after the lapse of two years 
from the date thereof, (if a resident or non-resident owner of such real 
estate shall have failed, neglected, or refused to redeem the same in the 
manner provided by this act), upon the production of such certificate at 
any regular session of the city council, and upon said council, or a major- 
ity of them being satisfied by the affidavit of such purchaser, or other- 
wise, that said owner has failed to redeem the estate herein described 
within two years after the sale of such real estate, and the date of such 
certificate, such purchaser shall receive a deed of conveyance from the 
said corporation, conveying to such purchaser the real estate described in 
such certificate. 

Sec. 16. The deed of conveyance referred to in the foregoing section 
of this article shall be made and executed by the mayor of the city of 
Richmond in the name of said city, and shall recite the judgment, penal- 
ties, forfeitures, taxes or neglected improvement, together with a law or 
ordinance under which the (same) was sold, the advertisement of sale, 
time, place and term of sale, the fact of the sale, the consideration, the 
certificate granted by the treasurer, and the failure to redeem, and shall 
convey the premises as described in such certificate by the operative 
words "assign, transfer, convey and confirm" to such purchaser and his 
heirs and assigns forever, reserving the right of married women, persons 
of unsound mind and minors, as hereinbefore provided. Such conveyance 
shall be signed by said mayor, and attested under the seal of the said cor- 
poration, and shall be acknowledged before any officer (other than the 
recorder of the citv) authorized to take acknowledgments of instruments 
of writing, conveying real estate under the laws of the state of Missouri. 

Sec. 17. Such deed of conveyance so executed and acknowledged 
shall vest in such purchaser all the right, title and interest, estate and 
property of the previous owner of such real estate, and shall be admitted 
as evidence in any court within this state in any suit or action at law, or in 
equity as prima facie evidence of title without further proof. 

Sec. 18. The owner of any real estate sold under the provisions of this 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 411 

act, or his widow, heirs or executors, or administrators, may any time 
within two years after such sale, redeem the same by paying to the pur- 
chaser thereof, or to the treasurer of the corporation hereby created, the 
amount paid by said purchaser, and all taxes subsequently thereon, to- 
gether with the value of any and all useful or necessary improvements and 
needful repairs made thereon by such purchaser, together with one hun- 
dred per centum upon the original amount of purchase money paid there- 
for, and upon such payment shall receive from the said council, attested 
by the mayor, under the seal of the corporation, a quietus to the title 
thereto conforming as nearly as may be the quietus granted by the state 
of Missouri under analogous circumstances, and such quietus shall fully 
vest all the title to such real estate in the original owner. 

Sec. 19. All surplus money received by the corporation hereby 
created, arising from the sale of any real estate over and above the amount 
due for taxes, fines, forfeitures, penalties, judgments and costs, at the 
time of such sale, shall be paid over to the owner of such real estate ; 
or his legal representatives, in the event of his decease, may appy 
to the city council for such surplus, who shall issue a warrant on the 
city treasurer in favor of the owner of such real estate at the time of such 
sale, or his representatives, for such amount so paid into the city treasurer 
for his use. 

Sec. 20. All prosecutions for misdemeanors shall be instituted before 
the recorder or other officer having jurisdiction thereof, as in this act is 
herein expressed and directed. 

Sec. 21. The true intent and meaning of this act is, an appeal shall be 
allowed to the Ray circuit court from the final judgment of the recorder 
or other officer having jurisdiction of the subject matter, (other than for 
contempt of court) or from the finding of any jury in like manner and 
with like effect, as appeals are allowed fi-om justices of the peace to said 
<:ourt, any law or usage, or any provision or construction of this act to 
the contrary notwithstanding. 

Sec. 22. Whenever an appeal shall be allowed to the Ray circuit 
court from the verdict and finding of any jury, or fi-om the judgment of 
the recorder or other officer having jurisdiction under this act, such 
appeal, if involving a charge of misdemeanor, shall be tried by said cir- 
cuit court before a jury of six men, and such misdemeanor shall be pun- 
ished in the manner and according to the provisions of this act, and the 
ordinance of the city council governing such original trial, not incon- 
sistent with, or repugnant to the same, any law or usage to the con- 
trary notwithstanding, and if such appeal be taken from the judgment of 
the recorder or other officer, or finding of any jury, in any act to recov r 
any tax, fine or penalty, or forfeiture, other than a misdemeanor for the 
breach of any law or ordinance or by-law of said city, such action shall be 
tried before such circuit court as appeals from justices of the peace, and shall 
be governed and determined in all respects and particulars as nearly as may 
be according to such existing law, ordinance or by-law of the said cit}^ of 
Richmond, and provisions thereof, before such recorder or other officer 
having jurisdiction upon such original trial, any law or usage to the con- 
trary notwithstanding. 

Sec. 23. The practice and proceedings before the recorder under this 
act, for the recovery of any fines, tax, penalty or forfeiture, for the breach 



412 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

of any city ordinance or by-laws, (unless when herein otherwise expressly 
provided,) shall conform in all respects and particulars as nearly as may 
be to the laws of the state of Missouri regulating justices' courts. 

Sec. 24. In all cases, where a judgment shall be rendered by the re- 
corder or other officer having jurisdiction, against any defendant for any 
fine, penalty, or forfeiture, or for the breach of any law or ordinance, or 
upon the verdict and finding of any jury, and such judgment, verdict, and 
finding of any jury or part thereof involves the imprisonment of the de- 
fendant, it shall be the duty of said recorder or other officer having juris- 
diction, to forthwith order such defendant into the custody of the city con- 
stable, and to issue a mittimus or commitment committing such defendant 
to the common jail of said county, and such defendant shall, from the 
making of such order or the issual of such commitment, remain in safe 
custody, unless discharged by the taking and effecting an appeal as here- 
inbefore provided, or until discharged by due course of law. 

Sec. 25. Upon the filing of any charge or misdemeanor by the city 
attorney against any person or persons as provided in this act, it shall be 
the duty of the recorder or other officer, having iurisdiction, to issue his war- 
rant, reciting such charge directed to the city constable, and commanding 
him forthwith to apprehend such person or persons, and bring him or them 
before such officer having jurisdiction, to be further dealt with according 
to law, and such city constable shall execute such warrant in any part of 
Ray county. 

Sec. 26. In all cases of misdemeanor committed, or charged to be 
committed, within the city limits, the accused shall be entitled to a sum- 
marv trial by jury before the recorder or other officer having jurisdiction. 

Sec. 27. The constable or any other officer shall have power to arrest 
any offenders against the laws or ordinances of the city of Richmond, and 
bring him or them before the proper officers without a warrant. 

Sec. 28. All persons charged with misdemeanors shall be entitled to 
six peremptory challenges, and the city attorney or other officers shall be 
entitled to three, and the jury shall consist of six persons qualified under 
the laws of the state of Missouri to serve as jurors. 

Sec. 29. Richmond College and the lands thereto belonging, the fair 
grounds and the land thereto belonging, all schools und academies and 
institutions of learning, male and female, churches and all other public 
property shall be exempt from the provisions of this act, in relation to 
taxes, streets, lanes and alleys, and avenues, so long as they remain and 
are used for such purposes. 

Sec. 30. Nothing in this act shall be so construed as to interfere with the 
jurisdiction heretofore exercised by the grand jury and the circuit court 
within and for Ray county, over crimes and misdemeanors within the 
limits of the city, and the punishment thereof by indictment and trial 
thereon in said circuit court. 

Sec. 31. The said city council shall not have power to borrow money 
on the credit of the city at anv time at higher rate of interest than the then 
legal and lawful rate of interest per annum. 

Sec. 32. That Humphrey J. Comer, Joseph S. Hughes, Jacob Dar- 
neal, Wilson R. Holman and Patrick Smith, be, and the same are hereby 
appointed and authorized, immediately after receiving this charter from 
the legislature, to lay off the city into seven wards, according to the pro- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 413 

visions of this act, and immediately thereafter to order an election, giving 
ten days notice previous thereto, for all the officers provided herein to be 
elected, who shall serve in their office respectively until the annual election 
on the- first Monday in April, A. D. 1858, and until their successors are 
duly elected and qualified. 

Sec. 33. The general assembly of the state of Missouri, may at any 
time, alter, amend or repeal this charter. 

Sec. 34. All acts and parts of acts contrary to, and inconsistent with 
the provisions of this act, are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 35. The secretary of the state of Missouri, shall, as soon as this 
act is approved by the governor, transmit to Humphrey J. Comer, a copy 
thereof, certified under the seal of Missouri. 

This act shall take .effect and be in force from and after its passage. 

Approved November 9, 1857. 

I, B. F. Massey, secretary of state, hereby certify the foregoing copy of 
an act entitled: "An act to incorporate the city of Richmond," is a true 
copy of the original roll now on file in this office. 

-—-^ — In Testimony Whereof, I have hereto set my name and 
J ) affixed the seal of office. Done at the office of secretary of 

( f state, in the city of Jefferson, the 29th day of December, A. D. 

-— . 1857. 

B. F. Massey, Secretary of State, 

REVISED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND, MISSOURI. 

AN ordinance in RELATION TO ASSESSMENT OF PROPERTY AND THE 

LEVYING OF TAXES. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 

Section 1. That for the support of the city government, there shall be 
levied annuall}^ a tax for general purposes, on all property, personal, real 
and mixed, within the limits of said city, subject to taxation for state and 
county purposes, not exceeding fifty cents on the one hundred dollars 
assessed value thereof. 

Sec. 2. The recorder shall on or before the first day of August of each 
year, cause to be made out and delivered to the assessor, a well bound 
book, suitably ruled, to contain a list of all taxable real estate in the 
limits of the city, in which the assessor shall correctly describe every lot 
or parcel of ground subject to taxation, placing opposite to such descrip- 
tion the name of the owner if known, and if unknown, he shall so state in 
an appropriate column. 

Sec. 3. The city recorder shall also cause to be prepared in the assess- 
or's book suitable columns for the assessment of personal property subject 
to taxation. The names of owners shall be entered in alphabetical order. 
Such personal assessment roll may be in the form of assessment roll for 
state and county taxes. 

Sec. 4. And to said assessment list the following oath shall be made, 
or the same oath as is made to assessment list for state and county taxes: 

AFFIDAVIT. 

State of Missouri, County of Ray. 

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that the foregoing list contains a 



414 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

true and correct statement of all the property made taxable by the laws of 
the state of Missouri, including therein the number of horses, number of 
neat cattle, number of sheep, number of hogs, number of asses and jennets, 
number of mules,' all other live stock, all farm machinery and implements, 
household property, musical instruments, clocks, watches, chains and 
appendages, sewing machmes, gold and silver plate, jewelry, household 
and kitchen furniture, money on hand, money deposited, notes unsecured 
by mortgage or deed of trust, notes secured by mortgage or deed of trust, 
all bonds, whether state, county, town, city, township, or of incorporated 
or unincorporated companies, and all other property and its value, which 
I owned on the 1st day of August, 18 — , or which I had under my charge 
or management, or any money or propert}'^ due me on said day from sol- 
vent persons or companies on notes, accounts, or otherwise, as fully and 
as specifically as I am required to make a return thereof, under the reve- 
nue law of this state; and I do further solemnly swear (or affirm) that I 
have not sent or taken, or caused to be sent or taken, any property, money 
or bills, bonds or notes, or other securities or evidences of debt, out of this 

state to avoid taxation. So help me God. 

Subscribed and sworn to before me, this .... day of .... 18 . . . 



Sec. 5. If any person shall fail, neglect or refuse to return said list with 
the blanks therein properl}'- filled, and the certificate thereto properly 
sworn to, within ten days, to the assessor, the assessor shall assess the 
whole property belonging to, or in the charge of such person, at such 
amount as he may deem just and proper. 

Sec. 6. If any person required to list his property shall do so falsely, 
the assessor shall list the same anew, and assess it at double its cash 
value. It shall also be the duty of the assessor to list and assess all 
personal property he may find in said city, when the owner thereof is 
unknown. 

Sec 7. If at any time it shall be ascertained by the assessor, that any 
property, either real, personal or mixed, has escaped assessment or taxa- 
tion for one or two years past, he shall assess the same for such years, 
noting the amount due for each year. 

Sec 8. No tax shall be assessed or imposed upon the following prop- 
erty: Churches, chapels and other buildings used for religious worship, 
and land upon which they are situated, and used in connection therewith, 
real estate and personal property belonging to any incorporated agricul- 
tural society so long as the same shall be used for the purpose of such 
society and none other; cemeteries and grave-yards set apart and used for 
that purpose, all orphan asylums for the relief of sick and needy, with 
their furniture and equipments, and so much of the land upon which they 
are situated as may be exclusively used for that purpose; all libraries and 
their furniture and equipment belonging to any library association or society. 

Sec 9. The asssessor shall return this assessment list to the city coun- 
cil on or before the first regular meeting of such council in the month of 
November of each year, verified by his affidavit thereto, that he has made 
diligent effort to discover all the taxable property within the city limits on 
the 1st day of August, and that so far as he has been able to ascertain, it 
is correctly set forth in the foregoing lists, in the manner and of the value 
therein stated, according to law. 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 415 

Sec. 10. As soon as may be after the return of the assessment rolls, 
the city council shall appoint a day for hearing objections thereto, and 
shall cause to be published in some newspaper, printed in said cit}'-, the 
following notice: 

Mayor's Office, Richmond^ Missouri, .... i8. .. 

Public notice is hereby given, that the assessment roll of taxable real and 
personal estate in the city of Richmond, for the year 18 — , has been com- 
pleted and returned to the city council by the assessor. All persons feel- 
ing themselves aggrieved by the assessment of their property, are hereby 
notified to file their objections in the office of the city recorder, on or 

before the day of 18 . . . 

. Mayor. 

Sec. 11. All complaints concerning assessments shall be inquired into 
and determined in a summary Imanner, correcting any errors that may 
appear, and increasing or diminishing assessments, as the council, sitting 
as a court of appeals and board of equalization, may deem just and 
equitable. 

Sec. ] 2. When said roll has been revised and corrected as provided for 
in the last preceding section, an order shall be entered of record by the 
council, declaring the same affirmed, and ordering the recorder to file the 
same in his office. 

Sec 13. The city council, immediately after such confirmation, shall 
proceed to levy such tax as may be deemed necessary for all purposes 
mentioned in the charter aud ordinances of the city, provided that the sum 
so levied shall in no case exceed the per centum specified in the constitu- 
tion of the state of Missouri. 

Sec 14. The city recorder shall, within twenty days after the confir- 
mation of said assessment roll, make or cause to be made, and deliver to 
the city collector a full and complete copy of such assessment roll, the 
different taxes extended thereon, with a warrant thereto attached, which 
may be in the following form: 

warrant. 

State of Missouri, County of Ray, ss. 

Whereas, The city council of the city of Richmond did, on the day 

of , A. D., 18. ., levy and assess upon the assessed value lor the year 

18 . . , of the real and personal estate herein before described, the several 
sums set opposite thereto in the appropriate columns respectively, [here 

insert the particular taxes levied] for the municipal year ending 

Now, therefore, you are commanded to make, levy, and collect the said 
several sums of money set opposite the real and personal estate hereinbe- 
fore described, as taxes thereon for the year aforesaid, of the goods and 
chattels of the respective owners of said real and personal estate, and 
hereof make due return in what manner you shall execute this warrant on 
or before the .... day of .... next after this date. 

> 

Mayor of the city of Richmond, Missouri. 

Attest : , Recorder. 

Sec 15. The recorder, at the time of delivering said assessment book, 
shall take the receipt of the collector thereof, and charge him with the 
amount thereof 



416 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Sec. 16. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with the 
provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 17. This ordinance to take effect from and after its publication. 

Approved November 1, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

W. C. Patton, Clerk. 

AN ordinance in RELATION TO CITY ATTORNEY. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 

Section 1. On Tuesdav, after the first Monday in April, in each year, 
there shall be elected a city attorney, who shall hold his office for the 
period of one year, and untl his successor shall be elected and qualified, 
and shall take and subscribe an oath, before entering upon the discharge 
of the duties of his office, to support the constitution of the United States 
and the state of Missouri, to faithfully demean himself in his office. 

Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the city attorney to act as the legal 
counselor for the city, in all cases, and prosecute before the recorder, or a 
justice of the peace, all the actions on behalf of the city, and to defend all 
actions brought against the city. 

Sec. 3. it shall be a misdemeanor in the city attorney to take a fee in 
any case against the cit}''. 

Sec. 4. He shall be entitled to a fee of two dollars and fifty cents for 
each case of conviction before the recorder or other officer having juris- 
diction for any violation of the city ordinance. 

Sec. 5. If, in any case, the city attorney shall be interested, the mayor 
shall appoint one to act in his place. 

Sec. 6. In case of the death, or resignation, or removal from office, 
the mayor shall have power to appoint a city attorney for the residue of 
the term. 

Approved August 21, 1867. 

AN OREflNANCE IN RELATION TO THE CITY MARSHAL — HIS DUTIES AND 

HIS SALARIES. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 

Section 1. On Tuesday, after the first Monday in April, in each year, 
there shall be elected a city constable, who shall hold his office for one 
year, and until his successor is duly elected and qualified. 

Sec. 2. He shall give bond to the mayor, councilmen, and citizens of 
Richmond, in such sum as the city council may require, with good security, 
conditioned for the faithful performance of his official duties, and shall 
execute all process to him directed, and perform such other duties as may 
be required of him by the council, and the ordinances of the city of Rich- 
mond. 

Sec. 3. That in addition to the duties of the city marshal prescribed in 
the city charter, the folio wmg duties are also imposed: It shall be the 
duty of the city marshal to cause to be removed from the streets, alleys, 
avenues, market place and public square of the cit}', and from any other 
part of the city, all offensive substance and nuisances, which in his opinion 
may have a tendency to endanger the health of the inhabitants of said city. 
2d, The city marshal shall take all necessary measures to ascertain all 
nuisances which may exist, and shall attend particularly to the cleanliness 
of the city. 3d, If a nuisance of any description whatever be found upon 
the lot, or ground, possession, or in the building of any person or persons, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 417 

the city marshal shall give notice to the occupant, or owner of the prem- 
ises, to cause such nuisances to be corrected or removed within the time 
specified in said notice, which shall not be more than twenty-four hours; 
and should such occupant or owner of the property fail or refuse to cor- 
rect or remove such nuisance in the time prescribed, the city marshal shall 
have the same corrected or removed at the expense of the city. 4th, For 
every failure, refusal or neglect by any' occupant or owner of any prem- 
ises, to remedy or remove any nuisance existing thereon, when notified 
thereof as above directed, by the city marshal, such occupant or owner 
shall forfeit and pay to the city the sum of not less than one nor more 
than one. hundred dollars, as well as all expenses incurred in removing 
such nuisance, to be recovered by said city as other fines, penalties or for- 
feitures. 5th, The city marshal shall at the end of each month render to 
the city council of said city an account of all expenses for cleaning the 
city, and all such expenditures as he may have made on behalf of said city. 
6th, The city marshal shall patrol the city, and endeavor as far as in his 
power to prevent all violations of the ordinances of the city, or of the law 
of the land. He shall give information to the recorder of all vagrants and 
disorderly or suspicious persons, lurking about the city without any visi- 
ble means of support. 7th, That for each failure or refusal to discharge 
the several duties enjoined upon him by the charter and ordinances, said 
marshal shall, upon conviction, forfeit and pay said city not less than one 
nor more than twenty dollars, to be used for and recovered as other for- 
feitures. 

Sec. 4. It shall be the duty of the city marshal to collect and pay over 
all fines and forfeitures, jailor's fees adjudged to be paid by the recorder 
of the city of Richmond, immediately after the same shall be collected, to 
the city treasurer, and also to collect and pay said recorder, city attor- 
ney, witnesses and jurymen, their fees whenever called on after the 
same have been collected. Any failure to comply with this provision 
shall be, and the same is hereby declared to be a misdemeanor ; and for 
each offense he shall be fined not less than five nor more than one hun- 
dred dollars, to be recovered as other fines and forfeitures. 

Sec. 5. The city marshal shall hereafter be subject to renioval from 
office for incompetency or neglect of his official duty, by a majority vote 
of the city council of said city, and in case of such removal, the 
vacancy shall be filled as is now provided by the laws and ordinances 
of said city. 

Sec. 6. The salary of the city marshal shall be in addition to the com- 
missions and costs now allowed him by the laws and ordinances of said 
city, four hundred dollars per annum, payable quarterly, in full payment 
for his services for himself and deputies. 

Sec. 7. All ordinances and parts of ordinances, inconsistent with this 
ordinance are hereby repealed. 

Sec 8. This ordinance to take effect and be in force from and after 
its passage. 

Approved November 19th, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. Mayor. 



418 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO THE COLLECTION OF THE CITY REVENUE.. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows: 

Section 1. For the support of the city government, and improvement 
of the city, the city council shall have the power to levy and collect taxes 
not exceeding one-half of one per centum upon the assessed value of all 
property in the city, made taxable by law for state and county purposes, 
the amount to be determined by the city council in every instance. 

Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the city marshal, as an officio collector 
of the revenue , to collect all the taxes placed in his hands for collection, 
to collect all licenses from merchants, dramshop-keepers, and all other 
persons requiring a license, and to-pay to the treasurer all money collected 
by him on the account of the city, on the first Wednesday in each month, 
taking duplicate receipts therefor, one of which shall be filed by the col- 
lector with the city recorder, the other to be retained by himself. 

Sec. 3. If any person shall fail to pay any taxes levied upon his or her 
property, the city collector may enforce payment, and for that purpose 
such collector shall have power to seize and sell the goods and chattels of 
the person so failing to pay such tax in the manner that goods and chattels 
are, or may be seized and sold under execution issued on judgments at law, 
and no property shall be exempt from seizure or sale for \.2cyi<i^\ -provided^ 
that no seizure or sale for taxes shall be made until the collector has 
demanded payment of them either by personal application to the party 
liable to pay the same, or by leaving a written notice at his place of abode 
with some member of his family over the age of fifteen years, nor for ten 
days after such demand ; nor shall the collector receive a credit for delin- 
quent taxes until he shall have made affidavit that he has been unable to 
find any personal property out of which to make the taxes in each case to 
returned delinquent; provided further, that whenever taxes shall be col- 
lected by seizure or sale of goods and chattels, the collector shall have 
power to levy and collect, additional to the tax and interest thereon, 
the necessary cost of the proceeding; and provided further, \h.dit\( diuy 
person charged with taxes is about to remove from the city without pay- 
ing the same, the collector may seize and sell goods and personal property 
of such person without having n:ade the ten days demand; and provided 
further, Xh?ii if taxes are due by a non-resident, demand for taxes due by 
such may be made of the agent or attorney of such non-resident. 

Sec. i. On the first Wednesday of April i;i each year, if the collector 
shall be unable to collect any taxes specified on the tax book, having dili- 
gently endeavored and used^ all lawful means to collect the same, he shall 
make two fists, thereof, one to be called the personal delinquent fist, on 
which shall be stated the names of all persons owing taxes on personal 
property whose taxes cannot be collected, alphabetically arranged with 
the amount due from each; and the other to be called the land delinquent 
fist, on which shall be stated the names of all persons owing taxes on 
lands and town lots, where taxes cannot be collected, with the full descrip- 
tion of said lands and lots, and the amount of taxes due thereon set oppo- 
site each tract of land and town lot, which amount of delinquent taxes is 
to be placed to the credit of the collector. 

Sec 5. The collector of the revenue shall, on or before the first day of 
May, annually, return to the county collector, a fist of lands and lots on 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 419' 

which the taxes or special assessments levied by the city, remain due and 
unpaid, as provided in sections 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, of the revenue law 
in the state of Missouri, of act approved March 30, 1872, and section 14 
of the revenue law for the state of Missouri, of act approved April 28, 
1877. 

Sec. 6. The personal delinquent list allowed to the collector, shall be 
delivered back' to the collector or his successor in office, who shall collect 
the same and account therefor as other moneys collected, the amount of 
which shall be charged against the citv collector by the city recorder. 

Sec. 7. All ordinances and parts of ordinances inconsistent with this 
ordinance are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 8. This ordinance to take eflect and be in force from and after its 
passage. 

Approved November 17, 1878. Geo. I. Wassq-n, Mayor. 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Recorder. 

AN ordinance in RELATION TO MERCHANTS' TAX. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond, as foUozvs : 

Section 1. It shall be the duty of all merchants dealing as such, to 
furnish the city assessor, on the first day of August in each year, a full 
and complete statement of goods, wares and merchandise then on hand 
and kept by them for sale. 

Sec. 2. Upon all such goods, wares and merchandise, there shall be 
levied an ad valorem tax equal to the tax levied upon personal and real 
property. 

Sec. 8. The provisions of this ordinance shall not be applicable to^ 
dramshop dealers. 

Approved November 19, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

W. C. Patton, Clerk. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO NUISANCES. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond, as follows : 

Section 1. No person shall throw into any highway, thoroughfare or 
other public place, within the city, any animal or vegetable substance 
whatsoever, likelv to create a nuisance. 

Sec. 2. The owner or possessor of any dumb animal, which may die 
within the city, shall, within tvvent} -four hours thereafter, cause the same 
to be removed beyond the limits of the city. 

Sec. 3. The owner or occupant of any livery or other stable, within 
the city, shall keep his stable clean, and shall not permit more than two 
cart loads of manure to accumulate and remain in or near the same, at 
any time between the first day of May and the first day of November. 

Sec. 4. No person shall deposit any dead animal, or excrement, or 
filth from privies, upon any ground in the city. 

Sec. 5. Whoever shall violate any of the provisions of this ordinance 
shall be subject to a fine not less than one nor more than ninety dollars for 
each and every violation, and five dollars in addition for each and every 
day such violation shall be suffered or continued. 

Approved August 21, 1867. 



420 ' HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows: 

Section 1. That every hog pen, slaughter house, privy, mud hole, 
stable or other places in the limits of the said city of Richmond, in a 
stinking or unhealthful condition, or in a condition calculated to endanger 
the health, or interfere with the comfort of the citizens of said city, is 
hereby declared to be a public nuisance, and any owner or possessor 
thereof, or any person who shall be the cause of either of the aforesaid 
nuisances, shall forfeit and pay to the city of Richmond, a sum not less 
than one or more than ninety dollars, and also live dollars for each day 
such nuisance is allowed to remain after notice to the party causing or 
permitting the same, as hereinafter provided. 

Sec. 2. All notices required to be given under this ordinance shall 
be given by the city marshal, and shall require the party violating the 
same to correct, remove, or abate all such nuisances in twenty-four hours. 

Sec 3. If any nuisance is not corrected, abated, or removed in twenty- 
four hours after such notice, the city marshal shall correct, remove, or 
abate the same at the cost of the city, and the persons creating or per- 
mitting such nuisance shall, in addition to other fines and forfeitures, for- 
feit and pay all costs incurred by the city, to be recovered by the city as 
other fines and forfeitures. 

Sec. 4. This ordinance shall take effect, and be in force fi'om and after 
its passage. 

Approved November 19, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. . Mayor. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 

Section. 1. When any building or property is declared a nuisance by 
the city council of the cit}^ of Richmond, and a notice ot" the fact thereof 
is given to the owner, occupant, or agent thereof, it shall be the duty of 
such owner, occupant, or agent to remove the same within five days from 
the time said notice is given. 

Sec 2. And if any owner, occupant, or agent of such property' shall fail 
to comply with the provisions of the preceding section of this ordinance, it 
shall be the duty of the street commissioner to remove said property at 
the cost of such owner, occupant, or agent, and he shall make out and cer- 
tify to the bills against said owners, occupants, or agents, chargeable with 
the costs of such work, and deliver the same to the city collector, and 
take his receipt therefor. 

Sec. 3. And the city collector shall present said bills for payment to 
the persons charged, or their agent, within five days after receiving the 
same; and if the said bills be not paid within ten days after demand 
is made by the collector, as provided in the next preceding section, the 
collector shall deliver the same to the city attorney, who shall com- 
mence suit thereon before the city recorder, or other officer having juris- 
diction. 

Sec 4. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after 
its passage. 

Approved April 15, 1870. James W. Black, 

Attest: Willis Warinner, Clerk. Mayor. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 421 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO STREETS, SIDEWALKS, ETC. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 

Section 1. Whenever the city council shall direct, by an order 
entered on the city journal, sidewalks to be made on any street in the city, 
it shall be the duty of the street commissioner to give notice to the owners 
and occupants of property fronting on such street, to set, curb, and pave 
such sidewalks, and it is hereby made the duty of such owners to construct 
such sidewalks and pavements at their own expense, within such time as 
may be directed by the city council. 

bEC. 2. If any owner of such property fronting on any street where 
pavements or sidewalks are required to be made, fail to curb and pave 
the sidewalk, as directed by the street commissioner, and within the time 
prescribed by the city council, then it shall be the duty of the street com- 
missioner to perform said work at the cost of said owner or owners, and 
in all cases where he has performed the work, he shall make out and 
certify to the bills against each person chargeable with the cost of said 
work, and deliver the same to the city collector, and take his receipt there- 
for, and the city collector shall present said bills for payment to the person 
or persons charged, or to their agent, within five days after receiving the 
same. 

Sec. 3. If the said bills be not paid within ten days after demand is 
made by the collector, as provided in the next preceding section, the 
collector shall deliver the same to the city attorney, who shall com- 
mence suit thereon, before the city recorder, or other officer having juris- 
diction. 

Sec 4. If any person obstruct any sidewalk, he shall be fined in a 
sum not less than one, nor more than five dollars, to be recovered as other 
fines are before the city recorder. 

Approved August 21, 1867. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO THE FISCAL YEAR. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows: 
Section 1. That the fiscal year of said city shall terminate on the 

first Monday in April of each year. 
Approved, August 21, 1867. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO WARDS. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows: 

Section 1. All that part of the city which lies east of the Knoxville 
street, and north of the street running east and west immediately north 
of the public square, shall be designated and known as ward No. 1. 

Sec 2. All that part of the city which lies north of the public square^ 
and west of Knoxville street, and east of the street running north and 
south immediately west of the public square, shall be known and desig- 
nated as ward No. 2. 

Sec 3. All that part of the city which lies north of Main street and 
west of the street running north and south immediateh' west of the court 
house, shall be known and designated as ward No. 3. 

Sec 4. That part of the city which lies south of Main street and 
west of the street running north and south immediately west of the pub- 



422 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

lie square to the college ground, thence west to Camden street, thence 
with said street south to the boundary line, shall be known and designated 
as ward No. 4. 

Sec. 5. All that part of said city which lies south of Main street and 
east of ward No. 4, and west of the second street, immediately east ot 
the public square, running north and south, shall be known and desig- 
nated as ward No. 5. 

Sec 6. All that portion of the city lying east of the second street 
east of the public square, known and designated as Shaw street, and 
extending upon the north to north Main street, and upon the east and 
south to the city limits, shall be known and designated as ward No. 6. 

Approved August 21, 1867. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond, as follows: 

Section 1. Every person who shall offer for sale any live stock, pro- 
duce, forage or other articles usually sold by weight, if required by pur- 
chaser, shall cause the same to be weighed on the city scales, or other 
standard scales, and if such person shall fail or refuse to have such arti- 
cles so weighed, when required so to do, he shall upon conviction thereof, 
be adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor, and punished by a fine not exceed- 
ing five nor less than one dollar. 

Sec 2. The lawful weights and measures in this city shall be the 
same as those prescribed by the general statutes of the state of Missouri. 
Approved August 21, 1867. 

AN ordinance IN RELATION TO THE EXTINGUISHMENT OF FIRES, AND 
THE PREVENTION THEREOF, AND IN RELATION TO CHIMNEYS, AND THE 
REPAIRING OF FLUES. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond, as follows: 

Section 1. No person owning or occupying any dwelling or business 
house within the limits of the city of Richmond, shall store or keep any 
combustible material in such house in such manner as likely to catch 
on fire. 

Sec 2. If any person so having any such combustible material, fail 
for five days to remove the same after ordered by the city council, the 
same shall be removed by the city marshal, at the expense of such person 
so owning or occupying such premises. 

Sec 3. It shall be the duty of the city council to order the same 
to be removed upon the complaint of any one, when they believe it to be 
necessary. 

Sec 4. All persons owning any dwelling house or business house 
within the limits of said city, the chimneys or stove flues of which need 
repairing, shall repair the same within five days after being ordered so to 
do by the city council. 

Sec 5. The provisions of this ordinance shall not be so construed as 
to prevent any person from keeping any hay in their stables or barns 
within said city. 

Sec 6. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after 
its passage. 

Approved August 19, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

W. C. Patton, Clerk. 



HISTORY OF' RAV COUNTY. 423 

AN ORDINANCE GRANTING RIGHT OF WAY TO ST. LOUIS & ST. JOSEPH 

RAILROAD, ETC. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond, as follows: 
Section 1. The right of way is hereby granted to the St. Louis and 
St. Joseph railroad company, southern division, along, across and over 
any of the streets, lanes, avenues or alleys of the city of Richmond, and 
any of the commons belonging to said city of Richmond, for the purpose 
of constructing, maintaining and operating a railroad for public use in the 
conveyance of persons and property. 

This ordinance to take effect and be in force from and after its pas- 
sage. 

Approved, August 21st, 1868. D. Whitmer, Mayor. 

Attest: D. SjsfOWDEN, Clerk. 

AN ordinance in RELATION TO THE REMOVAL OF CITY OFFICERS. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond., as follows : 
Section 1. Any city officer may be removed from office for any mis- 
demeanor, or failure to faithfully discharge the duties of his office, by a 
two thirds vote of the city council, at any regular, special or adjourned 
meeting. 

Sec 2. At least five days notice shall be given the party sought to be 
removed, and a copy of the charges and specifications furnished him 
before the day of trial. 

This ordinance to take effect and be in force from and after its passage. 
Approved, November 29, 1869. Willis Warinner, Clerk. 

AN ORDINANCE IN TO RELATION TO CONTAGIOUS DISEASES. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City, of Richmond., as follows : 

Section 1. When necessary the mayor, with the advice and consent 
of the city council, may constitute and appoint a board of health, to con- 
sist of three persons. 

Sec. 2. Said board shall exercise a general supervision over the health 
of the city, with the full power to use all proper and suitable means to 
prevent the introduction into the city, of any malignant or contagious dis- 
eases, or the spreading of the same, or to remove or otherwise dispose of 
any person attacked by any such disease, and to adopt in reference to 
such person, any regulations or measures deemed advisable. 

Sec. 3. The board of health may employ servants, or assistants and 
establish temporary hospitals, and provide the necessary furniture, medi- 
cine, medical attendance and nurses therefor, whenever, in the opinion of 
said board the health of the city shall require it. 

Sec. 4. It shall be the duty of every physician in the city to report to 
the board of health, or one of them, every case of small pox, or other 
contagious disease which shall come within his knowledge, within the 
city limits or its vicinit}^, within three hours after he shall have knowl- 
edge of the same, together with the name and residence of the person 
diseased. 

Sec 5. If any person shall leave his or her place of abode and go 
about the city within sixteen days, or knowingly or willfully expose 



424 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Others, after he or she has been exposed to the small pox, shall forfeit and 
pay to the city not less than five, nor more than one hundred dollars, or 
may be imprisoned not exceeding three months. 

This ordinance to take effect and be in force from and after its pas- 
sage. 

Approved, November 19, 1878. George 1. Wasson, Mayor. 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. 

AN ordinance in RELATION TO ELECTIONS. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond, as follows : 

Section 1. That the general election for all the city officers of the 
city of Richmond, shall be held on the first Tuesday after the first Mon- 
day in April, in each year. 

Sec. 2. The clerk shall give ten days notice of such election b}^ adver- 
tising in some newspaper published in the city, if there be one, otherwise 
by ten printed handbills, posted up in the city. 

Sec. 3. The city recorder, at least five days before the election, shall 
make out and furnish the judges of election poll books, together with a 
copy of the appointment of such judges and clerks in writing. 

Sec. 4. Judges and clerks of election shall take the same oaths, and 
be governed by the same laws, as far as applicable, as are prescribed by 
the statute laws of Missouri on the subject of- elections. 

Sec. 5. Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the cit}- council, by res- 
ignation or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the mayor, by proclamation, 
to order an election to be held to fill the same; ten days notice, fixing the 
time and place of holding such an election, shall be given by the mayor, 
and such election shall be held, in all respects, as other city elections are. 

Sec. 6. Whenever any vacancy shall occur in the office of city marshal 
or city recorder, by resignation or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the 
mayor, with the approval of the city council, to fill said vacancy by the 
appointment of a city marshal or recorder for the residue of the term 
until the next general election of city officers. 

Sec. 7. No officer of the city, nor any candidate for any city office, 
shall be appointed to serve as a judge or clerk of any city election. 

Sec. 8. The judges and clerks of election shall each receive two 
dollars and fifty cents per day for each day they may act as such, and 
no person shall act at the same time as both judge and clerk of election. 

Sec. 9. Such election shall be conducted in the same manner in all 
respects as provided b}' the statutes of the state of Missouri, in regard 
to general elections, when not inconsistent with the provisions of this 
ordinance. 

Sec. 10. This ordinance to take effect from and after its publication. 

Approved, November 19, 18-78. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO STREET COMMISSIONER. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond, as follows : 
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the mayor, with the advice and 
consent of the city council, at the first session of the city council after his 
election, to appoint a street commissioner, who shall hold his office until 
his successor is duly appointed and qualified. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. ' 425 

Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the street commissioner to superintend 
all the work upon the streets, lanes and alleys within the city, that shall 
be ordered to be done, and shall report, from time to time, to the city 
council, such improvement and repairs on the same as he may deem 
needful. 

Sec. 3. That the street commissioner for the city of Richmond, afore- 
said, shall report to the city council at each and every regular meeting 
thereof, the property purchased anfl the amount and character of the 
work done, for the city of Richmond, not previously in like manner 
reported, and shall in a written statement duly sworn to by the said street 
commissioner, make a full exhibit of the property so purchased, and the 
amount paid or agreed to be paid for each separate purchase, the name 
of each person performing labor, the number of days employed, and 
amount paid per day. 

Sec. 4. All ordinances, and parts of ordinances in conflict with this 
ordinance are hereby repealed. 

To take effect from and after its adoption. 

Approved December 21, 1874. J. T. Quirk, Mayor. 

Attest: A. J. RiFFE, C/er/^. _ 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO SALARIES. 

Be it ordained bv the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows: 
Section 1. The several officers herein named shall receive the follow- 
ing compenisation for their services: city recorder, $150; city attorney, 
$50; city treasurer, $50; city assessor, $50; street commissioner, $2 per 
day while employed; mayor, $3 for attending each meeting of the city 
council; councilmen, $2 each for each meeting; collector, 6 per centum 
upon all taxes collected by him, and 3 per centum upon all hcenses; the 
city weigher 10 cents for each draught. 

Approved, November 19, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Recorder. 

AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING OFFENSES AFFECTING PUBLIC STREETS AND 

THOROUGHFARES. 

Be it ordained hy the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows: 

Section 1. Any person who shall ride or drive any animal or beast of 
burden in any highway, street, thoroughfare or other public place in said 
city, faster than a moderate gate, or at a rate exceeding five miles per 
hour, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 2. Any person m said city, who shall ride or drive any animal or 
beast of burden, or any vehicle, so as to come in collision with, or strike 
any other thing or person, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 3. Any person in said city, who shall leave any beast of burden 
or animal standing in any public place, without being fastened or guarded, 
so as to prevent such animal from running away, or shall leave in said city 
any beast of burden or animal standing hitched out over night without 
shelter, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec 4. In all cases of persons driving vehicles meeting each other in 
any street, alley, or thoroughfare iji said city, each person so meeting, 

27 



4-26 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

shall turn off and go to the right side, so as to enable vehicles to pass each 
other with system, and without danger; any person violating this section, 
shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 5. Any person who shall, in this city, lead, ride, drive or place 
any horse, beast of burden or vehicle, on any paved or plank side-walk, 
or foot-walk, otherwise than in going into, or out of premises, owned or 
occupied by him, or his employers, shall be deemed guilty of a misde- 
meanor. 

Sec. 6. Any person who shall in this city, hitch or fasten any animal 
to any pump, fence, ornamental or shade tree, lamp post, sign or awning 
post, not belonging to him, or his employers, shall be deemed guilty of a 
misdemeanor. 

Sec. 7. Any person who shall, in any public thoroughfare or street in 
said city, throw, shoot, or hurl any rock, stone, ball, shot, snow-ball or any 
other thing or missile, from the hand, or by means of any other instrument 
or device, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 8. Whoever, in said city, owning or possessing property having 
a cellar opening on, any sidewalk, shall fail to provide a door or shutter 
for such cellar, or who shall have such cellar door or shutter open when 
not passing into or out of such cellar, or who shall not keep such cellar 
door or shutter in good repair, shall be deemed guilt}^ of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 9. Any person who shall within the limits of this city, fire, shoot 
off or discharge any cannon, musket, rifle, gun, pistol or any other kind of 
fire arms, except in case of necessity, or in the performance of public or 
lawful act of duty, except upon Christmas day and fourth of July, shall be 
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 10. Every person who shall be found guilty of a misdemeanor, as 
designated in this ordinance, or who shall in any way violate any of the 
provisions of this ordinance, shall be fined in any sum not less than one 
dollar, nor more than ninety dollars and costs for every such offense. 

Sec. 11. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with the 
provisions of this ordinance, be, and the same are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 12. This ordinance to be in force from and after its publication. 

Approved November 19, 1878. Jno. T. Quirk, Mayor. 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. 

AN ordinance in RELATION TO THE EXHIBITION OF STUDS AND JACKS. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows: 

Section 1. That hereafter no stallion, stud, jack or bull shall be shown 
or exhibited within the limits of the city of Richmond, unless the same 
be done in an inclosed private lot or pasture. And that any person or 
persons violating the provisions of this ordinance, or permitting the same 
to be done by any one having his or their stock in charge, shall be 
adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor, and fined in a sum not less than twenty- 
dollars, to be recovered as other fines and forfeitures ; and that the same 
be recoverable whether the owner have knowledge of such exhibition by 
the keeper or person in charge of such stock or not. 
Approved August '21st, 1867. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 427 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO OFFENSES AGAINST OFFICIAL AUTHORITY. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richm07id^ asfollouvs: 

Section 1. Whoever shall in this city falsely represent himself to be 
an officer or policeman, of this city in any manner, or shall, without being 
authorized by the city, exercise or attempt to exercise any of the 
duties, functions or powers of a city officer or policeman shall be guilty of a 
misdemeanor. 

Sec 2. Whosoever shall, in this city, hinder, obstruct, resist, or in 
any wise interfere with any city officer, in the discharge of his official 
duties, or attempt to prevent any such officer from arresting any person, 
or attempt tc rescue from any officer any person in his custody, or aid or 
advise any person in custody of any officer to break guard, escape or 
attempt to escape, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec 3. Whoever shall persist or continue in doing any act, or thing 
affecting the streets, public property, health or morals of said city, forbid- 
den by the charter or laws and ordinances of said city, which it is the duty 
of the mayor or city marshal to enforce after such person shall have been 
notified or warned to desist from such unlawful act, shall be deemed guilty 
of a misdemeanor. 

Sec 4. Whoever shall be found guilty of a misdemeanor as provided 
herein, shall be punished by a fine not less than one dollar, nor more than 
ninety dollars, and costs of suit for every such offense. 

Sec 5. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with this or- 
dinance are hereby repealed. 

Sec 6. This ordinance to take effect from and after its passage. 

Approved December, 21st, 1874. J. T QUIRK, Mayor. 

Attest: A. J. RiFFE, C/er/^. 

AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING OFFENSES AFFECTING PUBLIC PEACE AND 

QUIET. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 

Section 1. That any three or more persons who shall in this city, 
assemble together with an intent, or being assembled, shall mutually 
agree to do an unlawful act, with force or violence against the property 
of the city, or the person or property of another, or against the peace, or 
to the terror of others, and shall make any movement or preparation 
therefor, and every person present at said meeting or assembly, who shall 
not endeavor to prevent the commission or perpetration of said unlawful 
act, every person so offending, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor 
and on conviction, shall be fined in any sum not exceeding ninety dollars, 
nor less than one dollar for each and every such offense with costs. 

Sec 2. Every person who shall wilfully disturb the peace and quiet 
of any street, alley, public or private place, market, church or other build- 
ings, public or private, or any neighborhood, private family or person, 
within the city or Richmond, by any loud and unusual noise, by any 
means, instrument or device, by hallooing, bellowing, blowing, howling, 
swearing, or by using profane, indecent or offensive language, or by 
tumultuous, boisterous threatening or offensive language, or actions, or by 
any other means or device whatsoever, shall be deemed guilty of a misde- 



428 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V, 

meanor, and shall, on conviction, be fined in any amount not less than one 
nor more than ninet}^ dollars and costs for each such offense. 

Sec. 3. Any person in said city, who shall suffer or permit in any 
house, or upon any premises, owned, occupied or possessed by such per- 
son, or over which such person has control, as agent or otherwise, any 
act or acts the doing of which is declared a misdemeanor by the preced- 
ing section, whereby any neighborhood, family or person is disturbed, in- 
terrupted or annoyed, shall be deemed guilt}^ of a misdemeanor, and shall 
be punishable as provided in said preceding section. 

Sec. 4. Any person who shall, in the the city of Richmond, challenge, 
threaten, curse, abuse, assault, strike, beat, fight or wound in any manner, 
any other person or persons, or who shall use profane, obscene, offensive, 
abusive, indecent, violent, threatening or insulting language towards any 
other person or persons, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on 
conviction, shall be fined in any amount not less than one, nor more than 
ninety dollars and costs. 

Sec. 5. No person shall wear or carry about his or her person, any 
pistol, dirk, bowie knife, revolver, slingshot, brass, lead or iron knuckles, 
or any other deadly weapon except in such a manner that such weapon 
can plainly and distinctly be seen by any person ; any violation of the provisions 
of this section, shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten dollars nor 
more than ninety dollars for every such offense, with costs. 

Sec 6. Every person in said city, who shall wilfully give or make a 
false alarm of tire shall be punished by a fine not less than twenty-tive 
dollars, nor more than ninety dollars, for every such offense. 

Sec. 7. Any person who shall, in this city, disquiet, disturb, or annoy any 
congregation or assembly of people, met for religious worship, by making 
a noise, or by rude or indecent behavior, or by profane or offensive lan- 
guage, within such place of worship, or so near the same as to disturb the 
order or solemnity of such meeting, shall be deemed guilty of a misde- 
meanor, and on conviction, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding 
ninety dollars, for every such offense, with costs. 

Sec 8. Any person in this city, who shall disturb, disquiet, or annoy 
any lawful assembly of people, by boisterous, rude, anno3ang or turbulent 
language, actions or behavior, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, 
and on. conviction shall be punished by a fine not exeeding ninety dollars, 
and costs, for every such offense, and it shall be lawful for any person to 
forcibly eject from any building, or place any person or persons violating 
this or the preceding section. 

Sec 9. All ordinances in conflict with this, are hereby repealed. 

Sec 10. This ordinance to take effect and be in force from and after 
its publication. 

Approved December 21, 1874. J. T. Quirk, Mayor. 

Attest: A. J. Riffe, Clerk. 

AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING OFFENSES AFFECTING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE 

PROPERTY. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as fol lotus: 

Section 1. Whosoever in said city, shall wilfully deface, injure or 
damage any public or private building, house or improvement, fence, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. ^ 429 

awning, lamp, lamp-post, sign, door, window-sash, window-glass, or any- 
other kind of propert}' not his own, or shall wilfully cut, hack, injure, 
bark or girdle any tree, shrub or vine, in any public or private ground or 
place in said city, or shall wilfully injure any public cistern or property of 
any fire company in said city, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 2. Whosoever, in said city, shall throw or place upon the house, 
ground, lot or premises of another (without authority so to do), any wood, 
stone, dirt, trash, slop oftal, rubbish, or any other impediment or obstruc- 
tion, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 3. Any person in said city who shall paste, post, tack, glue, or 
fasten in any manner any notice, hand-bill, advertisement, or placard, or 
shall print, paint or mark any advertisement upon any building, wall, 
fence, gate, door, or other improvement, without having first obtained 
permission of the owner of such property so to do, shall be deemed guilty 
of a misdemeanor, and the person or persons at whose instance such 
notices or bills are posted or published may be dealt with the same as the 
person or persons actually engaged in the matter, this ordinance being 
intended to include either or all parties, at the option of the complainant; 
J)rovided, no person or persons shall be prosecuted under this section, 
except upon the complaint of the owner or person having control over 
such property. 

Sec. -i. Whosoever shall break into or open any public cistern in said 
•cit}', or draw any water therefrom, except upon proper authority, or in 
case of fire, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 5. Any prisoner while in the custody of the marshal or con- 
fined in the city prison, who shall wilfully deface, injure or destroy any 
portion of the city prison, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 6. Every person found guilty of a misdemeanor under the pro- 
visions of this ordinance shall be fined in any amount not less than one 
nor more than ninet}^ dollars, with costs of suit for every such ofiense. 

Sec. 7. All ordinances in conflict with this are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 8. This ordinance to be in force from and after its publication. 

Approved November 21, 1S78. Geo. I. Wasson, 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. Mayor. 

AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC MORALS AND 

DECENCY. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond., asfollozvs : 

Section 1. Whoever, in this city, shall be found in a state of intoxica- 
tion in any highway, thoroughfare or other public place, shall be deemed 
guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 2. Whosoever, in this city, shall appear in a public place in a 
state of nudity, or in a dress not belonging to his or her sex, or in an inde- 
cent or lewd dress, or shall make any indecent exposure of his or her per- 
son, or be guilty of any indecent or lewd act or behavior, or shall exhibit, 
sell or offer to sell any indecent or lewd book, picture, image or other 
thing, or shall exhibit or perform any indecent, immoral or lewd play or 
other representation ; or shall permit a stud horse or jack to try or serve 
a mare in said city, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 3. Whosoever shall, in this city, on Sunday, play at billiards, ten 



430 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

pins, ball, or other game or amusement shall be deemed guilty of a mis- 
demeanor. 

Sec. 4. Whoever shall, in this city, set up or keep any kind of a gam- 
ing device, or thing at which any game or device shall be played for 
money or property, or anything representing money or property, or shall 
at an}- such device or game of chance, bet, win or lose any money or 
property, or anything representing money or property, or shall sufTer or 
permit any such device at which any such game of chance is played, to 
be set up or used in any tenement which he owns or has under his control, 
shall be deemed guihy of a misdemeanor, and it shall be lawful for the 
city recorder, on receiving satisfactory information of any such device or 
thing being so set up or used, to issue his warrant to the city marshal, 
commanding him to destroy the said gaming implements or devices. 

Sec. 5. Whoever shall, within this city, keep or maintain, or be an 
inmate of, or in any way connected with, or in any way contribute to the 
support of any bawdy house, house of ill fame, or of assignation, or place 
for the practice of fornication, or shall knowingly own or be proprietor of 
any such house, or shall lease any house to any person which he may 
know will be used for any such purpose, or, after being warned of such 
improper use of any house leased by him, shall fail forthwith to dispose of 
such tenants, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. 

Sec. 6. It shall be lawful for the city marshal, or any policeman of the 
city, upon information being given of the keeping of a bawdy house, 
house of ill fame, or of assignation, or for the practice of fornication, to 
enter such house and arrest, without warrant, any and all persons found 
therein, and commit them to the city prison (if bail is not given), and all 
persons so arrested shall be tried as parties are tried for violating other 
ordinances of the city. 

Sec. 7. Such houses as are mentioned in sections six and seven of this 
ordinance, are hereby declared to be public nuisances, and the marshal 
or police of said city may remove and abate the same in a summary 
manner. 

Sec 8. Whenever, in a trial before the recorder of said city, for the 
violation of the provisions of this ordinance, it shall be material to prove 
the purpose for which any house in this city is, or may be used or kept, 
it shall be lawful for both the city and the accused to introduce evidence 
touching the general character or reputation of such house. 

Sec 9. All able-bodied persons who shall be found loitering or ram- 
bling about the city of Richmond, not having wherewith to maintain 
themselves by some visible property, or who shall leave their wives and 
children without the means of sustenance, all idle and dissolute persons; 
all persons who shall go about begging in any part of said city, not hav- 
ing any regular or lawful business; all keepers and exhibitors of gaming 
devices, all gamblers and prostitutes, and persons who lead an idle, 
immoral, and profligate course of life, shall be deemed vagrants, and 
shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined in any amount not less than five 
dollars, nor more than ninety dollars, with costs, and shall be committed 
to labor for the use of the city, as other oflfenders who refuse to pay fines 
imposed upon them, until such fines and costs be paid. 

Sec 10. In all trials for violating any of the sections of this ordinance 
it shall be lawful for the city recorder to receive testimony touching the 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 431 

general character and reputation of the accused, when offered by either 
the city or the prisoner. 

Sec. 11. Every person found guilty of a misdemeanor, as defined by 
this ordinance, shall be fined (when not otherwise herein especially pro- 
vided for), in any amount not less than one dollar, nor more than ninety 
dollars for every such offense, with costs of suit. 

Sec. 12. AU ordinances, or parts of ordinances in conflict with the 
provisions of this ordinance, are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 13. This ordinance to take effect fi-om and after its publication. 

Approved December 21, 1874. Jno. T. Quirk, 

Attest: A. J. Riffe, Clerk. Mayor. 

AN ORDINANCE TO REGULATE PROCEEDINGS IN THE CITY RECORDER'S ^ 

COURT. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 

Section 1. The city recorder of said city shall have jurisdiction of all 
suits and proceedings for the violation or breach of any ordinance or law 
of said city. 

Sec. 2. All proceedings for the recovery of any fine, penalty, or for- 
feiture, for the violation of an}^ ordinance of said city, may, (when not 
otherwise provided), be instituted, by filing with said recorder a written 
or printed statement of the offenses charged, signed by the informer, or 
city attorney, and as nearly as practicable, may be in the following form, 
viz : 

" A. B., to the city of Richmond, debtor, for the sum of ... dollars, 
for a violation of the ordinance of the city of Richmond, entitled (here 
insert title of ordinance), approved the .... day of .... , A. D. 18 . . " 

Or this: 

"The said .... , on the .... day of . . . , A. D. 18 . . , in the said city 
of Richmond, in the state of Missouri, did," &c., &c., (here insert charge). 

Said form may be varied or changed, as the case may require; but no 
suit shall be dismissed, or judgment reversed for any informality in the 
statement filed in any suit, if such statement shall substantially set out the 
offense committed, and notify the defendant of the charge he is required to 
answer. 

Sec. 3. Such statement may include one or more persons accused of 
the same oflense, and may include several offenses of a like nature. Upon 
the filing of such statement, the recorder shall enter the title of the cause 
upon his docket, and issue a summons or warrant, as the case may require, 
to the city marshal. 

Sec 4. The summons may be substantially in the following form, 
to-wit : 

|_ "The state of Missouri, to the city marshal of the city ot Richmond, 
'greeting: You are hereby commanded to summons A. B., to appear before 
the undersigned, city recorder, of the city of Richmond, on the .... day 
of . . . ., A. D. IS . ., at my office in said city, to answer the complaint of 
the city of Richmond, for the violation of an ordinance, entitled, (here 
insert title of ordinance), and have you then and there this writ. Given 

under my hand, this .... day of , A. D. 18 . . . (Signed) C D , 

city recorder." 



432 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Said summons shall be made returnable upon any day fixed by the 
recorder not more than thirty days from the time of issuing such sum- 
mons, and shall be served in the same manner as summonses of justices' 
courts, and served under the laws of the state of Missouri. 

Sec. 5. In all prosecutions for any violation of any city ordinance or 
laws of said city, the first process shall be by summons, unless the com- 
plaint be verified by the oath or affirmation of some person, in which case 
a warrant shall be issued in the first place . 

Sec. 6. Said warrant sh.all be, as near as may be, in the following 
form, viz.: 

"The state of Missouri lo the city marshal of the city of Richmond, 
greeting: These are to command you to arrest A. B., and bring him 
forthwith before the undersigned, city recorder of the city of Richmond, 
at m}*^ office in said cit}', to answer the complaint of the city of Richmond, 
for the violation of an ordinance, entitled, (here insert title of ordinance), 
and have you then and there this writ. Given under my hand, the .... 
day of . . . . , A. D. 18 . . . C .... D .... , City Recorder." 

Such warrant shall be served by taking the defendant into custod}-, and 
bringing him forthwith before the recorder, and unless admitted to bail, 
said defendant shall remain in the custody of the city marshal, until dis- 
charged by the due course of law. 

Sec. 7. The city marshal shall endorse on the back of each summons 
and warrant how the same has been executed, and return the same to the 
recorder on the day mentioned therein for the return thereof. 

Sec. 8. The city marshal may, without process, arrest all persons that 
may be found in said city in a state of intoxication ; all suspicious and dis- 
orderly persons whom he knows to have been guilty of violating the ordi- 
nances of said city, and take them before the recorder for examination and 
trial, and such arrest may be made within or without the city. Should 
any person so arrested be so much intoxicated as to render his or her trial 
improper, or should the recorder not be found, or should it be in the night 
time and inconvenient to try the party in custody, or should the arrest be 
made on Sunday, the cit}^ marshal, in all such cases, shall confine such 
person or persons in the city calaboose or county jail, there to remain, until 
released by due course of law. 

Sec. 9. Every person arrested and held in custody, shall be entitled to 
immediate trial, unless the trial be postponed for the causes enumerated in 
the preceding section, or good cause be shown for a continuance, or the 
trial be postponed from unavoidable circumstances. 

Sec. 10. The recorder shall not issue a summons or warrant for a 
party who may be arrested by the city marshal or police of said city, 
without warrant, for violating any citv ordinance, but the recorder shall 
enter upon his docket the fact of the arrest, and when and by whom made. 
The party so arrested may require the city attorney to file a statement as 
provided by ordinance, setting forth the nature of the offense with which 
the party in custody is charged, if such statement has not been filed, and 
for this purpose the recorder shall allow a reasonable length of time. It 
shall be the dutv, however, of the city marshal and police to report forth- 
with to the city attorney all parties arrested, so that the cases may be pre- 
pared against them, if any there be. 

Sec. 11. Any person in the custody of the city marshal for the viola- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 433 

tion of a city ordinance, may be admitted to bail by executing a bond to 
the city of Richmond, with one or more sureties, to be approved by the 
city marshal, in any amount to be fixed by the marshal, not less than 
fifty or more than ninety dollars, according to the ofiense charged, condi- 
tioned, that he will appear upon a day in the bond named, before the city 
recorder, and answer whatever charge may be made against him for 
which he has been arrested, and not depart the court without leave. All 
such bonds, after approved, shall be filed by the city marshal with the 
recorder before the trial of the party bailed. 

Sec. 12. If the defendant shall fail to appear according to the condition 
of the bond, or appearing shall depart the court without leave, the recorder 
shall, thereupon, enter up judgment against the principal and securities in 
such bond for the penalty in the bond, and all costs, and shall issue execu- 
tion thereon as in other cases. 

Sec. 13. The recorder shall enter in his docket a memorandum of 
every bond filed in his office under the preceding section, noting the sub- 
stance of each bond. 

Sec. 14. All parties in custody, either upon warrant or otherwise, who 
cannot give satisfactory bail for their appearance, may be kept in the city 
calaboose or county jail until they can be tried, and all parties brought up 
for trial, where cause may be postponed or continued for any reason, who 
cannot give satisfactory bail, shall be remanded to jail until trial, and 
the recorder shall enter such order upon his docket, and give the city mar- 
shal a copy of said order, which shall be sufficient authority for the deten- 
tion of such person. 

Sec. 15. The recorder shall issue subpoenas for all witnesses desired 
by either party, which shall bear date on the day they are issued and shall be 
returnable on the day therein mentioned. Subpoenas shall be served by the 
city marshal, by reading the same to the person or persons therein named, 
and the marshal shall endorse thereon the manner of executing such sub- 
poenas. 

Sec. 16. If any witness subpoenaed shall fail to appear as commanded 
in such subpoena, the recorder may compel the attendance of such wit- 
ness by attachment, and may fine an}' such witness for contempt of court, 
in any sum not exceeding ten dollars and the costs of attachment. 

Sec. 17. Any witness who shall refuse to be sworn, or who shall 
refuse to answer any question deemed proper by the court, and all persons 
who shall conduct themselves in a disorderly or contemptuous manner, in 
or toward the court, may be fined in any sum not exceeding ninety dol- 
lars, or be imprisoned for a term not exceeding ten days, or may be pun- 
ished by both such fine and imprisonment. 

Sec. 18. The recorder, upon the application of either party, and it 
appearing to the satisfaction of the court, that the party so applying can- 
not go safely to trial because of the absence of a material witness, or of 
evidence material to the issue (when the party has used due diligence to 
procure the same and failed), and that the same may be obtained in a rea- 
sonable time, may grant a continuance, provided, that such continuance, 
when asked by the city, shall not be longer than three days, when the 
defendant is under arrest, and in all other cases not longer than twenty 
days. 



434 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Sec. 19. All applications for a continuance shall be made out, and if 
required by the court or opposite party, shall be made in writing. 

Sec. 20. The deposition of a witness, when attendance cannot be pro- 
cured because ot bodily infirmity, absence beyond the jurisdiction of the 
court, or other sufficient cause, may be taken and read m evidence in any 
trial, if such witness is otherwise competent; such depositions to be taken 
in conformity to the laws of the state of Missouri, in similar cases for jus- 
tices' courts. 

Sec. 21. In all cases before the recorder, in which the city of Rich- 
mond is interested, all process and notices which it may be necessary for 
the party opposed to the city to serve, shall be served on the city attorney. 

Sec. 22. In any case in which the city of Richmond is plaintiff, if any 
defendant shall have been duly summoned, and shall fail to appear, as 
required by such summons, the recorder shall proceed to hear the testi- 
mony as "to the nature of the offense, and shall render judgment by 
default against such defendant, for the amount of the fine, forfeiture or pen- 
alty he may impose in any case, together with the costs of the suit. 

Sec 23. A judgment by default may be set aside for good cause 
shown, upon the application of the defendant against whom such judg- 
ment is rendered, within ten days after the rendition of such judgment by 
the defendant paying all costs up to that time. 

Sec 24. Whenever a judgment by default has been set aside, if exe- 
cution has been issued, it shall be recalled, and the recorder may fix a 
time to try the case anew, of which new trial the defendant shall give the 
plaintiff reasonable notice. 

Sec. 25. On the day set for the trial of any cause, if the defendant 
appears by himself, or by attorney, and no jury be demanded, the 
recorder shall proceed to hear the proof and give judgment according to 
the law and testimony, and shall (except as hereinafter provided), 
adjudge the party against whom judgment is given, to pay the costs. 

Sec. 26. Either party may demand a jury, in which case the recorder 
shall issue a venire to the city marshal, commanding him to summon six 
good and lawful men to serve as jurors. All such jurors shall possess 
the same qualifications as are required by the laws of the state of Mis- 
souri for jurors in courts of record. 

Sec 27. The recorder may attach and punish for contempt, as in 
cases of witnesses, any person who shall have been summoned as a juror, 
and who shall fail or refuse to obey such summons. 

Sec 28. Upon the return of the venire, if a sufficient number of jurors 
do not appear, or appear and are challenged or excused from serving, the 
marshal shall immediately summon other persons under the same venire 
until the panel of jurors is complete. 

Sec 29. The defendant shall be entided to challenge six jurors per- 
emptorily, and the plaintiff' three, and either party may challenge any 
number of jurors for the disqualifications enumerated in the laws of the 
state of Missouri, concerning the qualifications of jurors, provided no per- 
son shall be incompetent as a juror in any action or proceeding in which 
the city of Richmond is a party in interest, by reason of his being an 
inhabitant or freeholder in said city. 

Sec 30. Whenever the defendant shall file an affidavit that the mar- 
shal is ol kin to the prosecutor, or is so prejudiced against the defendant,. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 435 

/ 

that justice may not be done in the selection of the jury, the recorder 
shall issue the venire to some disinterested person, who shall take an 
oath faithfully and impartially to discharge the duty. The person so 
appointed shall perform the same duties and receive the same compensa- 
tion in that case as the marshal receives for like services. 

Sec. 31. Persons summoned to serve on a jury may be examined 
under oath, touching their competency to serve. 

Sec. 32. Every juror shall be sworn or affirmed well and truly to try 
the matter in issue between the parties, and a true verdict render accord- 
ing to law and evidence. No exceptions shall be taken or allowed to 
the summoning of a jury or to any juryman after the jury is empan- 
neled and sworn. 

Sec. 33. Parties jointly accused shall have the right to be tried sep- 
arately. 

Sec. 34. The verdict of the jury may be in the following form: — 
"We, the jury, find the defendant guilty (or 'not guilty,' as the case may 
be), of the offenses charged;" and when no specific sum as a fine, pen- 
alty, or forfeiture is fixed by the ordinance, the jury shall, also, in their 
verdict, assess the amount of money to be paid by the defendant, not 
exceeding the maximum nor less than the minimum fine, penalty, or for- 
feiture prescribed in the ordinance for the violation of which the defend- 
ant is charged. Some member of such jury shall sign such verdict 
as foreman. 

Sec. 35. Upon the rendition of the verdict the recorder shall enter 
the same upon his docket, and shall render and enter upon his docket 
judgment in accordance with such verdict. 

Sec. 36. The recorder shall be controlled in the admission of evi- 
dence, the examination of witnesses, the competency of witnesses, and 
in all questions relating to evidence, by the laws of the state of Missouri 
in relation thereto. 

Sec. 37. The informant in an}^ case may be adjudged to pay the cost 
of prosecution, when the defendant is acquitted, if it shall appear to the 
court that the prosecution was instituted vexatiously, maliciously or with- 
out probable cause. 

Sec. 38. Upon the rendition of a judgment against the defendant, the 
the recorder shall issue an execution therefor including the costs, and 
when the informant is adjudged to pay the costs, execution therefor shall 
issue against such informant. 

Sec. 39. The form of the execution shall be as follows to-wit: 
The State of Missouri to the City Marshal of the City of Richmond, 

Greeting: 

Whereas, The city of Richmond, on the .... day of . . . . , 18 . . , 
obtained a judgment before the undersigned recorder of the city of Rich- 
mond, against . . . . , for a misdemeanor, in the sum of .... dollars, 
together with costs in this behalf; these are to command you that you 
are to take the body of the said .... into custody, and him safely keep 
in the jail of the city of Richmond, until the amount of said judgment 
and all costs be paid by the said . . . . , or until he is otherwise discharged 
by due course of law, and you are further commanded that during the 
period of the imprisonment of said . . . ., that you require him, the said 
, . . . , to labor on the streets or public works of the city of Richmond, as 



436 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

prescribed by ordinance, and make return of this execution within sixty 
day from the date thereof, and that you certify how you executed the 
same. 

Given under my hand this .... day of .... A. D., 18 . . 

[Signed.] , City Recorder. 

Sec. 40. The recorder shall enter upon his docket in addition to the 
judgment in each case, an additional order for the imprisonment and sen- 
tence to labor of the defendant, as specified in the foregoing execution. 

Sec. 41. Every person committed to jail or custody, in default of the 
payment of any fine, penalty or forfeiture for violating any ordinance in 
the city of Richmond, shall be required to work during his or her time 
of remaining in custody, upon the streets or public works of said city, 
under the supervision of the city marshal, or police of said city, at such 
place as the city marshal shall designate, and shall be allowed a credit 
upon the execution against him or her of one dollar and fifty cents per 
day for each day's work, when they work on the streets or public works 
of said city; and when there is no work to be done on the streets or pub- 
lic works of said city, they shall be required to beat rock upon the streets 
at such place as the city marshal shall designate, and shall receive as 
compensation therefor the sum of one dollar per cubic yard for each 
cubic yard broken, and said amount shall be credited upon the execution 
against them. Such persons shall be worked a sufficient length of time to 
pay said fine and costs, and for all other expenses, for board or otherwise 
incurred in his or her case; and in any case, any person so fined and sen- 
tenced shall become refractory and refuse to work, in that event, such 
person may be further punished by having a ball and chain placed upon 
his or her leg, and shall be required to work upon the streets as afore- 
said. 

Sec. 42. The recorder may, in his discretion, issue a simple iieri 
facias against the defendant in any case, instead of the execution herein 
before recited, which said fie / facias and the proceedings thereon, 
including levy and sale, shall be governed by the laws of the state of 
Missouri regulating executions from justices' courts. In every instance 
where such fieri facais shall be returned unsatisfied in whole or in part, 
however, the recorder shall forthwith issue the execution first herein- 
above provided for. 

Sec. 43. The recorder shall endorse on every execution issued by him 
the amount of the judgment and all costs which may have accrued, and 
the marshal shall add thereto all costs accruing subsequently in such suit, 
and upon the return of an execution the recorder shall enter upon his 
docket the return of the marshal, and the amount of costs that have 
accrued in executing the writ. 

Sec. 44. Executions shall be made returnable in sixty days from the 
date thereof. If the marshal fail to make return thereof in said time, or 
shall make a false return, he and his securities shall be liable for the 
amount of such execution and costs. In such cases the recorder may 
issue a scire facias against the marshal and his securities, and if, upon the 
hearing thereof, the marshal has been delinquent as aforesaid, the recorder 
shall enter up judgment against such marshal and his securities, in such 
sum as the execution ma}' have been issued for, upon which said marshal 
was delinquent. In all such cases the recorder shall have power to 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 437 

depute some competent person to execute all processes that may be 
necessary. 

Sec. 45. If any execution be not satisfied, it may, at the request of 
the plaintiff, be renewed from time to time by the recorder issuing the 
same, or the recorder to whom his docket is transferred by an endorse- 
ment thereon to that effect, signed and dated when the same shall be 
made. If any part of an execution has been satisfied, the endorsement 
of renewal shall express the sum due on the execution. Every such 
endorsement shall renew the execution in full force in all respects for 
the same space of time between its date and first return, and no longer, 
and an entry of such renewal shall be made on the docket of the recorder. 

Sec. 46. The city marshal shall have power to summon the ^osse co7n- 
itatus within the city of Richmond to aid him in arresting any one vio- 
lating the provisions of the charter or ordinances of said city, or any one 
opposing or impeding him in the performance of his duty enjoined on 
him by charter or ordinances. Any person, so summoned, who shall fail 
or refuse to attend and aid the city marshal as aforesaid, shall be deemed 
guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction, shall be fined in any sum not 
less than five dollars, nor more than fifty dollars, with costs. 

Sec. 47. The recorder and marshal, in all matters pertaining to their 
respective offices, concerning which there is no specific provisions made 
by ordinance, shall be governed by the laws of the state of Missouri 
regulating proceedings in justices' courts. 

Sec. 4S. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with this 
ordinance, are hereby repealed. 

Sec 49. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after 
its publication. 

Approved, December 21, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO THE CITY MARSHAL — HIS DUTIES AND HIS 

SALARIES. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond., as follows : 
Section 1. On Tuesday after the first Monday in April in each year 
there shall be elected a city constable, who shall hold his office for one 
year, and until his successor is duly elected and qualified, the style of 
whose office shall be city marshal. 

Sec 2. He shall give bond in such sum as the city council may require, 
with good security, conditioned for the faithful performance of his official 
duties, and shall execute all process to him directed, and perform such 
other duties as may be required of him by council. 

Sec 3. That in addition to the duties of the city marshal prescribed 
in the city charter, the following duties are also imposed: It shall be the 
duty of the city marshal to cause to be removed from the streets, alleys, 
avenues, market place and public square of the city, and from any other 
part of the city, all offensive substances and nuisances which in his opinion 
may have a tendency to endanger the health of the inhabitants of said 
city. 2d, The city marshal shall take all necessary measures to ascer- 
tain all nuisances which may exist, and shall attend particularly to the 
cleanliness of the city. 3d, If a nuisance of any description whatever 



438 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

be found upon the lot, or ground, possession, or in the building of any 
person or persons, the city marshal shall give notice to the occupant, 
or owner of the premises, to cause such nuisance to be corrected or 
removed within the time specified in said notice, which shall not be 
more than twenty-four hours; and should such occupant or owner of the 
property fail or refuse to correct or remove such nuisance in the time 
prescribed, the city marshal shall have the same corrected or removed 
at the expense ol the city, ith, For every failure, refusal or neglect 
by any occupant or owner of any premises, to remedy or remove any 
nuisance existing thereon, when notified thereof, as above directed, 
by the city marshal, such occupant or owner shall forfeit and pay to the 
city the sum of not less than one, nor more than one hundred dollars, as 
well as all expenses incurred in removing such nuisance; to be recovered 
by the city as other fines, penalties, or forfeitures. 5th, The city marshal 
shall at the end of each month render to the city council of said city an 
account of all expenses for cleaning the city, and all such expenditures as 
he may have made on behalf of said city. f)th. The city marshal shall 
patrol the city, and endeavor, as far as in his power to prevent all viola- 
tions of the ordinances of the city, or the laws of the land. He shall 
give information to the recorder of all vagrant, disorderly, or suspicious 
persons, lurking about the city without any visible means of support. 
7th, That for each failure or refusal to discharge the several duties 
enjoined upon him by the charter and ordinances, said marshal shall, 
upon conviction, forfeit and pay said city not less than one, nor more than 
twenty dollars, to be sued for and recovered as other forfeitures. 

Sec. 4. It shall be the duty of the city marshal to collect and pay over 
all fines and forfeitures, jailor's fees adjudged to be paid by the recorder 
of the city of Richmond, immediately after the same shall be collected, 
to the city treasurer, and also to collect and pay said recorder, city attor- 
ney, witnesses and jurymen, their fees whenever called on after the same 
has been collected. Any failure to comply with this provision shall be, 
and the same is hereby declared to be a misdemeanor, and for each 
offense he shall be fined not less than five dollars nor more than one hun- 
dred dollars, to be recovered as other fines and forfeitures. 

Sec. 5. The city marshal shall hereafter be subject to removal from 
office for incompetency or neglect of his official duty, by a two-thirds' vote 
of the cit}^ council of said city, and in case of such removal, the vacancy 
shall be filled as is now provided by the laws and ordinances of said city. 

Sec. 6. The salary of the city marshal shall be, in addition to the 
commissions and costs now allowed him by the laws and ordinances of 
said city, four hundred dollars per annum, payable quarterly, in full pay- 
ment for his services, for himself and deputies. 

Sec. 7. That said city marshal shall make a settlement with the city 
council at each and every regulary meeting thereof, and with the city 
treasurer on the first secular day of each and every month, and that upon 
said settlement with the city treasurer, he shall pay into the city treasury 
all mone3'^s then in his hands belonging to the city, and take triplicate 
receipts therefor, one to be filed with the city recorder, one with his set- 
tlement with the city council, to be received as a voucher on said settle- 
ment, one to be retained by the marshal. 

Sec. 8. That the city marshal shall not directly or indirectly receive 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 439 

from any person or persons, firm, company or corporation whatever, any 
warrant or warrants for a greater amount than the indebtedness of the city 
to the party or parties offering said warrants, and shall upon each and 
every settlement with the city council exhibit in a written statement, duly 
sworn to by said city marshal, a full Hst of all warrants received as afore- 
said, and not previously in like manner herein reported, the names of par- 
ties from whom received, and the amounts received from each party. 

Sec. 9. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with the 
provisions of this ordinance be, and the same are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 10. This ordinance to be in force from and after its publication. 

Approved November 21, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

W. C. Patton, Clerk. 

AN ordinance in RELATION TO THE TIME OF CLOSING BUSINESS HOUSES 
AND THE DUTIES OF THE CITY MARSHAL IN RESPECT THERETO. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Rich^notid, as follows : 

Section 1. That all business houses within the city of Richmond 
shall be closed by the owners, proprietors, or tenants thereof, or the 
agents of such owners, proprietors, or tenants having such business 
houses under their charge, between the hours of 10 o'clock p. m. and 4 
o'clock A. M., from the first day of April to the first day of October of 
each year; and between the hours of 11 o'clock p. m. and 6 o'clock a. m., 
from the first day of October to the first day of April of each year. 

Sec. 2. It shall be the duty of the city marshal to see that the provis- 
ions of the preceding section be enforced. 

Sec. 3. Any owner, proprietor, or tenant of any business house in 
said city, or agent of such owner, proprietor, or tenant, having control of 
such business house, who shall fail or neglect, or refiise to comply with 
the requirements of the first section of this ordinance, shall be deemed 
guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction, shall be fined in any sum not 
exceeding ninety dollars, nor less than one dollar and costs. 

Sec. 4. This ordinance to take effect from and after its publication. 

Approved December 21, 1874. John T. Quirk, Mayor. 

Attest: A. J. Riffe, Clerk. 

an ordinance in relation to RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of jRichmond, as follows : 
Section 1. That it shall be the duty of the city council of the city of 
Richmond, on or before the third Monday in April of each year, to cause 
to be published in some newspaper published in said city, a full, complete 
and detailed statement of all moneys received and expended by the said 
city during the fiscal year next preceding such publication, and on what 
account received and expended, classif3ang each receipt and expenditure 
under its appropriate head. 

Sec. 2. This ordinance to take effect from and after its pubhcation. 
Aoproved November 21, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. 



440 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO LICENSES. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond, as follows : 
Section 1. No person or company of persons shall exercise the busi- 
ness, trade or vocation of an auctioneer, peddler, broker, or pawn-broker; 
or shall any person or company of persons open or offer for exhibition, 
any show or amusement of any kind, or keep for public use any ten pin, 
or ball alley, nor offer tor sale any chance or ticket in any gift enterprise, 
nor sell or give away any intoxicating or malt liquors, within the city of 
Richmond, without first having obtained a license, and paid the tax in the 
manner herein prescribed. 

Sec 2. All hcenses shall be granted for the term of six months, 
(except gift enterprises, shows, amusements, auctioneers and peddlers, 
which shall be licensed as hereinafter provided,) and no longer, commenc- 
ing with the first day of January in each year, and subject to renewal 
every six months thereafter, except upon the first application of any per- 
son or company of persons for a license required, such licenses shall be 
granted from the time of application to the first day of January or July, 
next succeeding, as the case ma}^ be, and the tax thereon shall be in pro- 
portion to the tax for six months. Applications shall be made by each 
person or company of persons wishing to exercise the business or voca- 
tion for which a license is required, to the city recorder, who shall prepare 
the same, and deliver them to the city collector, who shall receive and 
collect the same. 

Sec. 3. The following shall be the rate of Hcense tax: Upon every 
keeper of a ten pin or ball alley, the sum of forty dollars for ever}' six 
months; upon shows and amusements as follows: circuses or menageries, 
for each dav exhibition, fifty dollars, and upon every side show traveling 
with the same, five dollars; negro rriinstrel exhibitions, concerts, sleight of 
hand performances, puppet shows, rope dancing and all other kinds of 
amusements, the sum of five dollars for each exhibition; theatres or the- 
atrical performance, five dollars for each performance or exhibition, or 
fift}^ dollars per month; gift enterprises or any like business in which 
prizes or gifts are distributed by chance, shall each pay the sum of fifty 
dollars per month; every pawn broker shall pay fifty dollars for every six 
months; every auctioneer shall pay one dollar and fifty cents per day, or 
ten dollars for every six months, and when any person shall keep a regu- 
lar auction room, the license shall be twenty-five dollars for every period 
of six months; every peddler or person selling or offering to sell goods or 
merchandise, of any description, in said city, without having a fixed and 
permanent location therein, shall pay a license tax of two dollars and fifty 
cents per day, or twenty-five dollars for every six months, if his business 
be conducted on foot, and five dollars per day or fifty dollars for every six 
months, if he uses a wagon or any vehicle to convey such goods around; 
each broker or company of brokers, including produce and merchandise 
brokers, and bill brokers, shall pay a license tax of twenty-five dollars for 
every six months; every person who shall keep a dram shop or tippling 
house, or who keeps for sale, or suffers to be drank upon his premises, 
intoxicating or malt liquors in quantities less than one gallon, shall pay a 
license tax of fifty dollars for every period of six months: Provided, how- 
ever, that nothing contained in this ordinance shall be construed so as 
to require druggists and apothecaries to take out a license to sell intox- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 441 

icating or malt liquors in quantities. less than one gallon, for selling liquors 
to fill prescriptions for the sick, made by any regular practicing physician. 

Sec. 4. No license issued under the provisions of this ordinance, shall 
be construed so as to authorize any person or persons to sell or give away 
any intoxicating or malt liquors to any minor or habitual drunkard, and 
any person or persons convicted of any such act, shall in additic>n to the 
penalty otherwise provided by law, forfeit his or their license, which may 
be so declared in the court where such conviction is had, and all licenses 
are granted with this expressed provision. 

Sec. 5. Application for license to keep a dram shop should be made 
to the city council, by petition, and shall state where the dram shop shall 
be kept. 

Sec, 6. Every applicant for such license shall, at the time of his appli- 
cation to the city council, deliver a statement in writing, verified by affida- 
vit, of the amount of liquors received at his stand within six months next 
preceding the date of such statement; on which amount there shall be 
levied and collected an ad valorem tax for city purposes, of the same 
amount as paid by merchants on merchandise. 

Sec. T. Before such license shall be granted, the council shall require 
the person applying therefor to give bond, with sufficient security, to be 
approved by the city council, in the sum of one thousand dollars, condi- 
tioned that the person obtaining such license shall keep at all times an 
orderly house, and that he will not sell, give away, or otherwise dispose 
of, or suffer the same to be done about his premises, any intoxicating 
liquors, in any quantity, to any minor, without the consent of the parent, 
guardian, or master of such minor. 

Sec. 8. In no case shall the license be delivered to any dram-shop 
keeper, until he shall produce the receipt of the collector showing that the 
tax has been paid. 

Sec. 9. Any person convicted of a violation of any of the provisions of 
this ordinance, shall be fined in a sum not less than twenty, nor more than 
ninety dollars, before the city recorder, who shall have jurisdiction of 
every such violation. 

Sec. 10. The license shall be signed by the clerk, for which he shall 
receive a fee of fifty cents; and in no case shall such Hcense be transferred 
or assigned. 

Sec. 11. Licenses granted under the provision of this ordinance shall 
be as near as practicable in the form following, viz: 
"I, -. . ., recorder of the city of Richmond, Missouri, to all who shall 

see these presents, send greeting: 

Know ye, that whereas, . . . . , of said city, on the .... day of . . . . , A. 
D. 18 . . , paid to the city collector, the sum of .... dollars, being the 
license tax for the business hereinafter mentioned, therefore the said . . . . , 
is hereby authorized to .... for the period of .... from the .... day of 
. . . ., A. D. 18. ., subject to the ordinances and laws of the city of Rich- 
mond, Missouri. 

Given under my hand this ..... day of . . . . , 18 . . 

CD , City Recorder^ 

And the city collector shall endorse upon each license, "Granted this 
.... day of , A. D., 18.. 

28 B. C , City Collector ^ 



442 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Sec. 12. Every person and company of persons who exercise or 
attempt to carry on any business, trade, or auction for which a Hcense is 
required by the provisions of this ordinance, open or offer for exhibition 
any show, or amusement of any kind, or keep for public use any ten pin 
or ball alley, or offer for sale any ticket or chance in any gift enterprise, 
or keep any tippling-house or dram-shop, or sell or give away any intoxi- 
cating or malt liquors in quantities less than one gallon, within the city of 
Richmond, without having first paid and* obtained a license therefor, shall 
be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction shall be punished 
by a fine not less than five, nor more than ninety dollars, with costs of 
suit for every such offense. 

Sec. 13. The fee for issuing each Hcense shall be fifty cents, which 
shall be paid the recorder by the party applying for the same, on his 
application for license, and the recorder shall not prepare any license until 
said fee be paid. 

Sec. 14. All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with the pro- 
visions of this ordinance are hereby repealed. 

Sec 15. This ordinance to take effect from and after its publication. 

Approved November 21, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

W. C. Patton, Clerk. 

AN ordinance to REGULATE THE LETTING OF CONTRACTS. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmoftd, as follows : 

Section 1. All permanent improvements, of whatever character, 
which may be contracted by the city of Richmond, shall be let out to the 
lowest responsible bidder, before any such work shall be authorized or 
commenced, provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be 
construed so as to prevent the repair of streets, avenues, alleys, culverts, 
buildings, or other city property, so far as may Idc necessary for their pre- 
servation when such repairs shall have been ordered to be made by the 
city council. 

Sec. 2. Whenever the city council may contemplate any improvement 
or work, as provided in the preceding section, and shall order that pro- 
posals to do the required work be advertised for, it shall be the duty of 
the city recorder to advertise for at least twenty days, in some newspaper 
printed in the city, that sealed proposals will be received in his office, dur- 
ing that space of time, for doing the work in contemplation, giving a gen- 
earal description of the work, and giving notice that full plans and specifi- 
cations shall have been furnished by the city attorney, at or prior to the 
the time of ordering such advertisement for proposals. Such notice shall 
also contain the statement of the fact that the city reserves the right to 
reject any or all proposals. 

Sec 3. Proposals to do public work, shall contain full and explicit 
statements of prices of each and every part of work to be done, with des- 
cription of quality, quantity and price of all material to be used, price of 
labor, and number of laborers employed, and the time in which the work 
will be completed, and terms of payment, so that the city council can easily 
determine the cost of the work contemplated, and the time required for its 
completion. 

Sec 4. The recorder shall note on the back of each proposal the time 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. MS 

of receiving the same, and shall file the same in his office for reference. 
No proposal shall be filed by him unless it is securely sealed, and all such 
proposals shall have an endorsement on the back, " Proposals for pubhc 
work," and directed to the city council. No proposals shall be withdrawn 
from the recorder, or the seal broken by any one, until the meeting of the 
city council to examine the same. 

Sec. 5. After the time shall have expired for receiving proposals, the 
city council shall convene and examine all proposals made, and shall award 
the contract to the lowest bidder, provided, if all such proposals are 
deemed too high, the city council may reject all. 

Sec. 6. The city council shall require any person or persons whose 
bid may be successful, to give bond with good security, to be approved by 
said council, conditioned for the faithful performance of such work and 
contract, and in default of providing such bond within some time specified 
by them, such bid or bids shall be rejected. 

Sec. 7. Whenever any contract shall be awarded and bond filed, as 
herein provided, the city attorney shall draw up the terms of each contract 
in duplicate, which said contract shall embody all the particulars specified 
in the proposals, and shall further bind the contractor to perform the work 
in a good and workmanlike manner. Such contracts shall be signed in 
duplicate by the mayor, under the seal of the city, and the contractor, 
under their hands and seals. One copy of such contracts shall be deliv- 
ered to the contractor, and the other held in the office of the city recorder. 

Sec. 8. No such work shall be received or paid for until it shall have 
been examined by the committee of improvements of the city council, and 
shall have been approved by them as constructed according to contract, 
and these conditions shall be embraced in every contract entered into. 

Sec. 9. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with this are 
hereby repealed. 

Sec. 10. This ordinance to be in force from and after its publication. 

Approved December 21st, 1874. J. T. Quirk, Mayor. 

Attest: A. J. Riffe, Clerk. 

AN ordinance in RELATION TO THE PAYMENT OF CLAIMS AGAINST THE 

CITY. 

Be it ordained hy the City Council of the City of Richtnond, as follows: 

Section 1. Whenever the city of Richmond, shall become liable to 
any person, in any sum of money, the payment of which is not otherwise 
provided for, the claimant shall make out a detailed account thereof and 
shall then present the same to the city council, who shall carefully examine 
the same, and if in their opinion the account is correct and should be paid 
by law, they should allow the same, and the city recorder shall endorse on 
such accounts the allowance thereof, and a warrant shall be issued by the 
mayor, countersigned by the city recorder, in favor of such claimant, pay- 
able out of the city treasury. 

Sec. 2. The city council ma}^ refer any claim so presented to them for 
payment to the committee of claims for examination and adjustment, but 
all such claims shall be reported back to the city council for approval and 
final action. 

Sec. 3. The city treasurer shall keep a book in which shall be kept a 



444 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

correct record and list of all warrants, presented to him for payment, 
noting the number of the warrant, time of presentation, amount for which 
drawn, and in favor of whom payable, and shall pay such warrants in the 
order they are thus presented and registered for payment, such payment 
to be made out of the general fund of the city. 

Sec. 4. Whenever there shall be any money in the city treasury, and 
warrants registered for payment, it shall be the duty of the city treasurer 
to tack up in some conspicuous place in the office of the city council a list 
of such warrants next to be paid, and for which he has money in the trea- 
sury, giving the name of the person to whom payable, number and amount 
of warrant, and notifying the holder thereof to present such warrant or 
warrants for payment, and any warrant which shall not be presented for 
payment within twenty days from the time the same shall be posted, shall 
be stricken from its place in the registry, and the money appropriated to 
the payment of the next warrant or warrants in the order in which they 
occur on the registry; provided, that all warrants that may thus lose their 
order of payment, shall be re-registered for payment at anytime as if they 
were new warrants, but the city shall not be held liable for any interest or 
damages on such warrants from and after its being posted for payment. 

Sec. 5. Such public list of warrants to be paid shall be renewed from 
time to time as there may be money on hand for the payment of any war- 
rant or warrants, so as to keep the warrant holders accurately notified of 
the time of payment of their warrants. 

Sec. 6. Any city treasurer who shall pay any warrant, out of the 
order of its payment, as shown b}"" the register of warrants, and as herein 
provided for, or who shall fail to keep a record of warrants as herein set 
forth, or vs^ho shall fail to post any warrants for payment, as and when 
the same shall be entitled to payment, as provided for in the sections next 
preceding, or who shall violate any of the provisions of this ordinance, 
shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction, shall be fined 
in any sum not less than five dollars, and not more than ninety dollars, 
and costs for every such offense. 

Sec. 7. All ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict with this are 
hereby repealed; Provided^ however^ that all warrants now registered for 
payment with the city treasurer, shall be paid in the order in which they 
now are registered, the same as if originally registered under this ordin- 
ance, and shall in all respects be so treated, and such warrants as may 
hereafter be recognized, shall be registered in order, commencing next 
after the last warrant heretofore registered for payment. 

Sec. 8. This ordinance to take effect from and after its publication. 

Approved December 21, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. Mayor. 

AN ordinance in RELATION TO THE CITY TREASURER. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond, as follows : 
Section 1. On Tuesday after the first Monday in April of each year 

there shall be elected a city treasurer, who shall hold his office for one 

year, and until his successor is duly elected and qualified. 

Sec. 2. He shall give bond in such sum as the city council may 

require with approved security, conditioned for the faithful performance 

of his official duties. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 445 

Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of the city treasurer to receive and keep 
the money of the city, and to pay out the same on warrants drawn by the 
mayor, or other officers authorized by ordinance to draw them, in the 
manner and forrp prescribed by ordinance. 

Sec. 4. In case of death, resignation or removal from office of the city 
treasurer, the mayor, with the approval of the council, shall have power 
to appoint a city treasurer for the residue of the term, until the next gen- 
eral election of city officers. 

Sec 5. The foregoing ordinance to take effect and be in force from 
and after its publication. 

Approved November 21, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. Mayor. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO CITY RECORDER. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 

Section 1. On Tuesday after the first Monday in April of each year, 
there shall be elected a city recorder, who shall hold his office for one 
year, and, until his successor is duly qualified. 

Sec 2. He shall be ex-officio clerk of the city council. He shall keep 
a journal of the proceedings of the council, record in a separate book all 
ordinances and resolutions appropriating money, keep a record of all offi- 
cial acts of the mayor, and when necessary attend them; he shall keep and 
preserve in his office the common seal of the city, and all records, public 
papers and documents not properly belonging to any other office, and 
perform such other duties as the council may direct. 

Sec 3. As recorder he shall preside in the city court, and have the 
same jurisdiction as a justice of the peace, within and for the limits of the 
city. He shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all cases arising under any 
ordinances of the city, subject, however, in all cases to an appeal to the 
circuit court of Ray county, and every such appeal shall be granted as pro- 
vided by the charter and ordinances of this city. 

Sec 4. This ordinance is to take effect and be in force from and after 
its publication. 

Approved, December 21, 1874. J. T. Quirk, Mayor. ' 

Attest: A. J. Riffe, Clerk. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO COMMITTEES. 

jBe it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 
Section 1. The mayor shall, at the first regular meeting of the city 

council after his election, appoint seven standing committees, to consist of 

three members each, viz: 

1st, A committee on finance; 2d, a committee on ordinances; 3d, a 

committee on improvements and repairs; 4ih, a committee on claims; 5th, 

a committee on judiciary; 6th, a committee of ways and means; 7th, a 

committee on printing. 

Approved, December 21, 1878. George L Wasson, Mayor. 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. 



446 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO THE TIME WHEN THE FOREGOING 
ORDINANCES TAKE EFFECT. 

Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Richmond^ as follows : 

Section 1. That all the foregoing ordinances of the city of Richmond 
are hereby approved and shall take effect and be in force from and after 
January 1, A. D. 1879. 

Sec 2. All ordinances and parts of ordinances inconsistent with the 
provisions of the said ordinances, are hereby repealed. 

Sec. 3. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after 
January 1, A. D. 1879. 

Approved, November 21, 1878. Geo. I. Wasson, Mayor. 

Attest: W. C. Patton, Clerk. 



RULES AND ORDER OF BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY 

OF RICHMOND. 

Rule I. Regular meetings of the council shall be held on the first 
Wednesday of each month. Notices of special meetings shall be served 
by the marshal on each councilman, and the marshal shall have charge of 
the council rooms and give his attendance on the meetings of the council. 

Rule II. At the hour appointed for the meeting, the recorder, or 
some one appointed to supply his absence, shall proceed to call the roll 
of members, and announce whether a quorum be present. Upon the 
appearance of a quorum, the council shall be called to order, the mayor 
taking the chair, if present. The council shall appoint a temporary chair- 
man in the absence of the mayor. The council shall then proceed to do 
business in the order following: 

1. The reading of the minutes of the proceedings of the last preced- 
ing meeting or meetings, which, if approved by the council, shall be 
signed by the mayor, and then attested by the recorder. 

2. The presentation of petitions and reports of officers. 

3. The reports of standing committees. 

4. The reports of select committees. 

5. Communications to the council, which may be considered at any 
time. 

6. Unfinished business. 

7. Motions, resolutions and notices. 

8. Miscellaneous business. 

Rule III. The mayor shall preserve order and decorum, and shall 
decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal to the council. 

Rule IV. When the council adjourns, the members shall keep their 
seats until the mayor shall declare the council adjourned. 

Rule V. Everv member, previous to his speaking, shall rise from his 
seat and address himself to the mayor, and say, "Mr. President," but 
shall not proceed until recognized and named by the chair. 

Rule VI. When two or more members rise at once, the mayor shall 
name the member who is first to speak. 

Rule VII. No member shall speak more than twice on the same 
question without leave of the council. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 447 

Rule VIII. When a member is speaking, no member shall enter into 
any private discourse, or pass between him and the chair. 

Rule IX. A member called to order shall immediately take his seat, 
unless permitted to explain. The decision of the chair on points of order 
shall be conclusive, unless there be an appeal to the council, in which case, 
the council shall decide the point of order without debate. 

Rule X. Every member present shall vote upon all questions stated by 
the chair, unless excused by the council. 

Rule XI. No motion shall be stated by the chair unless it be seconded. 
When a motion is seconded, it shall be stated by the mayor before debate; 
and shall be reduced to writing, if required by a member. 

Rule XII. If the question in debate contains several distinct proposi- 
tions, any member may have the same divided. 

Rule XIII. When a motion is under debate, no motion shall be re- 
ceived unless for the " previous question, " to postpone indefinitely, to 
adjourn to a certain day, to lie on the table, to amend, or to adjourn the 
council. 

Rule XIV. A motion for the "previous question, " to lie on the table, 
or to commit it until decided, shall preclude all amendment and debate; 
and so also, a motion to postpone indefinitely, or to adjourn it to a certain 
day, shall, until decided, preclude all amendment to the main question. 

Rule XV. The " previous question " shall be as follows: " Shall the 
main question now be put?" 

Rule XVI. A motion to adjourn shall always be in order, except 
when a member is speaking, or a vote is being taken, or when a motion 
to adjourn was the last preceding motion. 

Rule XVII. If any member require it, the ayes and noes upon any 
question shall be taken and entered on the minutes. 

Rule XVIII. All committees shall be appointed by the chair, unless 
otherwise ordered by the council. 

Rule XIX. All reports of committees shall be made in writing. 

Rule XX. These rules may be temporarily suspended by a vote of 
two-thirds of the council present ; and be repealed, altered or amended, by 
the concurrence of two-thirds of all the councilmen elected. 

Rule XXI. The standing committees shall consist of three members 
each, and shall be appointed by the mayor, annually: and the first person 
named on the committee shall be the chairman thereof. The standing 
committees shall be: 

First — Finance. 

Second — Ordinances, 

Third — Improvements and repairs. 

Fourth — Claims. 

Fifth — Judiciary, 

Sixth — Ways and means. 

Seventh — Printing, 

Rule XXII, All bills proposing to become ordinances shall have three 
separate readings. 

Rule XXIII. All questions of order not herein otherwise provided 
for, shall be decided upon the principle laid down in Jefferson's Manual, so 
far as the same may be applicable. 

Adopted December 23, 1874. 



448 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The population of Richmond, per tenth United States census, is 1,424; 
but as this only includes those living within the corporate limits, which 
are quite narrow, it is much less than the population of the town proper — 
which is certainly not less than twenty-five hundred. Its population in 
1870 was 1,218. 

TAITSVILLE. 

In 1833, a settlement wa:. made where Taitsville now stands. In that 
year Alfred Williams built the first house erected in what afterward 
became the corporate limits of Taitsville. His house stood a short dis- 
tance southwest of lot No. 1, and was burned the year after it was built. 
Williams died in 1868. 

About the same time that Alfred Williams settled at Taitsville, his 
brother, Thomas Williams, also settled there and built a house on the 
southeast part of the area now forming the limits of the town. 

In 18.58, one J. P. Morrison built a small steam mill in Taitsville. The 
mill was provided with but one run of burrs, and the flour was bolted by 
hand. The engine first used is still in use. After several changes in 
ownership the mill became, and is now, the property of John Tait, who 
has repaired and improved it very much. The mill was burned down in 
1875, but was immediately re-built. It now has two run of burrs. 

In the spring of 1869, McGlothlin & Bailes built on lot number one, the 
first store house in Taitsville. They occupied the building as a store 
house, but it is now occupied by W. G. Tait & Bro. In 1873, T. B. Hat- 
field & Brother established the second store in Taitsville. 

There are, also, two drug stores in the town; two blacksmith and two 
wagon shops. 

Taitsville is situated in the south part of section seventeen, township 
fifty-four, range twenty-seven, on the west side of the west fork of 
Crooked river. It is not on any railroad, but is pleasantly situated in a 
very good farming country. Timber of superior quality and in considera- 
ble variety abounds in the neighborhood. The town was made a post 
office May 24, 1872, and J. H. Hatfield was appointed postmaster. It has 
mail to and from Richmond, sixteen miles distant, two times per week. 

Taitsville was incorporated November 16, 1878, with James Tait, John 
Tait, William C. Syler, T. B. Hatfield and G. W. Cones, as trustees, 
appointed b}^ the county court. The same persons were elected members 
of the town board, the first Tuesday in April, 1880. The population of 
Taitsville, per census of 1880, is one hundred and eight. 

KNOXVILLE. 
Knoxville is fourteen miles north and inland from Richmond, situated 
in Knoxville township, in center of section thirty-five, congressional town- 
ship fifty-four, range twenty-eight; has a population, according to the 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 449^ 

tenth U. S. census, of eighty-eight, four stores carrying stocks of general 
merchandise, two drug stores, two wagon shops, one saddle and harness 
shop, two blacksmith shops, a hotel and a post office, with daily mail. 

The town is unincorporated, and as its limits can not be sharply defined, 
eighty-eight is, of course, only the approximate population. We have 
received one statement estimating the population at two hundred, which is 
probably more nearly correct than the other. 

It has a justice of the peace, a constable, and two physicians. There 
is, also, a Masonic lodge, and a church building in the town. Services are 
held in the latter by two denominations. 

In the spring of 1834 a Mr. Hatfield occupied a small house, near the 
present site of Knoxville, which took the name of "Buncombe." The 
first store-house was erected in the summer of 1834, by one Jacob Stol- 
lins. He carried a small stock of general merchandise. At that time 
there were only two or three houses in the place. 

There is now a very good school-house in the village, and school is 
kept open from six to eight months in the year. 

About three and a half miles southwest of Knoxville, on the west 
fork of Crooked river, is situated the saw and grist mill of J. B. Belch er 
Esq. 

While this mill is operated exclusively in Ray county, it is not station- 
ary, but is moved from one locality to another, in order that it may be 
kept convenient to suitable timber. When the timber of one locality has 
been used, the mill is removed ; and our apology for giving an account of 
it in connection with the history of Knoxville, is that the writer is informed 
it is now located nearer that village than any other. 

Mr. Belcher operates this mill with no other assistance than that afforded 
by members of his family, thereby practicing a very laudable economy, as 
well as having his work done in a prompt and satisfactory manner. Mr. 
Belcher displays a judgment worthy of emulation, in so thoroughly utili- 
zing the force represented by his own family. 

The engine is a twenty-four horse-power, and, with good saws, in per- 
fect order, does excellent work. 

There is considerable walnut timber, of good quality, in the neighbor- 
hood of Mr. B.'s present location. This he saws for other parties, and it 
finds its way to distant markets. 

The mill is also provided with a good pair of burrs for grinding corn. 

MILLVILLE. 
Millville, a bright and thriving little village of about two hundred souls, 
ten miles northeast of Richmond, in the north part of section fifteen, 
township fifty-three, range twenty-seven, is pleasantly situated at the base 
of some beautiful wooded hills, in the midst of a rich, partially timbered 
and partially prairie country, highly improved and exceedingly productive 



450 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The land upon which Millville is located, was entered by one Leighton 
Ewell, who sold it to Robert Mitchell. 

In 1837, the latter gentleman erected, on the present site of Millville, a 
water power grist mill, for grinding corn, only. 

The same year Robert Mitchell, and one "Buck" McGaugh, laid out 
the town into lots, streets and alleys. 

In 1837, C. W. Stillwell built the first blacksmith shop in Millville. The 
first store was opened about the year 1842, by Milton and S. L. 
McCuistion. 

This was the only store in Millville till 1845, when George A. Mason 
engaged in the mercantile business in that town. Since that time various 
persons have been engaged in merchandizing in Millville, among whom 
we mention the following: T. B. Fowler, R. C. Wild, J. Y. Coppage, 

Everett, Brice, Steele, I. Mansur, Graham & Craven, and J. P. 

Grimes & Co. 

There is a good steam flouring mill in the town, and also, a church 
building, a school house and Masonic lodge. 

The town was originally called "Buck Snort," probably on account of 
"Buck" McGaugh, who helped to lay it out into town lots. 

MORTON. 

A hamlet of about one hundred inhabitants, is situated in the heart of 
the most beautiful and fertile agricultural region in northwest Missouri, 
is in Crooked River township, near the center of section eighteen, con- 
gressional township fifty-two, of range twenty-six. 

The town is situated on a very eligible site, commanding a fine pros- 
pect of the surrounding country. 

W. P. Shaw, Esq., built the first house in the place, and T. J. Porter 
owned the first store. 

The school-house was built in the year 1856. It is a frame, and cost 
three hundred dollars. Miss Sarah Bohannon was the first teacher. She 
had about twenty pupils, and received as a salary twenty dollars per 
month. 

The first marriage solemnized in Morton is said to have been that of 
George Ewing to Miss Lyda Tisdale, but we have been unable to ascer- 
tain. 

The first regular practicing physician was Doctor W. F. Yates, who is 
living in Morton. He is a native of Scott county, Kentucky. • 

A postoffice was estabhshed in Morton in 1874, with R. V. Wall as 
postmaster. 

Two dry goods stores, a saddle and harness shop, two blacksmith shops 
and one drug store constitute the business establishments of the town. 
There is also a verv handsome union church in the place. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 4:51 

Like every town in Ray county, Morton is surrounded by a hospitable, 
intelligent and enterprising people, and is supported by inexhaustible 
natural sources. 

HARDIN. 

Hardin was laid out in 1S68, and incorporated in October, 1870. James 
Darby was the first mayor; John D. Reyburn built the first house, and 
Fountain Roselle was the owner of the first store in Hardin. The first 
school-house in the town was built in 1870, at a cost of seven hundred 
dollars. 

C. W. Clampitt taught the first school. He had seventy-five pupils,, 
and his compensation was seventy dollars per month. 

The first death that occuored in Hardin was that of William Hunt,, 
who died in 1870. His remains were interred at Knoxville, Ray county, 
Missouri. 

Dr. A. H. Buchanan, who came from Kentucky, was the first regular 
physician. He is now dead. 

Reverend F. Bone, of the M. E. Church South, was the first minister 
in Hardin. Religious services were held at the Union church, described 
elsewhere in this volume. The town has a handsome cemetery, three- 
fourths of a mile to the southeast. 

The present officers of Hardin are as follows: B. B. Babcock, mayor; 
L. H. Noble, marshal; W. J. Roach, secretary; C. W. Dawson, J. J. 
Moore, S. B. Chase, and R. L. Re3^burn, councilmen. 

Hardin is a progressive, enterprising little village, situated in sections 
thirty-two and thirty-three, congressional township fifty-two, range 
twenty-six, and in sections four and five, township fifty-one, range twenty- 
six, on the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific railway, six miles east of R. & 
L. Junction. It has twelve business houses, one church, owned and used 
by several denominations, a good school-house, one hotel, and an elevator, 
and is in as fine a farming country as there is in Missouri. The town 
enjoys a large trade, comparatively speaking, and as a shipping point for 
grain and live stock, is one of the most important in the county. The 
Telegraph steam flouring mills are located here, and no similar mills in a 
town of equal size will sufier disparagement b}' comparison with them. 

Old Hardin is situated one-half mile southeast. It contains a Union- 
church, and several old and decaying houses. 

The population of Hardin was not separately reported by the enumera- 
tor, who, in June, 1880, took the census of Crooked River township, in 
which it is located; hence, the number of its inhabitants cannot be defin- 
itely stated ; it is safe to say, however, that it is from two hundred and 
fifty to three hundred. 

The town stands at the head of the famous sugar tree bottom of Carroll 
county. The greater portion of the surrounding country is prairie, inter- 



452 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

spersed with groves of excellent timber. To the eastward, below the 

"bluffs," are the Kilgore and Heisinger lakes, and the land is low and 

marshy. 

CAMDEN. 

Camden is situated on the north bank of the Missouri river, on the 
Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway, five miles west of Richmond and 
Lexington Junction, and six miles southwest of Richmond; was incorpo- 
rated in May, 1838. 

It is a town of some importance, in a part of the county most admirably 
adapted to the culture of grain and fruit, as well as inexhaustibly rich in 
mining resources. 

The coal mines in the vicinity are a source of considerable wealth to 
the town, and afford employment to one hundred and fifty to two hundred 
men. 

It has eight stores, two hotels, two school houses, one church, owned 
and used by all denominations, and one large flouring mill. 

Wood, coal and water being convenient and abundant, Camden pre- 
sents decided advantages for manufacturing. Population, according to 
United States census of 1880, five hundred and nine. 

The bluffs in the rear, and on either side of Camden, rise to consider- 
able height, and present a grand and picturesque appearance. 

ORRICK. 

Orrick, situated in east half of section twenty-three, township fifty-one, 
range twenty-nine, on the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific railroad, (formerly 
North Missouri railroad,) was laid out in March, 1869, by the North Mis- 
souri railroad company, and named in honor of W. W. Orrick, Esq., of 
St. Charles, Missouri. 

The village was incorporated in 1872, with John G. Hearn as its first 
mayor. A postoffice was established in Orrick in 1873, and Arthur W. 
Stickle appointed postmaster. 

John G. Brown built the first house in the town, and owned the first 
store. 

In 1873 a good substantial school house was built, at a cost of eight 
hundred and fifty dollars. It is a two-story frame building; the second 
story, which is owned by a joint stock company, being used as a public 
hall. 

W. D. Ward was principal of the first school taught in Orrick. 
Twenty-five pupils attended his school, and he received for his services 
as teacher, forty dollars per month. 

The first marriage ceremony pronounced in the town was that uniting 
as man and wife, Peter Gerry and Sarah Stewart. 

March 26, 1870, occurred the first birth. It was that of a daughter, 
born to Frank and Melvina Warner. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 453 

The first male child born in Orrick was William, son of Zachariah and 
Nelly Campbell, born May 14, 1872. 

The first death occurred April 1, 1870; it was that of Melvina War- 
ner, whose remains were buried at South Point cemetery. 

R. S. Kestler, M. D., from Macon county, Illinois, now a citizen of 
Tiblow, Wyandotte county, Kansas, was the first practicing physician in 
the town of Orrick. 

There is no cemetery yet established in the town ; but South Point ceme- 
tery, laid out by the Christian congregation at that place, is one mile 
away, and is used by the people of Orrick as a place to inter their dead. 

The present (1881) officers of Orrick are as follows: B. A. Miller, 
mayor; Louis H. Wood, Marion Leakey, D. B. Shepard, W. A. Wells, 
councilmen; George Brown, marshal; G. W. Mitchell, treasurer; M. S. 
Bissell, cit}^ attorney; George Dale, clerk. 

The population of Orrick, per tenth U. S. census, is one hundred and 
ninety-three. 

Mrs. Mary Gordon has lived longer in the town than any other person. 

LAWSON. 

Lawson, a bright and attractive little village of two hundred and 
twenty-three inhabitants, is situated on the St. Joseph branch of the 
Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific railway, twenty miles northwest of Rich- 
mond, in Polk township, near the Clay county line. 

It was laid out in June, 1870, named in honor of Lawson of the 

New York banking house of Donnell, Lawson & Co., and incorporated 
November, 7, 1871. 

George Young, of the firm of Young, Brown & Co., built the first 
house erected in Lawson, and also owned the first store. 

There is a very pretty school house in the place, built in 1870, at a cost 
of five hundred dollars. Miss Lutie Palmer, with twenty pupils, and for 
twenty-five dollars per month, taught the first school. It was a public 
school. 

Lawson is a growing town, very important as a shipping point, and is 
situated in the midst of a fine farming area of rich and beautiful gently 
undulating prairie land. 

Dr. C. N. Palmer, from Liberty, Clay county, Missouri, who is still a 
citizen of Lawson, was the first regular practicing physician. 

The church building in Lawson, owned by the Methodists and Presby- 
terians, is a neat and substantial structure. 

Perhaps no town in this part of Missouri is more pleasantly located than 
Lawson. 

Following are the names of the present officers of the town: Council- 
men, P. H. Cates, chairman; J. H. Titus, M. O. Robinett, W. H. Hat- 
field and J. W. Asbury; W. M. Allison, treasurer; R. M. Miller, marshal; 



454 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

G. W. Robinett, street commissioner; G. W. Montgomery, assessor and 

collector. 

VIBBAED. 

Vibbard is on the St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific 
Railway, fourteen miles northwest of Richmond, sections twenty-two 
and twenty-seven, township fift3^-three, of range twenty-nine, and is the 
center of another very rich and beautiful rolling prairie district. Vibbard 
is, also, quite an important shipping point. Cattle, horses, mules, hogs, 
grain, and general produce are shipped from here in large number and 
quantity every year. 

The town has eight business houses, one church, used by several 
denominations, a school house and a hotel. We are unable to give the 
exact population of the place, as the census enumerator failed to report 
the town separately. It has, however, a population of about one hun- 
dred and seventy-five. 

ALBANY. 

Albany, formery called Ashton, was founded by Judge Eli Carter. 
The town was incorporated in 1871. Daniel Turner was the first mayor. 

In 1854, a post office was established at Albany, and Judge Eli Carter 
appointed postmaster. 

A Dr. Scroggins was the first practicing physician in Albany. 

The first religious services were held by members of the M. E. Church 
South, at Judge Carter's tobacco factory in Albany. Rev. E. M. Dorkra 
was the preacher. 

Albany is in southwest corner of section thirteen, township fifty-one, 
range twenty-nine, three-fourths of a mile northeast of Orrick. It is a 
brisk little village, surrounded, as are all the towns mentioned, by an 
excellent farming country, and has seven business houses, one school 
house, one church building, property of M. E. Church South, and Baptists. 

The Albany flouring mill, located at this place, was built in 1853, by 
Eli Carter & Co. It has two pairs of burrs; one to grind wheat, the 
other for corn. It grinds from eighty to one hundred bushels of wheat 
per day, and from fifteen to twenty bushels of corn in the same time. 
The mill is now owned by Brasher & Taylor; is in good repair and does 
very good work. 

The town was not reported separately by the census enumerator, but 
it has a population of about one hundred and fifty. 

HALLER STATION— RAYVILLE POST OFFICE. 
This small village is on the St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, St. Louis 
and Pacific railway, about eight miles northwest of Richmond, in Rich- 
mond township. It was laid out in 1871, and the same year a postoffice 
was established there, with J. O. Davis as postmaster. Thomas Hankins 
built the first house and owned the first store. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 455 

In 1880, the district public school building was moved near the town, 
and is now used by the town and neighborhood. 

The first religious services in Haller station, were held at the railroad 
house by the Catholics. Father O 'Riley, a Catholic priest, was the first 
minister. 

The only official in Haller station, at present — April, 1881 — is Henry 
Clark, postmaster and justice of the peace. 

ELK HORN— CRAB ORCHARD POST OFFICE. 
Elk Horn is a postoffice, nine miles northwest of Richmond, in section 
thirteen, of township fifty-two, range twenty-nine — Fishing River. 

NORTH LEXINGTON. 

North Lexington is the terminus of the St. Joseph branch of the "Wabash, 
St. Louis and Pacific railway, on the left bank of the Missouri river, 
opposite Lexington. 

SWANWICK. 

Sw^anwick is a railway station and postoffice, five miles nosthwest of 
Richmond, on the St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific 
railway. 

RICHMOND AND LEXINGTON JUNCTION— HENRY POST OFFICE. 

Henry postoffice is situated in the north part of section sixteen, township 
fifty-one, range twenty-seven, at the crossing of the Wabash, St. Louis 
and Pacific railway, and the St. Joseph branch of that road. 

It is a thriving little village and a shipping point for an extensive and 
productive agricultural country. It contains five business houses; three 
hotels, one railroad eating house, large depot buildings, a grain elevator, 
a school house and a church. Population about one hundred and fifty. 

HULL'S POINT. 

Hull's Point, about four miles northwest of Orrick, is a station on the 
Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific railway. 

LISBONVILLE. 

Lisbonville is a post office in the extreme northern part of section three, 
township fifty-four, range twenty-nine. It is just within Ray county, 
being at the line between Ray and Caldwell counties. 

FREDERICKSBURG— NEW GARDEN P. O. 
Fredericksburg is a post office in Fishing River township, or, section 
eight, congressional township fifty-two, range twenty-nine. 

RUSSELLVILLE— FOX P. O. 
Fox post office is situated in section sixteen, township fifty-three, range 
twenty-six. Grape Grove. 

WILMOT. 
Wilmot is a post office one mile and a half north of Fox post office. 



456 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

GEORGEVILLE. 
Geor^eville is a post office in the north part of section fifteen, township 
fifty-four, range twenty-seven, Grape Grove. 

TINNEY'S GROVE P. O — MT. PLEASANT. 
Tinney's Grove is a small business place and postoffice, situated in sec- 
tion ten, township fifty-four, range twenty-six — Grape Grove. It is sur- 
rounded by a good farming country. 

PLEASANT VIEW. 
As a town, Pleasant View exists no longer. It was once a lovely little 

village 

" Where smiling spring its earliest risit paid, 
And parting summer's lingering blooms delayed." 

But a railroad was built, and Pleasant View ignored; other towns spring- 
ing up in the vicinity, on the line of the railroad, drew its patronage, and 
this gone, Pleasant View was forced to die. 

The town was situated on a beautiful tract of high, rolling prairie land, 
and at one time before the war, had an extensive trade. It was laid out 
about the year 1857, by a German, named Isaac Berry, who opened the 
first store in the place, and sold a large amount of goods, dealing in country 
produce, general merchandise and farming implements. 

One Joel J. Goddard kept a grocery store, and also sold liquors. 

A man named Jacob Wybrow kept a furniture store and had an exten- 
sive trade. 

Pleasant View was a flourishing village during the war, and for several 
years thereafter; but at last, like "Sweet Auburn," fell a victim to 
"unwieldy wealth," in other hands. 

The Christian Church and a few " mouldering walls," are all that 
remain to mark the spot, in the west part of section twenty-seven, town- 
ship fifty-four, range twenty-nine, where once stood Pleasant View village. 



THE SOLE SURVIVING WITNESS OF THE AUTHENTIC- 
ITY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON. 

The year 1838 is a memorable one in the history of northwest Missouri. 
In that year a large body of Mormons, under the leadership of Joseph 
Smith, their high priest and prophet, and founder of the Mormon church, 
established a settlement at Far West, in Caldwell county, which but two 
years before had been formed out of the northern part of Ray county. 

The Mormons had previously settled in Jackson county, having moved 
thither from Kirtland, Ohio. From these settlements the people had 
learned something of the character of the Mormons, and their rapid 
immigration into the country caused great excitement and considera- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 457 

ble alarm. The people regarded their religion as inimical to society, 
civilization, and Christianity; their habits were the opposite of decency, 
and their depredations unbearable. Public meetings were held, speeches 
made, and resolutions passed, denouncing the Mormons, and resolving to 
expel them from the country. War ensued — an account of which is 
given elsewhere in this volume. But, as a considerable number of worthy 
citizens are yet living in Ray county, who, while condemning polygamy, 
and repudiating the degenerate branch of so-called " Latter Day Saints," 
established at Salt Lake, Utah, or elsewhere, honestly believe in the 
authenticity of the Book of Mormon, without rejecting the Bible; and as 
the only surviving witness to the golden plates, from the characters 
engraven on which was translated the Book of Mormon, and who claims 
to have received the manifestation from God concerning the record — is 
now living, and has lived for many years in Richmond, this county, it is 
deemed proper to insert a brief account of the man, what he believes, 
what he saw, and what he testifies to: 

DAVID WHITMER, 

the onl}' living witness to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, and 
one of the three witnesses who testified to " all nations, kindreds, tongues 
and people," that they had seen the golden plates upon which were 
engraven the hieroglyphics, that were translated into the Book of Mor- 
mon, bas been interviewed by a reporter of the Chicago Times, and the 
result is given in four columns of that paper on August 7th. We repro- 
duce the subjoined from the published interview: David Whitmer was 
born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and when he was but four years old, 
his parents removed to New York, settling at a point midwav between 
the northern extremities of lakes Cayuga and Seneca, two miles from 
Waterloo, tw^o miles from Seneca River, four miles from Seneca Falls, 
seven miles from Geneva, and twenty-two miles from Palm3a-a. He is 
now seventy years of age, but as hale and hearty as most men at fifty. 
In person he is above the medium height, stoutly built though not corpu- 
lent, his shoulders inclining to stoop, as if from so long supporting his 
massive head, rather than from the weight of years, his frank, manly and 
benevolent face closely shaven, and his whole exterior betokening him to 
be one of nature's gentlemen. The rudiments of education he learned in 
school, and a life-time of thought and research have served to expand and 
store his mind with vast funds of information. The Times reporter found 
him at his pleasant two-story white frame residence, near the centre of the 
town of Richmond, Missouri, and in company with Hon. J. T. Child, 
editor of the Conservator, was admitted, introduced, and received a cordial 
greeting. When the object of the call was made known, Mr. Whitmer 
smilingly and meditatively remarked that it was true he had in his possession 
the original records, and was conversant with the history of the Church of 
Christ from the beginning, but was under obligations to hold both history 
and records sacred until such time as the interests of truth and true 
religion might demand their aid to combat error. Presently he became 
quite animated, rose to his feet, and, with great earnestness and good 
29 



458 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

nature, spoke for half an hour on the harmony between the Bible and the 
original Book of Mormon, showing how the finding of the plates had 
been predicted, referring to the innumerable evidences, in the shape of 
ruins of great cities existing on this continent; of its former occupation 
by a highly civilized race, reverently declared his solemn conviction of the 
authenticity of the records in his possession, and closed by denouncing the 
Latter-Day Saints, of Utah, as an abomination in the sight of the Lord. 
While he believed implicitly in the original book, he protested against the 
Book of Covenants, which was simply a compilation of special revela- 
tions that Smith and his successors had pretended to have received. Joe 
Smith, he said, was generally opposed to these revelations, but was fre- 
qently importuned by individuals to reveal their duty, and oftimes he was 
virtuall}^ compelled to yield, and in this way the original purity of the faith 
was tarnished by human invention, and the accepted records of to-day 
lumbered with a mass of worse than useless rubbish. Should Bngham 
Young, or any of his infatuated satelites, ever dare to declare any of their 
interpolations to be from the original tablets, or proclaim that their per- 
nicious doctrines or practices were authorized by the true version, then 
he, David Whitmer, would bring forth the records and confound them. 
Until that time, he, alone, would be the custodian of the sacred docu- 
ments. When the question of polygamy was broached, and it was asked 
if the original Book of Mormon justified the practice, Mr. Whitmer most 
emphatically replied: "No! It is even much more antagonistic to both 
polygamy and concubinage than is the Bible. Joe Smith never,to my knowl- 
edge, advocated it, though I have heard that he virtually sanctioned it at Nau- 
voo. However, as I cut loose from him in 1837, 1 can't speak intelligently of 
what transpired thereafter." David Whitmer believes in the Bible as implic- 
itly as any devotee alive; and he believes in the Book of Mormon as 
much as he does in the Bible. The one is but a supplement to the other, 
according to his idea, and neither would be complete were the other lack- 
ing. And no man can look at David Whitmer's face for a half-hour, while 
he charily and modestly speaks of what he has seen, and then boldly and 
earnestly confesses the faith that is in him, and say that he is a bigot 
or an enthusiast. While he shrinks from unnecessary public promulgation 
of creed, and keenly feels that the Brighamites and Danites, and numer- 
ous other ites have disgraced it, yet he v^-ould not hesitate, in emer- 
gency, to stake his honor, and even his life, upon its reliability. His is the 
stern faith of the Puritans, modified by half a century of benevolent 
thought and quiet observation. He might have been a martyr, had he 
lacked sense and shrewdness to escape the death sentence that was pro- 
nounced against him by the high priests of the church he had helped to 
build. As it is, he is, perhaps, the only living witness of the wondrous 
revelation made to Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. 

David Whitmer was married in Seneca county. New York, in 1830, 
and was for a number of years an elder in the Church of Christ. To-day 
he is the proprietor of a livery stable in Richmond, Missouri, owns some 
real estate, has a handsome balance in the bank, is universally respected 
by all who know him, and surrounded by children and grand-children, is 
pleasantly gliding toward the gates of sunset, confident that the God of 
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, was also the God of Nephi, whose faith- 
ful disciple he has been, and is. He does not believe that all believing in 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 459 

the Book of Mormon, or all adherents to any other faith, will be found 
among the elect, but that the truly good of every faith will be gathered 
in fulfillment of prophecy. Neither does he believe that the Book of 
Mormon is the only record of the lost tribes hidden in the earth, but on 
the contrary, that the caves hold other records that will not come forth 
till all is peace, and " the lion and the lamb shall lie down together." 
Three times has he been at the hill Comorah, and seen the casket that 
contained the tablets and seer-stone. Eventually the casket had been 
washed down to the foot of the hill, but it was to be seen when he last 
visited the historic place. He declares that he has never been a Mor- 
mon, as the term is commonly interpreted, but is, a firm believer in the 
Book, in the faith of Christ, and the fulfillment of the prophecies in 
due time. Some of them have already been fulfilled; for instance, that 
which declares that the saints shall be driven from city to city, and also 
the prediction that the twelve apostles shall lead them to the devil. 

In 1837, David and his brother John, then living in Far West, Missouri, 
were warned that they must make a confession of their apostacy or be 
killed, as the leaders of the church were conspiring against them. They 
determined to accept neither horn of the dilemma, and arranged for flight. 
At an appointed time John emerged from the back door of his house, 
gave the preconcerted signal by raising his hat, and hastily mounting 
horses in waiting, they rode away. John, as clerk of the church, had its 
records, and Oliver Cowdery bore off the original translation, and event- 
ually transferred it to the keeping of David. Since that memorable day 
both John and David Whitmer have kept aloof from the so-called Latter- 
day Saints, although firm as ever in the faith as taught by the Book of 
Mormon. John is a man of fine education, and abundantly able to defend 
his faith from assaults from any quarter. 

The testimony of the three witnesses, as translated into different lan- 
guages and published to the world, is in the following words: 

Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people unto 
whom this work shall come, that we, through the grace of God the 
Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain 
this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the 
Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from 
the tower of which hath been spoken; and we also know that they have 
been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared 
it unto us; wherefore, we know of a surety that the work is true. 

And we also testify, that we have seen the engravings which are upon 
the plates; and they have been shown imto us by the power of God, and 
not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of 
God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, 
that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon ; and we 
know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true; and it 
is marvelous in our eyes, nevertheless the voice of the Lord commanded 
us that we should bear record of it ; wherefore, to be obedient unto the 
commandments of God, we bear testimony of these things. 

And we know that if we are faithful in Christ, we shall rid our gar- 
ments of the blood of all men, and be found spotless before the judgment 
seat of Christ, and shall dwell with him eternally in the heavens. 



460 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V 

And the honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and the Holy Ghost,, 
which IS one God. Amen. 

Oliver Cowdery, 
David Whitmer, 
Martin Harris. 

A citizen of Caldwell county having made public a statement reflecting 
upon the character of David Whitmer, the latter secured a testimonial, 
signed by many of the leading citizens of Richmond, where Mr. Whit- 
mer has resided since the year A. D. 1838, certifying, that from a long 
and intimate acquaintance with him, they knew him to be a man of the 
highest integrity, and of undoubted truthfulness. 

In reply to the statement referred to above, and in order to set him- 
self right before the world, Mr. Whitmer published the following: 

Unto all nations, kindred tongues and people, unto whom these pres- 
ents shall come: It having been represented by one John Murphy, of 
Polo, Caldwell county, Missouri, that I, in a conversation with him last sum- 
mer, denied my testimony as one of the three witnesses to the Book of 
Mormon. 

To the end, therefore, that he may understand me now, if he did not 
then, and that the world may know the truth, I wish now, standing as it 
were in the very sunset of life, and in the fear of God once for all, to make 
this public statement: 

That I have never at any time, denied the testimony or any part thereof, 
which has so long since been published with that book, as one of the thre.e 
witnesses. Those who know me best well know that I have always 
adhered to that testimony. And that no man may be misled or doubt my 
present views, in regard to the same, I do again affirm the truth of all of 
mv statements, as then made and published. 

• He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear; ' It w^as no delusion! What is 
written is written — and he that readeth let him imderstand. 

And that no one may be deceived or misled by this statement, I wish 
here to state, that I do not indorse polygamy or spiritual wifeism. It is 
a great evil, shocking to the moral sense, and the more so because prac- 
ticed in the name of religion. It is of man and not of God, and is 
especiallv forbidden in the Book of Mormon itself. 

I do not indorse the change of the name of the church, for as the wife 
takes the name of her husband, so should the church of the Lamb of 
God take the name of its head, even Christ himself. It is the Church of 
Christ. 

As to the high priesthood, Jesus Christ himself is the last Great High 
Priest, this too after the order of Melchisedec, as I understand the holy 
scriptures. 

Finally — I do not indorse any of the teachings of the so-called Mor- 
mons, or Latter-day Saints, which are in conflict with the gospel of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as taught in the Bible and Book of Mor- 
mon; for the same gospel is plainly taught in both of these books as I 
understand the word of God. 

And if any man doubt, should he not carefully and honestly read and 
understand the same before presuming to sit in judgment and condemning 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 461 

the light, which shineth in darkness and showeth the way of eternal life, 
as pointed out by the unerring hand of God. 

In the spirit of Christ, who hath said, 'Follow thou me, for I am the 
life, the light and the way,' I submit this statement to the world. God in 
whom I trust being my judge, as to the sincerity of my motives and the 
faith and hope that is in me of eternal life. 

My sincere desire is that the world may be benefitted by this plain and 
simple statement of the truth. 

And all the honor be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, which 
is one God. Amen! 

Richmond, Missouri, March 19, 1881. David Whitmer, Sr. 

Relative to this testimonial, the Richmond Conservator^ of March 25, 
1881, contained the following editorial: 

Elsewhere we publish a letter from David Whitmer, Sr., an old and 
well known citizen of Ra}^ as well as an endorsement of his standing as a 
man, signed by a number of the leading citizens of this community, in 
reply to some unwarranted aspertions made upon him. 

There is no doubt that Mr. Whitmer, who was one of the three wit- 
nesses of the authenticity of the gold plates, from which he asserts that 
Joe Smith translated the Book- of Mormon, {^fcic simile of the characters 
he now has in his possession, with the original records) is firmly con- 
vinced of its divine origin; and while he makes no effort to obtrude his 
views or beliefs, he simply wants the world to know that, so far as he is 
concerned, there is no "variableness or shadow of turning." 

Having resided here for nearly half a century, it is with no little pride 
that he points to his past record, with the consciousness that he has done 
nothing derogatory to his character as a citizen and a believer in the Son 
of Mary, to warrant such an attack on him, come from what source it 
may; and now, with the lilies of seventy-five winters crowning him like an 
aureole, and his pilgrimage on earth well nigh ended, he reiterates his 
former statements, and will leave futurity to solve the problem that he 
was but a passing witness of its fulfillment. 

It is not the part of these pages to comment upon the Book of Mormon, 
the "golden plates," or the witnesses, as such; we have simply given place 
to the foregoing as a matter of interest in connection with the history of 
Ray county. 



GEOLOGY. 



RAY COUNTY COAL.* 

The Lexington coal-bed is occasionally opened at points along the Mis- 
souri bluffs, from the east county line to Camden. Above Camden the 
formations dip strongly west, and the Lexington coal is no longer seen, 
but it is replaced by higher rocks. Around Richmond, on the waters of 
Crooked river, the coal is w^orked at many places. The mines near the 
east county^line are worked by horizontal driftings. * * * 

*Iron ores and coal fields: Geological survey of Missouri, Raphael Pumpelly, director. 



462 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The section at Oberholtz, from the hill top down, was as follows: 
Section 173. 
No. 1—68 feet slope. 

2—2 feet, equivalent to No. 15 (4 feet limestome: irregularly bedded: 
gray and drab: sometimes quite nodular: generally coarse grained. 
Abounds in Chcptetes milleporaceous, contains cylindrica and Athyris sub- 
tilita), of Lexington section ; color, light drab. 
3 — 31 feet slope. 

4 — 4 feet brown limestone, abounds in Chcptetes Tuille-poraceous. 
5 — 9 feet, 2 inches alternations of thin beds of limestone and buff shales, 
abounding in fossils, including Chonetes mesoloba, Chonetes^ Pr. Pratten- 
ianus, Hemi-pronites Crassus and spr. cameratus. 

6 — 2 feet, 4 inches hard, blue limestone in irregular layers: Contains 
Athyris subtilita. 
7 — 6 inches shale. 

8 — 1-| feet coal (Lexington seam) said to increase to 20 inches. 
9—2 feet clay. 

10 — 15 feet gentle slope to Missouri bottoms. 
An analysis of Oberholtz coal by Mr. Chauvenet, gives: — 

Water 11.02 

Volatile 32.48 

Fixed carbon 46 . 30 

Ash 10.20 

Color of ash gray* 

Sp. gravity 1 . 277 

Sulphur 4.609 

Williams'* bank is seventy-five yards farther west. 
At Howell's, three-quarters of a mile farther west, the coal is sixteen to 
twenty-two inches thick. 

An analysis of Howell's coal by Mr Chauvenet, gives: — 

Water " 8.05 

Volatile 41 . 85 

Fixed carbon 45 . 80 

Ash 4. 30 

Color of ask white. 

Sp. gravity 1 • 257 

Sulphur 2.702 

A half mile farther west the above rocks are found lower in the blufls, 
with the upper beds exposed, thus: — 
Section 174. 
No. 1— Slope. 
2 — 15 feet drab, sandy shales. 

*If local names of coal banks, mentioned in this chapter, have been changed, the intel- 
ligent reader will, no doubt, remember their locality from tlie names here used; ^'od will 
understand, at all events, that only Ray county coal is referred to. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

3 — 5 feet mostly smooth, red shales, a part sometimes green. 

4 — 6 inches nodular limestone ; fossils. 

5 — 3 feet green shales. 

6 — Limestone equivalent to No. 15, of Lexington section. 

7 — 25 feet to Missouri bottoms. 

One mile west of this, the limestone equivalent to section 173, No. 4, 
(21 of Lexington section), was observed ten feet above the bottoms, indi- 
cating the position of the Lexington coal just two feet below the line of 
their surface. 

At Smith's mill, three miles northeast of Richmond, the Lexington 
coal is reached in a shaft forty feet in depth. Its place is near the level 
of water in Crooked river, at Searcy's and Harberson's. 

ANLYSIS OF smith's COAL. 

Water 10.05 

Volatile 38.45 

Fixed carbon 45 . 40 

Ash 6.00 

Color of ash white 

Sp. gravity 1 . 249 

Sulphur 2 . 41 

Limestone No. 25, which forms the roof of the coal, is seen at many 
places on Crooked river, northeast of Richmond, and along the stream to 
two miles northwest of Richmond. The following (section 176), illustra- 
ting the rocks above the coal, was observed two miles north of Rich- 
mond, on Crooked river. 

No. 1. — 3 feet limestone, containing Fusulina^ Producti, Crinoid stems, 
and chatetes milleporaceous. 

2. — 7 feet of limestone and shales, divided thus: 

a. — 4 inches shales. In upper part hemipronites and chonetes abound. 
b. — 4 inches limestone. 
c. — 2 inches shales. 
d. — 4 inches limestone. 

e. — 9 inches shales and nodules of limestone. 
y. — 1\ feet shales. 

g\ — 8 inches shales and lenticular forms of limestone. 
h. — 3 feet blue shales ; in upper part are found Spr. comeratus, P. 
punctatus and Athyris. 

3. — 4 feet blue limestone; upper 9 inches shaly. 
4. — 6 inches black shales. 
5.— Coal. 

J. S. Hughes' coal mines are located one mile south of Richmond, on 
south-west quarter of section thirty-one, township fifty-two, range twenty- 
seven, on line of St. Joseph branch of Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific rail- 
way. Their shaft is ninety-five feet deep from the surface. From the bot- 



46-1: HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

torn, entries extend east and west for over five hundred feet, the coal 
var^^ing from twenty-two to twenty-eight inches in thickness, including the 
top five or six inches of good coal, then one to two and a half inches 
dark clay resting on good coal. The overlying bituminous shale is gen- 
erally two to four inches thick; only at one place on the river was it 
observed one foot thick. It contains calcareous matter, with some fossil 
remains. The underlying clay is one foot to eighteen inches thick, thus 
giving a clear space between the cap-rock and bed-rock of four feet 
three inches to four feet six inches, or enough room for small mules to 
work. 

The following is a section of his shaft, which is located on the south- 
west quarter of section thirty-one, township fifty-two, range twenty- 
seven west: 
No. 1. Soil 2 feet. 

2. Clay 12 " 

3. Soft sandstone 4 " 

4. Blue soapstone 9 " 

5. Red shale 16 " 

6. Flint (?) and limestone 5 " 

7. Soapstone and slate 2 " 6 in. 

8. White sandstone 6 " 

9. Lime and sandstone 5 " 

10. Soapstone 8 " 

11. Slate 2 " 

12. Fire clay 2 " 

13. Flint rock (is limestone) 5 " 6 in. 

14. Shale 3 " 

15. Slate 4 " 

16. Limestone, dark gray 5 " 

17. Slate 3 in. 

18. Coal (generally two feet) 2 " 3 " 

19. Fire clay (six to eight inches) 1 foot, 6 " 

Total depth 95 feet. 

An analysis of this coal by Mr. Chauvenet, gives: — 

Water 8.15 

Volatile .37.60 

Fixed carbon 46 . 35 

Ash 7.90 

Color of ash light brown 

Specific gravity 1 . 328 

Sulphur T 4.17 

********* 

At the Lawson * * * mines, on the railroad, two and a 
half miles south of Richmond, * * * ^^g ^oal is taken out 
from drifts run in horizontally for several hundred feet. The coal is two 
feet thick, with a two inch clay seam fiv^e inches from the top. The over- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 465 

lying bituminous shale is about four inches thick, and the under clay one 
foot, making quite a limited space between the roof and floor. 
An analysis of the coal, by Mr. Chauvenet, gives: 

Water 72.11 

Volatile 30.30 

Fixed carbon 37 . 30 

Ash 9.90 

Color of ash gray 

The North Missouri mines * -st * are at the lower end of 
Camden. The shaft is sixty feet deep and the platform sixteen feet above 
the railroad track. From the bottom entries are extended in various 
directions: 280 yards north, 500 northwest, 190 west, and 100 east. * * 
The coal, nineteen to tw^enty-one inches thick, is black, brilliant, with a 
little clay three inches from the top, and a few knife edges of iron pyrites 
in the upper part. The lower one inch is shaly, with three inches black 
under clay resting on fire-clay. The coal is jointed, with calcite plates in 
the joints. In the bed of the ditch below the railroad, opposite the shaft, 
are thin beds of limestone, equivalent to No. 23 (three feet shales and thin 
beds of limestone abounding in Ch. Sniithit\?) and containing ^^r. earner- 
atus, Pr. costatus, Uenii-profiites crasstis and Athyris subtiltta) of Lexington 
section, some of them forming very pretty slabs, covered with fossils, viz: 
Hemifronites cfassus, chonetes, -prodiicti^ etc. A few feet above it is lime- 
stone corresponding to No. 21 of Lexington section; the top of the latter 
being twenty-one feet below the mouth of the shaft, indicating the position 
of the coal to be quite low. 

SECOND RAY COUNTY MINES. 

These mines, about one-quarter of a mile above the north Missouri 
mines, and also on the railroad, are owned by Thomas CoUins. The 
shaft is fifty feet deep. From the top of the shaft to the railroad track is 
twenty feet. The driftings extend far into the hill. Intersecting them is 
a passage for ventilation, which terminates at an air shaft near the main 
shaft, and seems to give thorough ventilation. Coal measured at various 
places in these mines was eighteen, twenty-two, twenty-three and twenty- 
four inches; average, about twenty-three. From one to one and one-half 
feet of bituminous shales on top, and one to two feet of fire-clay beneath ; 
an average of about four and a half feet between bed-rock and cap-rock. 
The height of main entry is four feet near its mouth, and farther in, three 
feet. Cap-rock, seven to eight feet thick. A very fair coke was made 
from Collins' coal, of which the following is the analysis by Mr. Chau- 
venet: 

Water 3.25 

Volatile 4.85 

Fixed Carbon. . . . ; .* 83 . 37 

Ash 8.50 



466 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

The shafts at Camden are sunk from a terrace on the hillside. A 
quarter of a mile above Collins' mines, the Lexington coal is seen, near 
the grade of the railroad, having risen thirty feet from Collins' shaft. 
This may explain the fact of more water being in the north Missouri 
mines than in the second Ray county mines, the water passing between 
the eastward dipping strata, from the second Ray county to the north 
Missouri mines. 

A little farther west, I observed cropping out in a gully, nine feet nine 
inches below the railroad, three feet of ash blue limestone, referable to 
No. 32 (fifteen inches limestone; pyritiferous ; color blue; hard; one bed; 
shelly on top; contains small univalves on the surface,) of Lexington 
section, and resting on four feet of slate and shale, with six inches of coal 
below. One hundred and fifty feet west, the coal is five feet above the 
railroad, and for the next three hundred feet the rise is four feet. A 
quarter of a mile west of Camden the rocks dip about one in twelve. 

Eight hundred and twenty feet farther, a shaft sunk forty feet struck 
limestone, No. 21 of Lexington section, indicating a dip of fifty-eight feet 
in eight hundred and twenty feet, or one to fourteen. 

SWANWICK SHAFT. 

The shaft of Thomas Huyson is eighty-six feet deep to top of coal, of 
which he furnishes me the following: 

( No. 1 — Surface. 
46 feet. } No. 2— Shaly sandstone, red, blue and gray. 

( No. 3 — ItJ feet of red shales. 

f No. 4 — 6 feet being layers of sandstone separated by soft blue 

I clay. 

I No. 5—22 feet blue slate. 

I No. 6 — 4^ feet rock (reported flint). 

40 feet J ^^°- '^~^ ^'^^^ ^^"^ ^^^y- 

I No. 8 — 4 to 5 feet impure limestone. 

I No. 9—20 inches to 2 feet coal. 
I No. 10 — 6 to ] 8 inches under clay. 
[No. 11 — 6 to 8 feet hard limstone. 
The slate over the coal is almost entirely wanting here; the limestone 
generally resting directly on the coal, but the under-clay correspondingly 
thickens — a fortunate provision of nature — as,o therwise there would not 
be room enough to mine. The section from hill top here is the following: 
No. 1 — 5 feet slope. 

No. 2 — 4 feet limestone, weathering brown, and ringing under the ham- 
mer; mntains Athyrh^ Spr. cameralus, chute tes milleporaceus and Crinoid 
stems. 

No. 3 — 8 feet slope. 

No. 4 — 2 feet of rough, nodular limestone; weathers with a ferrugin- 
ous crust, and contains many remains of fossils. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 467 

No. 5. — 124 feet sloping gently to top of shaft. 

Around the hill and associated with limestone (probably the same as 
No. 4), I found amber-colored crystals of heavy spar; also a little iron 
ore. In the limestone I observed S'pr. Kentuckensis and Sfr. lineatus. 

Section 178 is seen one mile northw^est of Richmond. 

No. 1 — 3 feet bluish-drab, rough looking limestone, weathering drab. 

No. 2 — 8 feet slope. 

No. 3 — Tumbled masses of fine-grained, dove-colored limestone. 

No. 4 — 100 feet. Less than 40 feet below the top abounds soft brown 
sandstone. At 50 feet are tumbled masses of gray limestone. 

No. 5 — Red shales. 

No. 6 — About 45 feet to the Lexington coal. ■ 

The upper members of the section can be compared with the Swan- 
wick section. 

An analysis of the Swanwick coal by Mr. Chauvenet, gives: 

TOP. MIDDLE. BOTTOM. 

Water 10.00 12.55 11.20 

Volatile 37.85 37.05 38.50 

Fixed carbon 48.30 46.65 46.70 

Ash 3.85 5.75 3.60 

Color of ash — light brown, white, nearly white. 

The Swanwick coal is remarkable for a large percentage of water. It 
does not coke well. 

Ash-blue limestone, which may be hydraulic, abounds two miles north- 
east of Richmond, and similar rocks are found at most of the coal banks 
near Richmond and Camden. 

Paint Stuffs. — About fifty feet above the Lexington coal in Lafayette 
and Ray counties is found about five or six feet of light-red shales 
streaked with green; and also at Lexington, at several places near Rich- 
mond, and on the Missouri bluffs near the east county line of Ray county. 
The above are pure red ochre clays and will make a good dark-red paint. 

At Hughes' mines, near Richmond, sulphuret of zinc occurs in limestone 
overhnng the coal. 

The south and east boundary of the upper coal measures is as follows: 
Entering the state near the southwest part of Cass county, passing east- 
wardly, near Harrisonville, thence, northeast across the mounds between 
Big Creek and Camp branch, thence northeast to the middle of township 
forty-six, range twenty-nine, thence north to Chapel Hill in Lafayette 
county, thence via Oak Grove and Pink Hill, Jackson county, to Blue 
Mills or Owens landing on the Missouri river. Crossing the river the 
line passes down to the vicinity of Albany, Ray county, thence it trends 
off to the north part of Ray county and the line of Caldwell and Living- 
stone counties, thence northwardly along the ridge on the west side of 



468 HISTORY OF' RAY COUNTY. 

the east fork of Grand river to the line of Grundy and Mercer counties, 
and thence northwardly to the Iowa state line. 

There are several other coal mines in the county, of which we have 
been unable to obtain an account. Among them, we mention a new mine 
of J. S. Hughes & Co. on St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, St. Louis and 
Pacific; and the shaft of J. W. Shotwell & Co., on same railroad, in the 
suburbs of Richmond, sunk in the fall of 1880. 



INCIDENTS. 



In one (November) day Holland Vanderpool killed five deer. It was 
near Crooked river; he dragged them one by one to that stream; made a 
bark canoe, and floated them home. 

In addition to the mortar and pestle, mentioned in another place, corn 
was reduced to meal by means of a handmill, made by the settlers, as fol- 
lows: A circular stone was placed on anothee similar stone, except that 
the latter, called the " bed rock," was smooth. Through a small hole in 
the center of the upper stone, the corn was dropped, one grain at a time. 
A lever, four to six feet in length, was inserted into a cavity in the edge 
of the rock. By means of this lever the stone was turned and the corn 
ground. The nether mill-stone was stationary. 

In the course of time horse power was used for operating the mill; and 
this was considered a wonderful advance in the matter of making bread- 
stuff: 

The mill just described antedates any other in the settlement, and for a 
long time was the only " mill " in use. 

Winnat Vanderpool had a pet bear and a pet panther which played in 
the yard and were fondled by the children. 

On the present site of Richmond, one day, in the year 1818, Winant 
Vanderpool and John Stone killed five bears. 

Isaac Martin built the first horse mill; and the first brick house erected 
in Ray county was built by Jonathan Keeney, at Albany. 

Store bills were paid oft' with wild honey, beeswax, coon, deer, otter 
and other skins of wild animals. Taxes were paid with fox and wolf 
scalps. 

Soon after Richmond was founded, Billy Bales, a new-comer, went to 
Richmond and told Charles Morehead, a merchant, that he wanted to 
buy some honey; and in reply to the question, "What is it worth?" was 
answered, " Twenty-five cents a gallon." " I'll take all you got," rejoined 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 469 

« 

Bales. He was invited into the cellar, where, on finding 2,000 gallons, he 
said, "I only want a keg!" 

The day after Holland Vanderpool was married, he and his wife rode 
horseback to Richmond to get their household goods. From a merchant 
named Slothard they purchased the necessary supply, and started home. 
Mr. V. carried the table-ware in a bucket, placed on the horse in front of 
him. When just out of town, the toe of Mr. V.'s horse striking a root, 
the animal fell; the rider and the dishes went over his head; the former 
was bruised; the latter broken to pieces. 

Mr. V. lived in a log hut with one room; the latch-string hung on the 
outside, and at his hovel 

"The richest were poor, and the poorest dwelt in abundance." 

People were very neighborly in those days, and visited each other fre- 
quently. Visitors and all slept on the floor. 

One night Mr. Vanderpool and his wife were alone in their cabin. The 
former was asleep on the loom bench; the latter busy at her wheel. Mr. 
V. was suddenly awakened by his wife, who, greatly frightened, said a 
bear was trying to get into the house; that she had seen its paw through 
the latch-hole in the door. Mr. V., taking his gun and a butcher-knife in 
hand, opened the door — to be greeted by a negro woman, who, fleeing 
from her master, Jere Crowley, sought shelter from the snow storm. 
The weather was very cold and the snow deep. The woman's clothes 
were frozen stiff. Mr. Crowley was not the least unkind to the negress ; 
she had a mania for running away. 

The pioneer was a hard worker. He had to fell huge trees; clear his 
land, maul rails, built fences. Wives made their husbands pads of feathers 
to wear on the shoulders while carrying green rails and heavy timbers. 

Sometimes crops were raised without having been fenced; corn, cotton, 
piimpkins, oats and watermelons were cultivated on the open prairie. 

In the year 1822, a man from New England, who was engaged in buy- 
ing furs, pelts, etc., from citizens of Ray county, for which he exchanged 
pins and needles, became enamored of a fair, bucolic damsel, living in the 
vicinity of the present town of Hardin. The Yankee sought and won the 
maiden's hand and heart. At the appointed time, the nuptial knot was tied 
by an old man, who was a justice of the peace. After the ceremony, the 
"coon skin man" — as the peddler was called — paid the justice for his 
trouble in pins and needles, and the twain, made one, went on their way 
rejoicing. 

Ever afterward, the justice was known as the "pin and needle 'squire." 



470 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

MURDER OF DORCAS CLEAVENGER. 

It were more welcome reading if a complete series of historical events, 
pertaining to our county, contained no reminiscences melancholy in their 
nature. But, it is the province of history to relate every true story; and 
it becomes the annalist's duty, anon, to fill the interstices between agreea- 
ble recitals with naratives of more solemn interest. 

On Sunday night. May 28, 1837, was perpetrated a nameless crime and 
the most atrocious murder ever committed in Ray county. 

The victim was a Mrs. Dorcas Cleavenger, an amiable, inoffensive lady, 
the wife of William Cleavenger, who, it will be remembered, was one of 
the first settlers in Fishing river bottoms; the perpetrators were two 
fiends incarnate, named Ish and Henry, slaves respectively of Richard 
Cleavenger and Abraham Froman. 

On the afternoon of the day mentioned — Sabbath as it was — Mr. 
Cleavenger went fishing, leaving his wife and two little children, aged 
three and five, alone at the house. 

Mr. C. did not return home until late at night. The stillness of the mid- 
night hour breathed not a whisper of the horrible disclosure awaiting him. 
He approached the door, pulled the latch-string, and passed the threshold, 
little knowing that he was entering the chamber of death! Silence pre- 
vailed. The little innocents, nestled closely at their mother's side — three 
cheeks pressing the same pillow — were wrapped in the happy uncon- 
sciousness of sleep; and so was the mother — but not to wake again on 
earth. The room was dark. The husband called to his wife, speaking 
her name, but receiving no response, stepped to the bed-side, and, doubt- 
less rebuking himself for having stayed away so long, tenderly placed his 
hand on her brow; it was pulseless, and cold as marble! He again vainly 
called, and then, thoroughly alarmed, kindled a light in the fire-place. 
The blazing fagots threw a ghastly glamour on the pale face of a mur- 
dered woman — the mother of his children — she who had been the life of 
his life and the soul of his soul. There in the dismal glare of a waning 
light, the poor man stood — wifeless; and motionless with unspeakable woe. 

After awhile the heart-broken husband left the dead, and the uncon- 
scious living, alone, till he could go to the house of his father, happily liv- 
ing not far away, and make known his sad discovery. 

The father and other members of the family, on receiving the informa- 
tion, repaired to the house in which the dead woman lay. 

The neighbors assembled early next morning to ascertain the cause of 
Mrs. Cleavenger's death. The coroner was notified. He empanneled a 
jury, and such proceedings were had as are common in cases of mysterious 
death. 

The jury, after having made some inquiry, but without, it appears, a 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 471 

thorough examination, adopted a verdict that " Mrs. Cleavenger came to 
her death by an attack of apoplexy." 

The same (Monday) evening Mrs. C. was buried, but the people were 
not satisfied with the result of the coroner's inquest. Dr. Mallet, a physi- 
cian of the neighborhood, felt assured, upon fost mortem examination, 
that death was not caused by apoplexy. Suspicion was rife that the 
unfortunate lady had been murdered, and the whole community set about 
to find the murderer or murderers. 

Ish, a man of color, owned by Richard Cleavenger, father of the 
bereaved husband, was suspected. A party of men, armed with guns> 
went to the house of the slave's master, and demanded to see the former. 

Ish was brought forth, and in reply to questions, answered, with con- 
siderable trepidation : That Froman's Henry had come to him, and asked 
him to go with the former to WilHam Hill's, a neighbor; that he assented, 
and on the way to Mr Hill's, Henry told him (Ish) that he (Henry) had 
killed Dorcas Cleavenger, and wanted Ish to go and help him (Henry) to 
put her on the bed. Blood was found on Ish's coat sleeve; and in reply 
to the question how it came there, he said it was the blood of Dorcas 
Cleavenger; that he had no other chance to get it. Ish claimed that he 
had no hand in killing his " Miss Dorky," but confessed that he helped 
Froman's Henry to put her to bed, and stated further, Froman's Henry 
had killed her. 

Ish, however, implicated himself before the interview ended, and he and 
Henry were arrested. 

Their preUminary trial was held June 1st, before justices of the peace, 
James Dickie and John Dozier. As a result, the negroes were incarce- 
rated at Richmond, to await the July term of the circuit court. 

The indictment found against the culprits at that term, will complete 
the story, and it is subjoined, as well on account of the quaintness of the 
document, as of its bearing in this case: 

State of Missouri, Ray County. 

In the Circuit Courts July term^eighteen hundred and thirty-seven; Ray 
county^ to-wit : 

The grand jurors for the state of Missouri, for the body of the county 
of Ray, aforesaid, upon their oaths, do present: 

That Ish and Henry, late of said county of Ray, men of color, and 
slaves, the said Ish the property of Richard Cleavenger, of said county, 
and the said Henry, the property of Abraham Froman, of said county, 
not having the fear of God before their eyes, but being moved and seduced 
by the instigation of the devil, on the twenty-eighth day of May, in the 
year of our Lord eighteen hundred and thirty-seven, with force and arms, 
at the county of Ray, aforesaid, in and upon one Dorcas Cleavenger, in 
the peace of God, and of the state of Missouri, then and there being, 
feloniously, wilfully, and of their malice aforethought, did make an assault ; 
and that they, said Ish and Henry, with both the hands of each of them, 



472 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

said Ish and Henry, about the neck and throat of her, the said Dorcas 
Cleavenger, then and there, feloniously, wilfully, and of their malice afore- 
thought, did fix and fasten, and that they, said Ish and Henry, with both 
the hands of each of them, said Ish and Henry, so, as aforesaid, fixed and 
fastened about the neck and throat of her, the said Dorcas Cleavenger, 
then and there did violently squeeze and press; and that the said Ish and 
Henry, also, then and there feloniously, wilfully, and of their malice afore- 
thought, with both the hands of each of them, said Ish and Henry, threw 
the said Dorcas Cleavenger down to and upon the ground, and then and 
there they, the said Ish and Henry, feloniously, wilfully, and of their mal- 
ice aforethought, jumped and pitched their knees in and upon the belly of 
the said Dorcas Cleavenger, giving to her, the said Dorcas Clavenger, 
then and there, by jumping and pitching their knees in and upon the belly 
of the said Dorcas Cleavenger, as aforesaid, one mortal bruise; as well 
of which said squeezing and pressing of the neck and throat of her, the 
said Dorcas Cleavenger, with both the handsof each of them, said Ish 
and Henry, as aforoesaid, as all of the jumping and pitching of the said 
Ish and Henry, in and upon the belly of the said Dorcas Cleavenger, as 
aforesaid, she, the said Dorcas Cleavenger, then and there instandy died. 
And so the jurors aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do say that the- 
said Ish and Henry, her, the said Dorcas Cleavenger, in manner and by 
the means aforesaid, feloniously, wilfully, and of their malice aforethought, 
did then and there kill and murder. Against the form of the statute, in 
such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the 
state. 

T. C. BuRCH, Circuit Attorney. 
And the jurors aforesaid, upon their oaths aforesaid, do further present: 
That Ish, late of said county of Ra}^ a person of color, and a slave, 
the property of Richard Cleavenger, of said county of Ray; and Henry, 
late of said county of Ray, a person of color, and a slave, the property of 
Abraham Froman, of said county, not having the fear of God before their 
eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil, on the 
twenty-eighth day of May, in the rear of our Lord eighteen hundred and 
thirty-seven, with force and arms, at the county of Ray, aforesaid, in and 
upon one Dorcas Cleavenger, in the peace of God and the state of Mis- 
souri, then and there being, feloniously, wilfully, and of their malice afore- 
thought, did make and assault, and that the said Ish, his left hand about 
the neck and throat of said Dorcas Cleavenger, then and there, felon- 
iously, wilfully, and of his malice aforethought, did fix and fasten, and that 
he, said Ish, with his left hand, so as aforesaid, fixed and fastened about 
the neck and throat of her, said Dorcas Cleavenger, then and there did 
violently, feloniously, wilfully, and of his malice aforethought, squeeze and 
press; and that the said Ish also then and there feloniously, wilfully, and 
of his malice aforethought, jumped and plunged the right knee of him, 
said Ish, in and upon the belly of the said Dorcas Cleavenger, giving to 
her, said Dorcas Cleavenger, then and there, bv jumping and plunging 
his, said Ish's, right knee in and upon the bellv of the said Dorcas, as 
aforesaid, one mortal bruise, as well of which said squeezing and pressing 
of the neck and throat of said Dorcas Cleavenger, with the left hand of 
the said Ish, as last aforesaid, as also of the jumping and plunging of the 
right knee of said Ish in and upon the belly of said Dorcas Cleavenger, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 473 

as last aforesaid, she, the said Dorcas Cleavenger, then and there instantly 
died; and that the said Henry, at the time of committing the felony and 
murder last aforesaid, in manner aforesaid, feloniousl}^, wilfully, and of his 
malice aforethought, was present, aiding, helping, abetting, comforting, 
assisting, and maintaining the said Ish in the felony and murder last afore- 
said, in manner and form last aforesaid, to do, commit and perpetrate. 

And so the jurors aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do say that the 
said Ish and Henry, her, the said Dorcas Cleavenger, in the manner and 
by the means last aforesaid, feloniously, wilfully, and of their malice afore- 
thought, did then and there kill and murder. Against the form of the 
statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity 
of the state. 

T. C. BuRCH, Circuit Attorney. 

The above indictment was returned a "true bill," July 10, 1837. On 
that day Ish and Henry were led into court, and having no counsel, Alex. 
W. Doniphan, William T. Wood and Eldridge Benner were appointed to 
defend them. Amos Rees was appointed to assist in the prosecution. 

July 11 th, the prisoners appeared in court, and being ready for trial the 
same proceeded. 

After hearing all the evidence in the case, the jury — Joseph Ewing, 
Samuel McCuistion, Abraham Linville, Harry Lile, William T. Tisdale, 
John H. Smith, Henry Clarke, Reuben Holman, Henry Hill, Albert 
Snowden, Allen Ball and Samuel Boon — retired, consulted, and returned 
with the following verdict, endorsed on the bill of indictment: 

We, of the jury, find the defendants guilty in manner and form, as 
charged in the within indictment. 

Joseph Ewing, Foreman. 

Thereupon, the court ordered and adjudged that the said defendants be 
remanded back to the jail of this county, there to remain in close confine- 
ment until Friday, the 11th day of August next, and on that day, between 
the hours of ten o'clock in the forenoon and three o'clock in the after- 
noon, they be taken from thence to a gallows, to be erected for the pur- 
pose at some convenient place, within one-half mile of the town of Rich- 
mond, there to be hung by the neck until each of them are dead; and 
that the sheriff of this county carry the foregoing into execution. 

At the designated time and place, Ish and Henry were duly hanged by 
the neck until they were dead — Hardy Holman, sheriff, being the 
executioner. 

Ish and Henry were the first to be convicted of murder, and theirs was 
the first public execution in the county. 

The writer inadvertently omitted to state in the proper place, that the 
scene of the murder just narrated, was near what is now the site of Fred- 
ericksburg, or New Garden post office, in Fishing River township. 

30 



474 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

UNLAWFUL HOMICIDE. 

The first unlawful homicide was committed at or near Buffalo bridge, 
on Crooked river, in the year 1823, by one Love Snowden, a desperate 
character of untamed disposition, the brutal propensities of whose nature 
overwhelmed the promptings of a decent manhood. 

The citizens of the neighborhood had met for social pastime, near the 
bridge above mentioned. A quarrel began between Snowden and a 
neio-hbor, named Woods. Persons gathered around the parties in order 
to quell the disturbance. The difficulty was, apparently, amicably settled, 
and the two men shook hands in token of peace. Every body thought 
the affair at an end, and for a while all went as smoothly as if nothing 
had occurred to mar the enjoyment of the occasion. But the fiendish 
fire of Snowden's nature was not permitted to smolder; it continued to 
rankle, till, in a moment of violent rage, he plunged a knife to the hilt in 
the breast of the unwary, unfortunate Woods, inflicting a wound of which 
he expired in a few moments. 

Snowden was subsequently apprehended and placed in jail. His case 
came up for trial at the July term, 182-1, of the circuit court; a change 
of venue to Lillard (Lafayette) county was granted. 

Afterwards, however, he was brought before the judge of the Ray 
circuit court, on a writ of habeas cor^iis^ directed to the sheriff" of Lillard 
county. 

Appearing in court, Snowden plead not guilty, and for trial, put him- 
self on God and his country. 

For want of sufficient evidence, he was acquitted under the law of the 
land; but whether in the eyes of his countrymen and his God, is quite 
another matter. 

The early records of the circuit court show that Love Snowden was 
arraigned before that tribunal no less than thirty times, within little more 
than three years, variously charged with assault and battery, stabbing, 
disturbing the peace, and finally w^th murder — after which his name dis- 
appears from the records. 

At the close of the trial alluded to, Snowden went immediately to the 
house of his father, with whom the former's wife had been staying. The 
father and son became involved in a quarrel over a saddle, which the latter 
claimed belonged to his wife. The old man refused to give up the saddle, 
and the younger Snowden in order to get possession of it, brutally 
belabored his aged father. After this unfilial attack, Love Snowden left 
the community, to the delight, not only of the public in general, but even 
of his kindred, and has never been heard of since. 

About the year 1838, the Mormons began to infest the country; and 
after numerous skirmishes and affrays had occurred in Jackson, Clay, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 475 

Caldwell and other counties, together with theft, arson and robber}-, com- 
mitted by the Mornr.ons, the people became exasperated and resolved to 
expel the intruders from the community. 

In October, 1838, a portion of a company of " minute men " commanded 
by Captain Samuel Bogart, having heard that a body of Mormons was 
camped near the northern line of Ray county, on Crooked river, deter- 
mined to meet, and, if possible drive them back. 

On the afternoon of October 24, Captain Bogart and his followers, 
marched to the neighborhood of the Mormon headquarters, and camped 
for the night on the river bank. All was quiet till about day-light the 
next morning, when the pickets of the " minute men " fired upon an 
approaching column of Mormon " saints," and retreated to camp. 

Captain Bogart sent out two of his men to reconnoiter, wdth a view to 
ascertaining the strength of the enemy. Having found that the Mormons 
numbered about two hundred and fifty, and there being only forty-seven 
of the 't minute men," the latter commenced a retreat under fire, which 
continued thirty minutes. 

The " minute men " lost one killed — Moses Rowland. Samuel Tar- 
water and Thomas H. Lloyd were left on the battlefield for dead; they 
survived, however, and are still living — April, 1881. Two men, Edwin 
Odell, shot in the arm, and James Lockhart in the hip, were wounded. 

Wyatt Craven was taken prisoner by the Mormons, but after taking 
him with them about twelve miles, he was released, and commanded to 
go in a certain, direction. Fearing they meant him some further mischief, 
he darted oft in a direction opposite to the one he was ordered to follow. 
A Mormon, in ambush, called to him to halt, but Craven only ran the 
faster. The Mormon fired upon him, inflicting a slight wound, but he 
escaped. 

R. L. McCoskrie was in the engagernent. A ball passed through his 
clothing. 

In another part of this work will be found the statement that the first 
death by violence in the county, of which an official took cognizance, was 
that of James Buchanan. We here state that at the time of losing his life, 
Buchanan was alone in the woods. A hunter, coming along, chanced to 
descry him in a thicket of tangled undergrowth, and, mistaking him for a 
bear, fired and killed him. The accident occurred in the month of August, 
1823. 

A man named Lard and wife had raised to the age of ten a bright and 
attractive little girl, whose mother was dead. They were tenderly devoted 
to the child, and the latter, in turn, was warmly attached to its foster- 
parents. The child's father, a man of low character, besides being quite 



476 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

indigent, lived in the neighborhood. Envying Lard and wife the happi- 
ness the little one afforded them, he demanded its possession, and threat- 
ened violence if the child was not returned to him. In taking the child 
to their home — upon the loss of its best friend on earth — its protectors 
were actuated by the purest motives of sympathy and humanity; they 
had learned to love the little orphan, and were unwilling to part with it. 
Fearing the father's threats would be put into execution, they determined 
to escape with the child to the south side of the Missouri ; and at dusk 
one evening they, with old Mr. and Mrs. Wallace (Mrs. Lard's parents), 
entered a covered wagon and started southward. They reached the 
river, opposite Lexington, about midnight. The ferryman's hut was 
hard by; he was aroused, but at first refused to attempt to cross the river, 
as the water was high and the current swift; he portrayed the danger of 
the undertaking, and protested that he could not row them over — but 
Lard's story excited the ferryman's sympathy, and he consented .to go. 
The summer night was calm and clear, yet lonely. The moon and stars 
were aglow in the heavens, and their lambent light, kissing the current's 
face, touched it to ripples of silver. The prow of the Httle flat-boat was 
drawn against the shore; the murmuring waters uttered a solemn warn- 
ing, but the trembling little band, half heeding, half heedless, stepped 
aboard. Old Mr. and Mrs. Wallace sat in the wagon, which, with the 
horses attached, stood in the middle of the boat. 

The dauntless ferryman hove anchor, and pushed out on the turbulent 
torrent. The party had proceeded some distance, when the boat, becom- 
ing unmanageable, was borne down by the strong current, and finally 
overturned. All went down — old Mrs. Wallace to rise no more, alive. Lard 
seized the little girl, swam with her to land, and heroically returned to the res- 
cue of his wife, but met the ferryman gallantly swimming ashore, bearing 
the lady on his back; she was saved. Neither of the horses, nor the wagon 
was even seen again. The party, safe on land, bewailed the aged couple, 
supposing them both "beneath the wave; " but about two o'clock next day, 
old man Wallace was observed about three miles below the ferry, far out 
in the stream, clinging to a " sawyer," and partaking, of course, of its 
ceaseless upward and downward motion, a ride he had enjoyed for several 
hours, having for a saddle a large feather bed; for, when reached by the 
rescuer, it was found that in clasping the log, the old man's arm's also 
passed around the aforementioned article of household furniture. 

Subsequently, on a less hazardous occasion. Lard, his wife, and the 
little girl, were rowed to the Lafayette shore. 

Wallace was a man of seventy winters. His remaining years were 
therefore few. What became of him, the writer has not been informed. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 477 

DEATH AT A THRESHING MACHINE. 

July 10, 1880, Messrs. Wolf aad Youngblood were running a threshing 
machine on the farm of Mr. Wolf, in township fifcy-two, range twenty-nine. 
A young man named Andrew Pollard, was employed by the proprietor 
as driver, and while the machine was in rapid motion, under full power, 
he stepped from his place where he was driving, to tighten a tap at the 
front boxing of the line shaft. The shaft was about eight inches above the 
ground, and Mr. Pollard stepped backward so near it, that the protruding 
bolt from the ring coupling caught in the strap of his boot. He was 
thrown to the ground with great violence, and revolved with the shaft 
many times, as the power was very high, and the machine could not be 
readily stopped. He was, of course, instantly killed, his body being hor- 
ribly crushed and mangled. 

Andrew Pollard was the son of Humphrey Pollard, Esq., and his death 
was not only an irreparable loss to his family, but a misfortune to the 
community, as he was an industrious, promising and honorable young 
man. He left to mourn his untimely death an amiable and affectionate 
young wife and three little children. 

BLOODY TRAGEDY. 

Christmas night, 1874, two men were together, one at his home near 
New Garden P. O., in Fishing River township, the other his visitor. 
They were having a good time together, partaking quite freely of strong 
drink, when, seeing, doubtless, that the tipplers were becoming too much 
intoxicated, a member of the host's family hid the jug containing what 
remained of the liquor; whereupon the other made some remark, expres- 
sive of what he would do in the event his wife or children should dare to 
hide his jug. This remark excited a quarrel and the two men began cut- 
ting each other with terrible effect, and continued till, from sheer exhaus- 
tion and loss of blood, they fell over on the bed. The wounds of one 
proved mortal, while the other recovered. 

It is not intended to give the remote origin of the above tragedy, nor to 
rest blame on either combatant, but simply to recite an instance of the 
many unfortunate results, growing out of the use of ardent spirits. 

The following list of homicides, committed in Hardin, was furnished us 
b}'' Captain Thomas McGinnis, ex-sheriff of Ray county, and at one time 
a justice of the peace in Hardin, viz: 

In 1856, James Hall was killed by Milton Farris, who stabbed the 
former to death with a knife. 

Love Snowden (relative of the Love Snowden mentioned elsewhere in 
this work), was shot by the Union soldiers, in 186:2. 

In 1872, Burton Snowden was killed by one Sam White. 

In 1869, Michael Vaha was stabbed to death by one Dick Brady. 



478 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

On the 24th day of June, A. D. 1876, Richard Reeves and William 
Witcher lost their lives at the hands of a dastardly assassin, named Brice, 
who stabbed them with a knife. (Brice was apprehended and hanged by 
the outraged citizens the same night.) 

William Dawson, in April, 1871, was killed by William Webster. 

In 1871, Thomas P. Campbell severed the throat of James Smith, with 
a knife. 

It should be stated that most of the affrays above recited, were between 
men of extremely low character. Many of them were transients — tie 
choppers. Hardin is now a quiet, peaceable and progressive town. 

OVERFLOWS OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. 

A memorable overflow of the Missouri river occurred in 1827. All the 
bottom lands in Ray county were overflowed, forcing the people to 
abandon their homes, and seek safety on the higher ground farther to in- 
land. Several houses were washed away and considerable damage was 
done to stock, fencing and farm lands. But on the 14th, 15th and 16th 
days of June, 1844, took place the greatest and most distressing overflow 
of the Missouri river, known to the memory of any living man. Millions 
of property was destroyed, human lives lost, and untold personal suflering 
engendered. The bottom lands of this county were entirely inundated, 
buildings of every kind were swept away, stock killed, and plantations 
laid waste. 

The crops of that season were well advanced, and promised a glorious 
harvest. Vast fields of wheat, oats, rye, and corn were submerged, and 
the water receded to leave them a desolate waste. Great suffering neces- 
sarily followed. The corn in the bottoms was especially luxuriant, and 
man}^ persons were dependent upon the successful cultivation of that 
staple for a living. When it was destroyed their only resource for the 
necessities of life was the charity of the people. 

No lives were lost in Ray county, but no other disaster, before nor 
since, has been so destructive of property. 

April, 1881, will long be remembered as the month of another great 
and devastating overflow of the Missouri. The rise of 1881 was at an 
unusual time, being about six weeks earlier than the annual June rise. 

In 1844 the tributaries to the Missouri were aU greatly swollen, and, of 
course, helped to swell the vast volume of water. This was not the case 
in 1881, and accounts for the fact that in the latter year, above the mouth 
of the Kansas river, the volume of water was considerably greater than 
it was in 1844, and below that point much less. 

As in the case of the two former rises mentioned, the bottom lands 
were all under water, and a great deal of damage done, but crops had not 
been planted. Very little preparation of the soil to receive the seed, had 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 479 

been made, and as the flood began to recede after about three days, the 
land became dry in time to be plowed and cultivated in the usual way the 
ensuincr season. 

The bottom lands of Ray county are very seldom overflowed, and, in 
point of fertility and depth of soil cannot be excelled. 

About twenty-seven years ago. Captain Thomas McGinnis forded the 
Missouri river, horseback, without getting wet, a short distance below 
Lexington' and in sight of that town. The act was witnessed by about 
thirty persons, standing on the river bank. The water was very low, of 
course, lower perhaps than any person, now living, will remember to have 
seen it at any other time. 

Captain McGinnis is doubtless the only man in this part of the state 
who ever forded the Missouri river, so low down as Lexington. 

PETRIFIED STUMP. 

On the premises of D. C. Noftsinger, of Tinney's Grove, is a petrified 
stump, found in 1858, northeast of Tinney's Grove, in section one, town- 
ship fifty-four, range twenty-six. 

The stump is about two and a half feet in height, and perhaps three 
feet in diameter. The roots are not yet entirely petrified, and will weigh 
doubtless five hundred pounds. Every growth of the timber is plainly 
visible, as also are the marks of the axe, made in severing the trunk; and 
in places indications of the inside bark still remain. 

The petrifaction is of a Whitish gray color, very hard and flinty, and 
will strike fire readily. 

There was also found in 1847, on section fourteen, same township and 
range, portions of a petrified tree, in pieces from one foot to four feet in 
length, and about one foot in diameter. They are of the same color as 
the petrified stump, and are also very hard and flinty. 

HOMICIDES. 

In March, 1841, a man named Martin Adams was killed on Main 
street, in Richmond, near Darneal's store, at the southwest corner of the 
public square. He met his death at the hands of one Ben White. It was 
late in the afternoon, and White stood in the street holding his horse, pre- 
paratory to starting for his home at Elkhorn. Adams was hard by. 
Gentlemen remarked the wild and mfuriated visage of White, and told 
the sherift', Colonel Brown, who was standing near, that he had better 
arrest him. Whereupon, hearing the caution, White begged to be 
searched, declaring himself unarmed. 

Some words of altercation then passed between White and Adams, 
when the former threw a rock at the latter, and immediately ran toward 
him, drawing, as he ran, a large butcher-knife from a scabbard, con- 



480 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

cealed about his person, with which he stabbed Adams seventeen times, 
inflicting ghastly wounds and causing his death almost instantly. 

The deed was committed in the presence of citizens, whom the homi- 
cide kept at bay, flourishing his weapon and threatening violence to any 
who should dare to approach him. He continued to stab the prostrate 
and helpless Adams, till a gentleman from the crowd struck him on the 
back of the neck with a large rock, at which he rose with all the rage of 
an infuriated demon, and demanded to know who struck him; no one 
responded. Brandishing his bloody weapon in the air, and uttering oaths 
and threats, he defied arrest, till the intrepid Alexander Harwood, who 
carried a sword-cane, stepped in front of him, with weapon drawn, and 
commanded him to surrender, or be pierced through and through. 
Then, for the first time, White seemed to realize the enormity of what he 
had done, and was seized by the passion of fear. Trembling in every 
muscle, the butcher-knife fell from his nerveless hands, and he quietly 
submitted to arrest. 

White was a shoe maker and lived in Elkhorn; Adams was a farmer, 
residing in the neighborhood of that village. They had previously had 
a fight at Elkhorn, and in the breast of each rankled the spirit of revenge. 

On the evening of the homicide, both men had been in Richmond 
throughout the day. Adams, it is said, followed after White, insisting 
that they should " fight it out," while the latter, professing a desire to 
avoid further difficulty, but really, it was believed, watching an opportu- 
nity to gain an advantage, told his pursuer to keep away from him, as he 
did not wish to " fight." 

White was tried, condemned and hanged; and this was the last legal 
execution in Ray county. 

James Robinson was killed in the streets of Richmond about the year 
1844, by one William Balser. A quarrel arose in a crowd near where 
the Wasson House now stands, in which a rough, named Tanner, was 
the most conspicuous participant. He was, however, a notorious coward, 
and upon his refusal to fight, when a braver man than he, at last, offered 
him battle, the crowd gathered around and began jeering him; he then 
retreated, followed by the party, among whom were James Robinson and 
William Balser, the former preceding the latter in the pursuit. Balser, for 
what, or whether for any pro\'Ocation is unknown, struck Robinson about 
the back of the head or neck, either with his fist or open hand; whereupon 
the latter turned upon his assailant, and, stabbing him but once in the 
abdomen, with a pocket-knife, inflicted a wound, which, in the course of 
the ensuing night, proved fatal. For this act, Robinson was sent to the 
penitentiary for ten years. 

About the year 1855, a man named Wingo was a wagon-maker in 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 481 

Richmond. Richard Allen, a worthy and respected farmer, who resided 
a few miles southeast of Richmond, was one day riding by the shop of 
Wingo, when the latter, with a double-barrelled shot-gun in his hand, 
stepped in the street in front of Allen and caused him to halt. Wingo 
told Allen he had been talking about him (Wingo) — slandering him — and 
commanded him to recant; but the latter denied the accusation, and 
Wingo discharged the contents of one barrel of his gun into the head of 
the defenseless Allen, making a horrible wound, of which he soon died. 
Wingo started to run, but had gone only a short distance when he was 
apprehended by a crowd of pursuing citizens. He was taken to jail, and 
confined till Judge Dunn called a special term of the circuit court for the 
purpose of trying him. On being brought into court, he was asked if he 
was ready for trial; he replied that he was not, and also refused to have 
any counsel, protesting that he needed none. The sheriff' then started to 
return him to jail, and upon reaching the outer steps, was overpowered 
by a number of citizens, who, forcibly taking Wingo from him, threw a 
rope around his neck, and dragged him (part of the way over a newly 
macadamized street) on his face and hands, to a place a few hundred 
yards north of Colonel Child's present residence. There he was hanged 
b\' the neck to the limb of a tree. It was thought bv some, however, 
that life was extinct before he was hung up. 

Wingo's body remained dangling in the air till the next morning, when 
it was taken down and buried. He was a very quarrelsome, desperate, 
and dangerous man, and the community, was well rid of him. 

In connection with Wingo's seizure by the citizens, the following ludic- 
rous incident occurred: 

Old man Woolard was a man whom everybody liked, though he had 
been somewhat wicked, but he had recently joined the Presbyterian 
Church, and his friends observed, with much satisfaction, that he had 
completely reformed. Wingo was to Mr. Woolard a source of great 
annoyance, having frequently threatened his life, and otherwise caused 
him considerable trepidation ; in fact, kept him in constant dread. Com- 
ing up just as the party were in the act of dragging the culprit from the 
court house yard, the old man exclaimed in a loud but trembling voice: 
" Boys, if I must swear, hang him, hmi, hang hhn P'' 

VERY UNGENTLEMANLY. 

The first steamboat ascended the Missouri river as far as Council BlufTs, 
in September, 1819. 

A crowd of curious countrymen, from various parts of our county, 
gathered at Old Bluffton, on a Sunday afternoon, to see the boat pass. 
Their horses were hitched near the river to limbs of trees and saplings. 
In due time the boat came along and paused at Old Bluffton, When 



482 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ready to start, the captain caused the whistle to be blown, at which every 
horse took fright, broke loose, and ran away. One irate old gentleman, 
whose bridle was broken to pieces, angrily exclaimed: " The captain of that 
boat is no gentleman! He's no gentleman! He's a grand scoundrel! 
There goes my critter with a brand new bridle that cost me two-and- 
thre'pence! He's no gentleman; if he had of been, he'd a called out to 
the people: 'Take care ot your critters, men, take care of your critters! 
I'm about to blow my whistle!'" 

" WHERE IGNORANCE IS BLISS, 'tIS FOLLY TO BE WISE." 

The dearborn, a vehicle no longer known by that name, was a kind of 
light, four-wheeled carriage, generally covered with white canvas, and 
much used by emigrants at an early day; but there lived on " timber 
ridge," in this county, a pioneer family, none of whom had ever seen a 
dearborn, nor a ship either, though the mother fancied she knew how the 
latter looked, and described it to her daughter, a maiden in her teens. One 
day a dearborn, covered as above, came in sight of the girl who was in the 
yard, whereupon she ran into the house, exclaiming, " Oh, mother, 
mother, there's a shif! it's a comin' right here! it's a ship! it's a ship! 
look mother, it's a ship! " 

VERY LIKELY. 

Mr. James Hughes, a worthy and prominent citizen of Richmond, on 
one occasion, at an early day, was traveling across the county, probably 
on an errand of business, or, it may be of pleasure; at any rate, he 
desired to ascertain the hour, and for that purpose called at the house of 
a lady, who he happened to know had recently purchased a clock from a 
well-known peddler, at that time canvassing the county. Riding up to 
the fence, Mr. H. politely inquired — "What time is it madam? " Looking 
at the brand new clock, the lady quickly responded — "Well, I don't 
know 'xactly, mister, but it's some whar 'twixt the " strikin's." 



STATISTICAL. 



At the January term, 1S22, of the count}- court, John Harris, sheriff of 

Ray countv, settled with the court as follows: 

Dr. Cr. 
To amount of fine imposed on Love Snowden by circuit 

court at its October term, 1821 ". $10.00 $ 

By amount of his account rendered 13.15 

Balance in favor of sheriff, $ 3.15 

Amount of county tax collected in 1822, by John Scott, collector, $52.88 
William Downey, for assessing the county of Ray in 1823, 

received $36.00 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 483 

Amount of state and county revenue collected in Ray county, for 

the year 1823 $120.05 

County tax collected for the year 1827 $172.00 

November, 1829, William S. Miller, for erecting jail in town of 

Richmond, received $378.00 

Tax collected in Ray county for the year 1828 $276.30 

State and county tax collected in Ray county, for the year 1833.$708.05i- 

*' 
Amount paid for erecting brick court house, in the town of 

Richmond, in 1833, $3,350.00 

WEALTH. 

Valuation of the county per census of 1870 $10,000,000.00 

Taxation, 1876— total tax $1.30 per $100. 

Taxation, 90 cents per $100; school tax, 40 cents per $100. 

.INDEBTEDNESS. 

Railroad debt : $200,000.00 

Interest on railroad debt 48,288.00 

Bonded debt, exclusive of railroad debt 23,101.38 

RAIRLOADS. 

Twenty-five miles of track of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific rail- 
road passes through the southern part of the county, traversing southeast 
part of township fifty-two, and northwest corner of township fifty-one, 
range twenty-six; and township fifty-one, of ranges twenty-seven, twenty- 
eight and twenty-nine. 

Twenty-eight miles of track of the St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, 
St. Louis & Pacific railroad, passes diagonally across the county, from 
southeast to northwest, traversing townships fifty-one, fifty-two and fifty- 
three, of ranges twenty-seven, twenty-eight and twenty-nine. 

LIVE STOCK. 

The number of live-stock in Ray county, in 1876, according to the state 
census of that year was: 

Horses 7,893 

Mules 3,018 

Jacks 45 

Jennets 67 

Cattle 16,400 

Sheep ,....11,103 

Hogs 43,935 



484 HISXORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

PRODUCTS. 

1876— Bushels of wheat 166,339 

Bushels of corn 2,164,366 

Bushels of oats 40,430 

Bushels of barley 1,293 

Bushels of rye 28,802 

Pounds of tobacco 520,896 

Pounds of wool 24,856 

Pounds of sugar 3,715 

Tons of hay 16,913 

Tons of hemp 137 

Gallons of whisky j 100 

Gallons of wine 800 

Gallons of molasses 46,354 

ABSTRACT OF ASSESSMENT RETURNS 

of Ray county, for the year 1878, of 1879 taxes, as fixed by state board 
of equalization: 

Lands — 

Number of acres 354,683 

Valuation $2,632,426 

Average per acre 7.42 

Town Lots — 

Number 3,450 

Valuation $ 261,850 

Average value per acre 75.89 

Total value of real estate 2,894,276 

Live Stock— 

Horses 8,389 

Valuation $ 268,987 

Mules 3,836 

Valuation $ 147,033 

Asses and jennets 5,609 

Valuation $ 5,609 

Neat cattle 22,098 

Valuation $ 276,886 

Sheep 14,217 

Valuation $ 16,565 

Hogs 58,278 

Valuation :p 101,974 

All other live stock 

Valuation $ 233 

Financial — 

Money, bonds and notes $ 620,291 

Brokers and exchange dealers 10,000 

Corporate companies 12,964 

All other personal property 350,790 

Total personal property 1,811,332 

Total taxable wealth 4,715,608 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 485 



ABSTRACT OF ASSESSMENT RETURNS 

of Ray county, for the year 1879, for taxes of 1880, as fixed by state 
board of equalization: 

Lands — 

Number of acres 355,802 

Valuation $2,610,546 

Average per acre 7.33 

Town Lots — 

Number 3,482 

Valuation $ 256,002 

Average value 82.13 

Total value of real estate 2,896,542 

Live Stock — 

Horses 8,464 

Valuation $ 265,360 

Mules 3,710 

Valuation $ 143,775 

Asses and jennets 85 

Valuation $ 5,150 

Sheep 14,085 

Valuation $ 16,049 

Hogs 53,706 

Valuation. $ 90,207 

All other live stock 

Valuation $ 375 

Financial — 

Money, bonds and notes $ 669,828 

Brokers and exchange dealers 10,000 

Corporate companies 3 2,964 

All other personal property 408,332 

Total personal property 1,919,470 

Total taxable wealth 4,816,012 

abstract of tax book 

for 1879 and 1880, showing taxable wealth, and state taxes charged to 
collector of Ray county. (State revenue tax, one-fifth of one per cent; 
state interest tax, one-fifth of one per cent): 

Valuation, 1879 .$4,739,949.00 

State revenue, 1879 9,476.98 

State interest, 1879 9,476.98 

Valuation, 1880 4,835,833.00 

State revenue, 1880 9,666.99 

State interest, 1880 9,666.99 



486 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ABSTRACT OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES OF RAY COUNTY, MISSOURI, 
FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1880. 

James A. Davis, Collector^ in account with County Revenue Fund. 

January 1, 1880. 

To balance $10,007.87 

To amount merchants' tax books 403.40 

To amount manufacturers' tax book 49.14 

To amount quarterly collections 1,942.37 

To amount tax books, 1880 . ' 11,607.93 

To amount from St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern 

railroad 688.23 

To amount St. Joe & St. Louis railroad 212.30 

To amount Western Union Telegraph Company. . . 9.07 

Total $24,920.31 

By amount treasurer's receipts J|jl2,562.89 

By amount commissions • • * * 390.76 

By amount treasurer's receipts for tax, 1879, St. 

Louis, Kansas City & Northern railroad 670.22 

By commissions on same 20.91 

By treasurer's receipt for tax, 1879, St. Joe & St. 

Louis railroad. 205.76 

By commissions on same » 6.19 

By treasurer's receipt tax 1880, St. Louis, Kansas 

City & Northern railroad 666.87 

By commissions on same 20.65 

By treasurer's receipt tax 1880, St. Joe & St. Louis 

railroad 205.60 

By commissions on same 6.35 

By treasurer's receipt Western Union Telegraph 

tax 8.80 

By commissions on same 27 

By errors on 1879 land and personal tax books. . . . 7.43 

By delinquent on 1879, land and personal tax books 1,390.03 
By errors on 1879 merchants' and manufacturers' 

tax books • 17.29 

By balance 8,740.39 

Total $24,920.31 

James A. Davis, Collector^ in account -with Bridge Fund: 
January 1, 1880. 

To balance $ 3,335.94 

To amount tax books, 1880 3,869.31 

To amount merchants' tax book, 1880 134.47 

To amount munufacturers' tax book, 1880 16.38 

To amount quarterly collections 409.72 

To amount from St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern 

railroad 229.41 

To amount from St. Joe & St. Louis railroad 70.77 

To amount from Western Union telegraph company 3.03 

Total $ 8,069.03 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. . 487 

By amount treasurer's receipts $ ^^^ff'l^ 

By amount commissions :z"^"t " '■' ^^^•''■'^ 

By amount treasurer's receipt for tax, 1879, St. Louis, 

Kansas City & Northern railroad 223.46 

By amount commissions on same ^ 6.91 

By amount treasurer's receipt for tax, 1879, St. Joe 

& St. Louis railroad 68.56 

By amount commissions on same ^ . . 2.09 

By amount treasurer's receipt for tax, ISSO, St. 

Louis, Kansas City, and Northern railroad 222.29 

By amount commissions on same ^ 6.88 

By amount treasurer's receipt, tax 1S80, St. Joe & 

St. Louis railroad o"i t 

By amount commissions on same ^-H 

By amount treasurer's receipt Western Union tele- 
graph tax....... 2.93 

By amount commissions on same -J-^ 

By amount errors on 1879, land and personal tax 

books • ;••• ^-^^ 

By amount delinquent on 1879, land and personal tax 

books ^^^'^^ 

By amount errors on 1879, merchants' and manu- 
facturers' tax books qi q*ij9 

By amount balance ^,\)l6.bu 

Total $8,069.03 

James A. Davis, Collector, in accoimt -with Poor House Fund: 

January 1, 1880. _ 

To balance ? J'noI-^I 

To amount tax books, 1880 l,9o4.bb 

To amount merchants' tax book, 1880 6 < .23 

To amount manufacturers' tax book, 1880 8.19 

To amount quarterly collections 205.48 

To amount from St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern 

Railroad llf-^l 

To amount from St. Joe & St. Louis Railroad 35.39 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany 

$ 4,035.04 

By amount treasurer's receipts $ 1,9(5.60 

By amount commissions :.' "A.' 65.12 

By amount treasurer's receipts for tax, 1879, St. 

Louis, Kansas City & Northern railroad 111.73 

By amount commission on same 3.46 

By amount treasurer's receipt for tax 1879, St. Joe 

& St. Louis railroad 34.26 

By amount commissions on same 3.06 



488 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

January 1, 1880. 

By amount treasurer's receipt tax 1880, St. Louis, 

Kansas City & Northern railroad 111.13 

By amount commissions on same 3.45 

By amount treasurer's receipt tax 1880, St. Joe & St. 

Louis railroad 34.26 

Bv amount commissions on same 1.06 

By amount treasurer's receipt Western Union Tele- 
graph tax 1.46 

By amount commission on same .05 

By amount errors on 1879 land and personal tax 

books 1.24 

By amount delinquent on 1879 land and personal tax 
books 231.67 

By amount errors on 1879 merchants' and manufac- 
turers' tax book 2.87 

By amount balance 1,456.62 

$4,035.04 
James A. Davis, Collector^ in account with Sinking Fund: 

January 1, 1880. 

To amount balance $ 1,667.95 

To amount tax books, 1880 1,934.65 

To amount merchants' tax book, 1880 67.24 

To amount manufacturers' tax book, 1880 8.19 

To amount quarterly collection 205.23 

To amount from St. Louis, Kansas City & North- 
ern railroad 114.70 

To amount from St. Joseph & St. Louis railroad. . . 35.38 
To amount from Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany 1.51 

Total $ 4,034.85 

Bv amount treasurer's receipts $ 1,975.69 

By amount commissions 65.13 

■ By amount treasurer's receipts for tax, 1879, St. 

Louis, Kansas City & Northern railroad 111.73 

By amount commissions on same 3.46 

By amount treasurer's receipts for tax, 1879, St. 

Joseph & St. Louis railroad 34.26 

By amount commissions on same 1.06 

By amount treasurer's receipts for tax, 1880, St. 

Louis, Kansas City & Northern railroad 111.13 

By amount commissions on same 3.45 

By amount treasurer's receipts for tax, 1880, St. 

Joseph & St. Louis railroad 34.26 

By amount commissions on same 1.06 

By amount treasurer's receipt from Western Union 

Telegraph Company tax 1.46 

By amount commissions on same .05 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 489 

January 1, 1880. 

By amount errors on 1879 land and personal tax 

books $ 1.24 

By amount delinquent on 1879 land and personal 

tax books 231.67 

By amount errors on 1879 merchants' and manufac- 
turers' tax book 2.80 

By amount balance 1,456.40 



Total $ 4,034.85 

James A. Davis, Collector^ in account with Road Funds. 
January 1, 1880. 

To balance $4,580.26 

To amount tax books, 1880 4,267.38 

To amount merchants' tax book 1880 38.57 

To amount manufacturer's tax book 1880 5.13 

To amount quarterly collections 451.56 

To amount from St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern 

railroad . . 253.28 

To amount from St. Joseph & St. Louis railroad. . . . 82.33 

To amount from Western Union Telegram Company 3.78 

To interest on collections 3.83 



Total : $9,686.12 

By amount treasurer's receipts $ 702.15 

By amount road overseer's receipts, 1879 •. . . 3,462.12 

By amount commissions on road receipts 7.75 

By amount treasurer's receipts, 1879, tax St. Louis, 

Kansas City & Northern railroad 256.70 

By amount commissions on same 7.94 

By amount treasurer's receipt, 1879, St. Joseph & St. 

Louis railroad 79.86 

By amount commissions on same 2.4T 

By amount treasurer's receipt Western Union Tele- 
graph tax 3.67 

By amount commission on same H 

By amount errors on 1879 land and personal tax 

books 8.17 

By amount errors on 1879 merchant and manufac- 
turer's tax book 7.76 

By amount delinquent on 1879 land and personal tax 

book 499.16 

By amount delinquent on 1879 merchant and manu- 
facturers tax books 1.57 

By amount balance 4,646.69 



Total $9,686.12 



31 



490 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

James A. Davis, Collector in account zvith Remley Lake Fund. 
January 1, 1880. 

To amount quarterly collection $ 87.00 

To amount tax books 1880 252.35 

Total $ 339.35 

By amount treasurer's receipts $ 103.40 

By amount balance •. 235.95 

Totals $ 339.35 

William A. Holman, Collector^ in account -with County Revenue Fund. 

Januar}'^ 1, 1880. 

To amount balance $15,098.70 

To amount from James A. Davis, collector 12,562.89 

To amount from Thos." McGinnis, sheriff, costs 

returned to treasurer 26.70 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. L,., 

K. C. & N. R. R. (1879). 670.22 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. Joe, 

& St. L. R. R. (1879) 205.76 

To amount from Western Telegraph Company, 

(1879) taxes 9.06 

To amount from from Geo. W. Trigg, overplus fees 

returned to county 372.23 

To amount from Thos. McGinnis, sheriff, sale of 

stove 3.00 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 

L., K. C. & N. R. R.;(1880) 666.87 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 

Joe&St. L. R.R. (1880) 205.60 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany, (1 880) taxes 8.80 

Total $29,829.83 

By amount settlement with coimty court $22,502.75 

By aniount balance 7,327.08 

Total $29,829.83 

William A. Holman, Treasurer^ in account with Coitnty Bridge Fund. 

January 1, 1880. 

To amount balance $ 9,366.76 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector 3,949.70 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, (1879) taxes 

St. L., K. C. &N. R. R 223.46 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, (1879) St. 

Joe «& St. L. R. R 68.56 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany (1879) taxes 3.02 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 491 

January 1, 1880. 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, (1880) taxes 

St. L., K. C. «& N. R. R ip 222.29 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, (1880) taxes 

St. Joe. & St. L. R. R 68.54 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany, (1880) taxes 2.93 

Total $13,905.26 

By amount settlement with county court $ 5,618.12 

By amount balance 8,287.14 

Total $13,905.26 

William A. Holman, Treasurer^ in Account with County Sinking Fund: 

January 1, 1880. 

To amount balance $ 3,257.30 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector 1,975.69 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 

L. K. C. & N. R. R. (1879) 111.73 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 
Joe & St. L. R. R (1879) 34.26 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany, tax (1879) 1.51 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 

L., K. C. & N. R. R. (1880) 111.13 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 
Joe & St. L. R. R. (1880) 34.26 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany, tax (1880) 1.46 

Total $ 5,527.42 

By amount settlement with county court $ 4,166.54 

By amount balance 1,360.88 

Total $ 5,527.43 

William A. Holman, Treasurer^ in Account xvith County Poor House 

Fund: 
January 1,1880. 

To amount balance $ 2,499.23 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector 1,975.60 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 

L., K. C.&N. R. R.(1879) 111.73 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector, taxes, St. 

Joe & St. L. R. R. (1879) 34.26 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany, tax (1879) '. 1.51 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 

L., K. C. & N. R. R. (1880) 111.13 



492 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V, 

January 1, 1880. 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 

Joe & St. L. R. R (1880) $ 34.26 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph Com- 
pany, tax (3880) 1.46 

Total $ 4,769.18 

By amount settlement with county court $ 4,290.67 

By amount balance 478.51 

Total $ 4,769.18 

William A. Holman, Treasurer^ in account with County Road Fund: 

January 1, 1880. 

To amount balance $ 2,887.10 

To amount from James A. Davis, collector 702.15 

, To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. L., 

K. C. & N. R. R. (1879) 256.70 

To amount from J. A. Davis, collector, taxes St. 

Joe & St. L. R. R.(1879) 79.86 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph, taxes 

(1879) 3.78 

To amount from Western Union Telegraph taxes 

(1880) 3.67 

Total $ 3,933.26 

By amount settlement with county court 2,200.27 

By amount balance 1,732.99 

Total $3,933.26 

William A. Holman, Treasurer^ in account with Railroad Fund: 

January 1, 1880. 

To amount balance $ 6,647.12 

To amount from Jas. A. Davis, collector 1.32 

To amount from railroad funds (paid in principal 

and interest) 1,972.25 

Total $ 8,620.69 

By amount receipt of clerk United States district 

court 5,081.92 

By amount balance 3,538.77 

Total $ 8,620.69 

William A. Holman, Treasurer^ in account with Road and Canal 

Fund: 

January 1, 1880. 

To amount balance $ 25.76 

By amount balance 25.76 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 493 

William A. Holman, Treasurer^ in account with Reinley Lake Fund: 

January 1, 1880. 

To amount balance $ 237.14 

To amonnt from James A. Davis, collector 163.75 

Total $ 400.89 

By amount settlement with count}'^ court 307.14 

By amount balance ... 93.75 

Total $ 400.89 

ABSTRACT OP THE EXPENDITURE OF RAY COUNTY, POR THE YEAR 1880. 

Amount expended on county roads $ 1,153.97 

Amount paid road overseers 2,070.68 

Amount expended on county bridges 4,489.71 

Amount expended on courthouse, county jail, and merchandise 

furnished county 720.08 

Amount expended for blank books and stationery 448.71 

Amount expended on account of poor house, lunatic asylum and 

paupers 2,737.83 

Amount expended on account costs in criminal cases 1,545.64 

Amount expended on account coal furnished county 100.98 

Amount expended on account of sherifl's fees 951.35 

Amount expended on account of county clerk's fees 2,988.76 

Amount expended on account of circuit clerk's fees 155.21 

Amount expended on account of road and bridge commission- 
er's fees 151.00 

Amount expended on account of county treasury commissions 

(part of 1879 and 1880) 856.93 

Amount expended on account of salary county iudges 432.76 

Amount expended on account salary county attorney 600.00 

Amount expended on account salary county school commis- 
sioner 43.00 

Amounty expended on account county assessor's fees 619.82 

Amount expeoded on account of board of equalization 126.00 

Amount expended on account of costs in U. S. district court . . 89.16 
Amount expended on account county printing and publishing. . 553.50 
Amount expended on account scrip issued to grand jury wit- 
nesses, by circuit clerk 331.00 

Amount expended on account of script issued to grand jurors by 

circuit clerk 437.20 

Amount expended on account script issued petit jurors, by cir- 
cuit clerk 836.95 

Amount expended on account of inquests 160.36 

Amount expended on account judge and clerks, general and 

special elections 299.30 

Amount expended on account cost and judgment civil case. . . 42.76 

Total amount of expenditures $ 22,742.66 



494 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

EXHIBIT OF THE RESOURCES AND LIABILITIES OF RAY COUNTY ON THE 
FIRST DAY OF JANUARY, A. D., 1880. 

RESOURCES. 

Amount due by collector $ 19,449 67 

Amount due b}^ treasurer 22,844 88 

Amount delinquent on tax-books 18,116 92 

Total resources $ 60,411 47 

LIABILITIES. 

Amount unpaid bonds for arming militia $ 5,412 07 

Amount interest due on same 541 21 

Total $ 5,953 28 

Amount resources in excess of liabilities $ 54,458 19 

COUNTY RAILROAD BONDED DEBT. 

Amount bonds issued to St. Joseph and St. Louis railroad. . . $ 200,000 00 
Amount interest due on same 150,047 60 

Total $ 350,047 60 

Amount railroad funds in county treasury $ 3,538 77 

Amount railroad funds loaned by county court 2,850 00 

Amount interest due on same 130 00 

Amount paid on judgment in U. S. court 12,851 03 

Total $ 19,369 80 

State of Missouri, ) 

County of Ray. f 

I,Geo. W . Trigg, clerk of the county court, within and for the county 
of Ray and state aforesaid, hereby certify that the above and foregoing is 
a true and complete statement of the receipts and expenditures of said 
county, for the fiscal year ending December, A. D. 1880, as the same 
appears of record in my office. 

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and affixed the 
seal of said court, at office, in the city of Richmond, this 12th- dav of 
March, A. D. 1881. Geo. W. Trigg, Clerk. 

SCHOOL FUND. 

Twenty-five per cent of the state revenue, and also certain fines and 
penalties, are set apart for the support of the public schools. The county 
is the custodian of this fund, and it is loaned at ten per cent interest, pay- 
able annually. 

The amount expended in support of the public schools of Ray county 
for the school year ending on the first Tuesday in April, 1881, was ;t>30,- 
657.19. 



HISTORY OB' RAY COUNTY. 495 

BANK STATEMENT. 

Official statement of the financial condition of the Ray County Savings 
Bank, at Richmond, state of Missouri, at the close of business the 30th 
day of April, 1881: 

RESOURCES. 

Loans undoubtedly good on personal or collateral security. .$ 105,188.45 

Loans and discounts undoubtedly good on real estate security 

Overdrafts by solvent customers 22,239.72 

Other bonds and stock at their present cash market price . . . 9,625.00 

Due from other banks, good on sight draft 92,259.13 

Real estate at present cash market value 6,007.17 

Furniture and fixtures 817.80 

Checks and other cash items 2,310.42 

Bills of national banks and legal tender U. S. notes 5,480.00 

Gold coin 2,845.00 

Silver and other fractional coin and currency 121.00 

Total $ 246,893.69 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital stock paid in :p 27,176.00 

Surplus funds on hand 17,907.60 

Deposits subject to draft at sight 201,810.00 

Deposits subject to drafts at given dates 

Due other banks and bankers 

Total $ 246,893.69 

State of Missouri, 
County of Ray. 
We, T. D. Woodson, president, and H. C. Garner, cashier of said bank, 
and each of us, do solemnly swear that the above statement is true, to the 
best of our knowledge and belief. 

T. D. Woodson, President. 
H. C. Garner, Cashier. 
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 11th day of May, A. D. 
eighteen hundred and eighty-one. 

Witness my hand and notarial seal hereto affixed, at office, in Rich- 
mond, the date last aforesaid. 

(Commissioned and qualified for a term expiring January 19, 1885.) 

Joseph E. Black, Notary Public. 
Correct-Fattest: A. W. Doniphan, ) 

C. T. Garner, \ Directors. 
J. W. Shotwell. ) 
Official statement of the financial condition of J. S. Hughes & Com- 
pany, private bankers, at Richmond, state of Missouri, at the close of 
business on the 30th day of April, 1881: 



496 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

RESOURCES. 

Loans undoubtedly good on personal or collateral security. . .$ 83,685.65 
Loans and discounts undoubtedly good on real estate security 16,735.98 

Overdrafts by solvent customers 7,208.54 

Other bonds and stock at their present cash market price 

United States bonds on hand 

Due from other banks good on sight draft 118,281.24 

Real estate at present cash market value 15,028.10 

Furniture and fixtures 

Checks and other cash items 5,905.61 

Bills of national banks and legal tender United States notes. . 10,507.00 

Gold coin 1,866.00 

Silver and other fractional coin and currency 562.40 

Exchange maturing and matured 

Total $259,780.52 

LIABILITIES. 

Capital stock paid in $ 20,000.00 

Surplus funds on hand 25,525.35 

Deposits subject to drafts at sight 203,992.04 

Deposits subject to drafts at given dates 

Due other banks and bankers 10,263. IS 

Total $259,780.52 

State of Missouri, 
County of Ray. 
We, Joseph S. Hughes and Burnett Hughes, two of the partners in, or 
owners of, said banking business, and each of us, do solemnl}^ swear, that 
the above statement is true to the best of our knowledge and belief. 

J. S. Hughes, 
Burnett Hughes. 
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 12th day of May, A. D., 
eighteen hundred and eighty-one. 

Witness my hand and notarial seal hereto affixed at office, at Richmond, 
Missouri, the date last aforesaid. 

(Commissioned and qualified for a term expiring January 17, 1883.) 

D. P. Whitmer, jStotary Publie. 

population. 
The population of Ray county in 1821, was 1,789; in 1830, 2,657; in 
1840, 6,553; in 1850, 10,373; in 1860, 14,092; in 1870, 18,700, of whom 
16,867 were white and 1,833, colored; 9,780 were males and 8,920 were 
females; 18,135, natives; 11,864 were born in Missouri; 1,562, in Ken- 
tucky; 527, in Ohio; 415, in Illinois; 1,081, in Tennessee; 947, in Vir- 
ginia and West Virginia; 1,739, in other states; 565 were foreign-born. 
The population June 1, 1880, as shown by bulletin of the tenth census, was 
20,193; that of each township being as follows: 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 497 

Camden township 3,353 

Crooked River township 1,883 

Fishing River " 1,961 

Grape Grove " 3,091 

Polk " 1,534 

Richmond " 6,070 

Total 20,193 

Thus it is demonstrated that since the meeting of the first county court, 
in April, 1821, Ray county has steadily moved "onward and upward" in 
the scale of greatness. Though only cne-twelfth as large in area, her 
population is twelve times as great, while her increase in wealth — -the 
result of material developments, accomplished by personal energy, indus- 
try and enterprise — is more than an hundred fold. 

The county has grown, not only in material prosperity, but in all the 
elements of social refinement — in civilization, and in everything that con- 
tributes to the education, elevation and happiness of the people. 

Her superior natural advantages and great resources, though not yet 
fully developed, have been utilized to the comfort, convenience and profit 
of thousands of her citizens; besides inviting others, in less favored lands, 
to come and make their homes within the limits of the richest county in 
one of the most fertile and charming regions on the continent of America. 
The untrodden wilderness in which John Vanderpool was the first to 
settle, in the summer of 1815, has been converted into a veritable garden 
of wealth and beauty, interspersed with attractive homes and smiling 
villages, and has become the abode of a prosperous, happy and charitable 
people. 

A delightful climate, productive soil, and unbounded resources, nature 
has done her part toward making old Ray the peer of any of her sister 
counties; the people have done the rest, and go on prospering and to 
prosper. Yet, much as has been done, in the past, a great deal remains 
to be accomplished in the future. It will not do to be idle. While our 
prospects are roseate, let us 

Pause not to dream of the future before us; 

Pause not to weep the wild cares that come o'er I's; 

Hark ! how Creation's deep musical chorus, 

Unintermitting, goes up into heaven! 
Never the ocean wave falters in flowing; 
Never the little seed stops in its growing; 
More and more richly the rose heart keeps glowing, 
Till from its nourishing stem it is riven. 



Biographical Sketclies. 

ALEXANDER W. DONIPHAN. 

The Louisville Cotcrier-yournal, speaking of the Mexican war, says: 
Doniphan's exploits have been compared with those of Xenophon. 
Doniphan, with the first regiment of mounted Missouri volunteers, left 
Fort Leavenworth on June 12, 1846, and marched across the plains to 
Mexico, fought three important battles — Brazito, Sacramento and El Paso — 
conquered the states of Mexico and Chihuahua, and traveled more than 
6,000 miles in twelve months, not a word being heard by the government 
from him in the meantime. 

Alexander William Doniphan was born near Maysville, Mason county, 
Kentucky, July 9, 1808. He is of English descent, though his paternal 
English ancestors immigrated to America in the latter part of the seven- 
teenth century, and settled on the Potomac river, below Fredericksburg, 
Virginia, where the family name is still preserved by other descendants. 
His father, Joseph Doniphan, was the second son of Alexander Doniphan, 
in honor of whom Colonel Doniphan was named. By the law of primo- 
geniture, which then prevailed in Virginia, Joseph Doniphan inherited no 
real estate, and what he subsequently acquired was the result of his own 
industry and frugality. When the war of the rev^olution began, he was 
about seventeen years of age, and as King George county, where his 
father resided, was one of the first sections of that state to be overrun by 
the British army, both he and his brother George enlisted in the Colonial 
army. George was killed at his brother's side, but Joseph served with 
honor till the close of the struggle. The activity and excitement of the 
war aroused in young Doniphan a spirit of adventure, and, as he had to 
carve out his own fortune, he was attracted to the far west by the stories 
of its wonderful beauty, its fabulous fertility and its climatic salubrity. 
Soon after the declaration of peace and the cessation of hostilities, he 
accompanied that grim old pioneer, Daniel Boone, to the wilds of Ken- 
tucky, encountering hardships and perils for which the life he had pre- 
viously led had given him a relish. After a short stay in Kentucky, he 
returned to Virginia, and there married Miss Ann Smith, a daughter of 
Captain William Smith, of Fauquier county. He removed with his fam- 
ily to Mason county, Kentucky, in 1T9(J, and died there in March, 1813, 
after a residence of twenty-three years, leaving his wife and seven chil- 
dren, three sons and four daughters, of whom only two, Mrs. Susan 
Frazee, widow of Dr. ¥.. S. Frazee, of May's Lick, Kentucky, at present 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 499 

residing with her 3'oungest son, near Rushville, west of Cincinnati, Ohio, 
and the subject of this sketch are now alive. The oldest brother. Dr. 
Thomas S. Doniphan, father of Colonel John Doniphan, of St. Joseph, 
Missouri, served as a surgeon in the war of 1S12, and died near the old 
homestead in Kentucky. 

Upon the widow now devolved the responsibility of providing for and 
educating her seven children, and right nobly did she discharge her trust. 
Alexander being the youngest child, the solicitude of his mother centered 
in him, and until his ninth 3^ear she carefully supervised his training. At 
that age, he was sent to his older brother, George, then living at Augusta, 
Kentucky, where he received the best educational training the village 
could supply. When he was fourteen years old the Methodists established 
a college at Augusta, and from this institution he graduated in 1827, with 
distinguished honors, being then in the nineteenth year of his age. Orville 
H. Browning, secretary of the interior under President Lincoln; Charles 
Clark, late governor of Mississipoi; Alex. M. Spencer, late mayor of Cin- 
cinnati; and others who afterwards became more or less distinguished, 
were schoolmates of young Doniphan. After graduating, he devoted 
himself for six months to the study of ancient and modern history, and 
began the study of law in 1828, under the learned and able jurist, Martin 
Marshall, of x^ugusta, through whom he received a thorough training in 
common and statute law, obtaining a Hcense to practice in the states of 
Ohio and Kentucky in the fall of 1829, at the age of twenty-one. During 
the winter of -the latter year, he traveled extensively in the western and 
southern states, and located at Lexington, Missouri, in the spring of 1830. 
He had spent his patrimony and more, in acquiring an education and in 
fitting himself for his profession and when he reached Missouri, without 
either money to maintain himself or friends, or acquaintances to assist 
him, he was entirely dependent on those qualities that have never betrayed 
him — energy, perseverance and intellectual endowments. They proved 
equal to the emergency, and he succeeded well in Lexington; but 
he determined, for reasons satisfactory to himself, to change his residence 
to Liberty, Missouri, which he did in 1833. Here he remained for thirty 
years, devoting the vigor of his younger manhood, and the experience of 
his maturer years, to the practice of the law, in which he rapidly rose to 
eminence. 

With an ambition modified and restrained by sound judgment, an intel- 
lect capable of grasping and mastering the most intricate and abstruse 
propositions of law, a mmd trained to reason correctly and reflect coolly, 
and an impulsive and impressive oratory, it is not strange that he won his 
way to distinction at the bar without the use of those arguments to which 
the weak resort. He grew in popular favor by the generous impulses of 
his own nature, and the superiority of his talents, and it is a singular fact 



500 HISTORY OP^ RAY COUNTY. 

that, though he was at times opposed in sentiment to the great body of his 
old associates and constituents, he never forfeited the affection of his 
friends or the respect of his enemies. In 1836, he was elected to represent 
Clay county in the ninth general assembly of Missouri, and, though 3'oung, 
he made a creditable record in that body. Twice afterward, in 1840 and 
in 1854, he was chosen to fill the same position, which he always did with 
honor to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents. In December, 
1837, he married Jane Thoraton, daughter of John Thornton, a well 
known, respected pioneer of Clay county. Mrs. Doniphan was a lady of 
refined sentiment, cultivated taste, and purity of character. 

In the same year in which Colonel Doniphan was married. Governor 
Boggs called out a strong militia force to quell the disturbances of the 
Mormons at a place in Caldwell county, Missouri, by them called Far 
West. The defiant attitude of these people threatened to result in local 
war. General Doniphan commanded a brigade under Major-General 
Lucas, and by his address and soldierly bearing succeeded in bringing 
them to submission without bloodshed. About the middle of May, 1846, 
Governor Edwards, of Missouri, made a requisition for volunteers to join 
General Kearnev in his expedition to New Mexico. General Doniphan 
joined Captain O. P. Moss' company from Clay count}^ as a private. On 
the 18th of June, eight companies, which were to compose the 1st regi- 
ment, having arrived, an election of officers was had, which resulted in 
the choice of A. W. Doniphan as colonel. In taking charge of the regi- 
ment, Colonel Doniphan temporarily abandoned a lucrative practice and a 
young family, to which he was tenderly devoted, to lend his aid in sub- 
duing the enemies of his country. The expedition -as commanded by 
General Kearney until Santa Fe was reached, when that gallant officer 
took a portion of the command and w^ent to California, leaving Colonel 
Doniphan, the first regiment and all other forces in New Mexico. It was 
the design of Colonel Doniphan to march upon Chihuahua as soon as 
Colonel Price, who was known to be bringing reinforcements, should 
arrive to take command of Santa Fe; but on the 11th of October he 
received instructions from General Kearney to proceed to the country of 
the Navajos, a brave, war-like, and semi-civilized tribe of Indians, whose 
territory lay on the western slope of the Cordilleras, and chastise and sub- 
due them. Winter was approaching; the mountain summits w'ere almost 
inaccessible; the dangers and difficulties were formidable, but the courage 
and intrepidity of General Doniphan did not allow him to count the cost. 
He therefore set about the execution of his orders with all possible dis- 
patch, and, after a wearisome and exhausting march, reached the Nava- 
jos' country, and secured a treaty of amity. He then turned his face 
toward the Del Norte again to prepare for his expedition against Chihua- 
hua, reaching Valverde about the 10th of December. Doniphan was 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 501 

to press on to Saltillo to join the forces of General Wool. The enter- 
prise was fraught with danger, but this fact operated as a stimulus to 
excite rather than as a difficulty to daunt the young warrior and his gal- 
lant followers. He set out with eleven hundred and fifty men, including 
the first Missouri, one hundred men from the second Missouri, and two 
companies of the Missouri artillery battalion. On Christmas day a part 
of his command was attacked by twelve hundred Mexicans at Brazito. 
The engagement was short, sharp and decisive. In half an hour the 
Mexicans were forced from the field, leaving their dead and wounded 
where they fell. 

On the 28th of February, 1847, near the city of Chihuahua, was fought 
the battle of Sacramento. Having traversed an unknown territory with 
a handful of troops, surrounded by enemies, and liable at any time to be 
attacked by a superior force. Colonel Doniphan was not now to be intimi- 
dated by a prospect, even of immediate peril. The x\merican force num- 
bered nine hundred and twenty-four effective men of all arms. The 
Mexican troops, under Major General Jose A. Hiredia, numbered four 
thousand, two hundred and twenty. Notwithstanding the superior force 
of the enemy, the fact that he had chosen his own position and fortified it 
well, such was the tact of General Doniphan that, after an engagement 
of three and a half hours, the Mexicans were utterly routed, with a loss 
of three hundred and twenty killed, five hundred and sixty wounded, and 
seventy-two prisoners, together with a large quantity of specie, stores, 
stock, guns and other munitions of war. The American loss was two 
killed and eleven wounded, three of the latter mortally. The city of 
Chihuahua was entered next day. Here Colonel Doniphan had hoped to 
join General Wool, but learned that he was at Saltillo, besieged by Santa 
Anna. This, however, proved to be untrue, and in a few days he heard 
of the victory at Buena Vista, and not long afterward of the battle of 
Cerro Gordo. The war was now virtually closed, and the troops slowly 
made their way to New Orleans, where they were mustered out of service, 
June 28, 1847. Upon their return to Missouri, the citizens of St. Louis 
gave the soldiers a grand reception, and they were welcomed by Senator 
Benton in a speech, to which Colonel Doniphan responded. Everywhere 
the commander and his heroic army were received with demonstrations 
of honor, showing that the people appreciated the dangers they had 
encountered and the results they had achieved. Colonel Doniphan 
returned to his home at Liberty, and resumed the practice of law. He 
remained in Liberty till in 1863, when he returned to St. Louis, where he 
remained till 1869. In 1861 he was one of the five delegates appointed to 
represent Missouri in the celebrated peace conference, and was one of the 
five from the border states, who, by special invitation, held an interview 
with President Lincoln, to counsel and advise as to the best method of 



502 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

preservincT peace, maintaining the Union, and settling the difficulties that 
then environed the nation, and the only one now living. It was while 
absent on this mission that he was, chosen to represent his senatorial dis- 
trict in the state convention. By his marriage to Miss Thornton, the Col- 
onel had two sons, to whose training he devoted much time and labor, 
but both died in youth. To his wife he was most warmly devoted, and 
her death, which occurred July 19, 1873, left him depressed and stricken. 
Before her death both he and his wife united with the Christian Church. 
In 1869 Colonel Doniphan returned to Western Missouri, and located 
in Richmond, where he now (1881) resides. Colonel Doniphan was a 
man of great physical strength, as his erect carriage, firm, elastic step, 
and graceful, easy movement, at the age of seventy-three, evince. He is 
six feet three inches in hight, compactly built, with a large frame and 
well developed muscles. Of an impulsive nature, which is restained by 
reason and an overmastering will power ; brave, fearless, -true to his con- 
victions of right and duty, a sincere friend, a frank and open foe, he has 
gathered about him a host of friends, whose confidence and esteem are 
his highest eulogium. 

HON. GEORGE W. DUNN. 
George Washington Dunn, the present judge of the fifth judicial cir- 
cuit of Missouri, was born near Harrodsburg, Mercer county, Kentucky, 
October 15, 1815. His father. Major Lemuel Dunn, a pioneer farmer of 
Kentucky, was the son of Michael Dunn, of Irish parentage, but a native 
of Virginia, and a noble defender of his country in the war for the inde- 
pendence of the American colonies. The mother of the subject of this 
sketch^whose maiden name was Sarah Read Campbell — was also a 
native Virginian, of Irish descent. Her father, John Campbell, was also 
a soldier in the war of the revolution. Major Dunn died in 1829, leaving 
his family in limited circumstances, on a farm, when George was only 
fourteen years old. Young as he was, he worked diligently through the 
summer, and attended school during the winter. He acquired such edu- 
cation as the family's finances would allow, at Cane Run Academ}^, Mer- 
cer county, excelling in mathematics. Although unable to take the full 
course at one of the higher institutions of learning, his unquenchable 
thirst for knowledge led him to eschew the usual pastimes of youth, and 
to devote every spare hour to study; and thus his ardor, close applica- 
tion, and self-denial made up for what his poverty disallowed. His men- 
tal tastes were of a very high order, far exceeding that of ordinary young 
men, and leading him into the advanced classics, law, general literature, 
and especially into the flowery fields of poetry, enabling him to 
" Touch the heart, or tire the imagination at will." 

At the age of nineteen he engaged as clerk in a dry goods store, at 



HISTORY OP^ RAY COUNTY. 503 

Nicholasville, Jessamine county, Kentucky: but he carried with him his 
books, which he continued, at every opportunity, to closely read and care- 
fully study. At twenty, he began the study of the law, with the deter- 
mination to allow no obstacle not absolutely insurmountable to prevent 
him from becoming, at least, a respectable lawyer. He continued the 
study of law with unyielding tenacity for three years, only interrupted by 
regular intervals of school teaching, which he was compelled to follow for 
a support. In that time he attended the law department of Transylvania 
University, and was a member of the class of 1836 and 1837. Among 
his classmates were Beriah McGoffin, afterward governor of Kentucky; 
Richard Yates, afterward governor of Illinois; the present Hon. Otho R. 
Singleton, of Mississippi; Reverend Jonathan E." Spillman, of Kentucky, 
and the present Hon. Samuel H. Woodson, of Missouri. At the close of 
the term he was licensed to practice law, by Judges Robertson and Mar- 
shall. 

In the spring of 1839, Mr. Dunn settled in Richmond, Ray county, 
Missouri, and, opening a law office, practiced his profession in all the 
counties of the fifth judicial circuit. In the spring of 1861, he was 
appointed circuit attorney to fill a vacancy, and- in 1844, was elected to 
that' office without opposition, and filled it until 1848. During those seven 
years, besides being the prosecutor in all criminal cases in the circuit, he 
satisfactorily attended to a large practice in the civil cases. Judge Dunn 
had as his contemporaries at the bar many of the most eminent lawyers 
in the west, among whom were the following: Colonel A. W. Doniphan, 
Hon. David R. Atchison, Hon. Wm. T. Wood, Governor Peter H. Bur- 
nett, Hon. James H. Birch, Governor Willard P. Hall, Hon. Robert 
D. Ray, General B. F. Stringfellow, and others. In 1848, he was 
appointed judge of the fifth judicial circuit as successor of Hon. Austin A. 
King, who was that year elected governor of the state. He was elected 
judge of the same circuit in 1851, and again in 1857. In 1861, Judge 
Dunn retired from office, declming to take the test oath required of offi- 
cers by the state convention of that year, and resumed the practice of 
law. In 1863, he was again elected judge of his old circuit by a large 
majority, and remained on the bench until 1865, when he, with others was 
thrown out of office by the vacating ordinance of the state convention. 
He again returned to the practice of his profession, and followed it until 
1874, when he was elected without opposition as judge of the fifth judicial 
circuit, which position he now holds, having been again elected at the 
general election in November, 1880. 

Whether as advocate or judge, few lawyers of this country hold higher 
rank than does Judge Dunn. The prime of his life has been spent at the 
bar and on the bench, and his contests have been with the most eminent 
lawyers of his time. His success as a lawyer, and his standing as a citi- 



504 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

zen are attested by his long continuance in office, in the affection of his 
fellow-attorneys; in his reputation throughout Missouri for ability and 
integrity, and in the universal confidence reposed in him by the people of 
his district. A late writer said of him : " He only sought the honors of 
the law." The compliment is only half true. While no lawyer is insen- 
sible to "the honors of the law," Judge Dunn has striven to honor the law 
more than to seek its honors. As a judge, he comprehends at once the 
law and facts of the case; and his analytical honors enable him to develop 
the points with such clearness and force, that his decisions commend 
themselves alike to the bar and to the people, being always fortified by 
both the law and the facts. 

In politics Judge Dunn has always been a democrat, faithfully adhering 
to, and supporting the principles of his party in its darkest days. He is 
not a partisan, however, and freel}'' accords the right of individual opinion, 
holding the man all the more honorable for a candid, outspoken, but 
respectful expression of his honest convictions. Granting that the judi- 
ciary is not a " political " office, in the vulgar meaning of that term, 
Judge Dunn has nov^er been a candidate for any political position. He 
was a member of the state convention of 1861, called to consider the rela- 
tions existing between the state of Missouri and the federal government. 
In that body he voted against secession, as well as against all other radical 
measures. Judge Dunn has ever exhibited a deep interest in the cause of 
education, and has been a warm friend of all educational institutions. 
When a young lawyer he became a member of Richmond Lodge, No. 
57, A. F. & A. M., and at different times has held various important 
offices in that body. He is also a member of the Presbyterian Church. 
On the 19th day of May, 1841, at Nicholasville, Kentucky, George W. 
Dunn was united in marriage with Miss Susan Martha Henderson, 
daughter of Bennett Henderson, and grand-daughter of Colonel Joseph 
Crockett, an officer in the Revolutionary war. They have had five chil- 
dren, only one of whom, John Henderson Dunn, is now living. Judge 
Dunn has always evinced a taste for literature, which he has cultivated to 
a high degree. He has divided his affections between the goddess of 
justice and the fair nymph of poesy, and without having slighted either, 
shows that he has knelt at the shrine of both. He has given to the 
public many poetical effusions; gems in verse, of rare beauty and 
acknowledged merit. Judge Blackstone, on taking up the law, bade " fare- 
well to his muse," but Judge Dunn continued to woo the winsome god- 
dess; and while he will long be remembered as one of the ablest jurists 
of his day, he will not be soon forgotten as one of the genuine verse 
writers of the land, and the only poet who has found in the prosy pro- 
ceedings of a court of justice, themes for poetical song. "The Temple 
of Justice," written by him a few years ago, and dedicated to the bench 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 505 

and bar, has been widely published and admired, and |we deem it emi- 
nently appropriate to reproduce it here: 

THE TEMPLE OF JUSTICE. 
DEDICATED TO THE BENCH AND BAR. 

There stood in Eden once, as legends tell, 

A regal temple bathed in heaven's own light; 
But when our happy parents sinned and fell. 

That temple felt the avenging curse and blight; 

And would have sank in deep and endless night; 
But God in mercy had its fragments throwp 

O'er all the earth; and now they greet our sight, 
Where'er we go in every clime and zone; 
Each fragment of that temple is a precious stone. 

In after ages on j^^oriah's brow 

King Solomon a wondrous temple raised; 
Built as was shown upon the mount; and now 

We do not marvel that the nations gazed 

Entranced; or that the Queen of Slieba praised 
The master architect; for ne'er before 

Had earth's admiring millions stood amazed 
In view of such a structure; never more 
Perhaps will such a temple greet us on time's shore. 

But we are workmen on a temple too, 

A glorious temple shielding human rights; 
And if we labor as good men and true. 

Our consciences will bring us such delights 

As duty faithfully performed invites. 
Then bring for this grand temple precious things — 

Sapphires and rubies, emeralds, chrysolites. 
We do not build on vain imaginings; 
We trace the streams of truth to their celestial springs. 

Through coming ages will our temple stand, 

The grandest product of man's mind and heart. 
Its dome and spire point to the better land; 

Its walls and towers attest the builder's art. 

I only ask to bear an humble part 
In fashioning the work — to have my name 

Inscribed upon its walls ere I depart; 
I ask but this, and make no other claim 
To that which heroes bleed for and the world calls Fame. 
JHcTiinond^ Missouri, April 10, 1875. 

We close this sketch with another of his gems, showing that the robe 
of ermine fits him no more gracefully than does the chaplet of poesy: 
THE ERMINE AND THE HARP. 

The Ermine's hue of spotless white 

Invokes the wearer's earnest ken, 
As law and equity unite 

To shield and bless the sons of men; 
32 



506 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

For heaven-born truth by right prevails 

And baffles every crafty scheme, 
When justice holds the impartial scales 

And mercy's tears bedew the beam. 

Fraud writhes beneath the jurist's feet, 

And falsehood from his presence flies; 
Twin sisters these that dare not meet 

The piercing glances of his eyes; 
And fetters that the strong apply 

To feeble limbs are snapped in twain, 
And wrong's foul emblems scattered, lie 

Around the bondsman's broken chain. 

O, bring my harp! Its chords shall send 

Exultant notes to greet all ears. 
Notes, whose rich harmonies will blend 

With music sounding from the spheres; 
For right has triumphed over wrong, 

And justice holds unbroken sway; 
The victory demands a song, 

A sweet song that will live for aye. 

ROBERT SEVIER. 

Robert Sevier, eldest son of Valentine Sevier, Esq., was born October 
13, 1807, in Greenville, Tennessee. His grandfather, Robert Sevier, with 
several brothers, left his home in Tennessee to join the American army of 
the Revolution, and served with distinction in ]S[orth Carolina against 
Cornwallis. The elder Robert Sevier held a commission as colonel of 
volunteers, and held this command at the battle of King's Mountain, 
where he received wounds of which he soon afterwards died. These 
brothers were also held in high estimation in civil life ; one of them, John 
Sevier, was governor of Tennessee, after the war. Robert Sevier, the 
subject of our sketch, was entered a cadet at West Point, in 1824, and 
was graduated in 1828, brevet second lieutenant, and July 1, 1828, sec- 
ond lieutenant sixth infantry, joining his regiment at Jefferson barracks, 
Missouri. He served with the expedition on the upper Arkansas in 1829; 
Ft. Leavenworth, in 1829-32; in the Black Hawk war in 1832 against Sac 
and Fox Indians; Ft. Leavenworth in 1832-31:; Jefferson barracks in 
1831-30; Camp Sabine and Ft. Jessup, Louisiana, in 1836. Adjutant 
sixth infantry, from August 1, 1836, to October 31, 1837; in Florida 
war in 1837; resigned, October 31, 1837. 

After his resignation, he remained two years in Tennessee. He spent 
the winter of 1839-40 in Liberty, Clay county, Missouri, seeking a loca- 
tion for business. In 1840 he entered into the mercantile business in Rich- 
mond, Missouri, where his remaining years were passed. In 1845, he 
was elected clerk of the circuit court and cx-officio recorder of deeds of 
Ray county, which office he retained for twenty years. In 1865 the con- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 507 

stitutional convention of Missouri removed such officers then in commis- 
sion as refused to take and subscribe the oath of loyalty. Major Sevier 
was removed, and thereafter persistent!}^ remained in private life, 
although often solicited to occupy positions of trust, living on his farm. 
In 1851 he married Miss Ann H. Sibley, who died January 20, 1852. 
The issue of this marriage is Charles Sevier, a very worthy gentleman, 
occupying the paternal home at this time, with an interesting family; and 
a daughter, Isabel, who died at the age of nine. His second marriage 
was with Mrs. Maria Embree, a sister of ex-Governor Austin A. King, 
of Missouri. This lady survives him. Inheriting the talents and disposi- 
tion of such an ancestry, his aspirations, even in boyhood, could be only 
of a high character. Having a vigorous mind, and using wisely his fine 
advantages in the acquisition of an education, his manhood was matured 
in the highest meaning of the word. Many graduates will readily remem- 
ber their associations with him; his genial disposition; his amusing 
stories ; his soldierly bearing — and these reminiscences must needs be very 
pleasant. During his term of military service, the army was small, and pro- 
motion slow; opportunities for gaining distinction were seldom found, and 
many 3'oung officers, who had families, retired to civil life. Major Sevier 
was in many respects well suited for military duty; he was remarkably 
intelligent, patient, brave, and uncomplaining. He retired from the ser- 
vice amidst the regrets of his army associates, and was welcomed into 
civil life by a large circle of friends. The evidences of the value of one's 
education are not to be sought for in military history alone. In the peace- 
ful pursuits of private life, the man who acts well his part, educating his 
children in the fear and love of God; desciplining them to pass through 
the trials of life bravely and honestty; manifesting by every foot-fall in the 
pathway of life a true and determined integrity and usefulness, is by no 
means to be placed in low estimation. Such men build up and strengthen 
the free institutions of our country; adding to her wealth and honor, her 
usefulness to mankind, her reputation for good among the people of every 
land. 

It is dificult to find a better reputation than established by Major Sevier 
during his life-time. Ever}?- tongue is ready in his praise. The history of 
his honest, cheerful manhood, so gracious to his fellow-citizens, seems 
well written in every heart; and his disposition to kindness made any busi- 
ness intercourse with him very pleasant. The business and professional men 
of Richmond, Missouri, are widely known as gentlemen of the highest 
standing, and the great esteem in which they held Major Sevier, speaks 
loudly in his praise. He was never at loss for an agreeable subject of 
conversation; an interview with him never failed to please, as well as to 
instruct. He was a most sincere believer in the truth of the revealed re- 
ligion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and an honest professor thereof. He 



508 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

was not ashamed to own his allegiance to his God; he was, however, very- 
unostentatious and unobtrusive. His profession of religion was made in 
1851, and steadfastly maintained until death. For many years, he was 
a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church. The internal evidences of the 
truth of Christianity sank deeply into his mind, and his faith, strengthened 
from year to year by careful study and reflection, only added to the 
strength of his convictions. " Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou re- 
turn, " with him is fully realized. He died May 16, 1879, at Richmond, 
Missouri, aged seventy-one years. 

JOSEPH S. HUGHES. 

Joseph S. Hughes is a native of Jessamine county, Kentucky, and was 
born January 11, 1820. He is the sixth son and seventh child of John 
Hughes and Elizabeth (Berry) Hughes. His grandfather, Joseph Hughes, 
whose father settled on the eastern shore of Maryland at an early day, 
was of Welch descent. He married Sarah Swann before the revolution, 
and afterwards served gallantly in that war. In 1777, he moved to Penn- 
sylvania, and settled in the old Red Stone Fort (now Brownsville), on the 
Monongahela river, where John Hughes was born on the 26th of Novem- 
ber, 1777. The family remained at that place till 1779, when they removed 
to Kentucky, and for a number of years lived at Bryant's station. After 
the Indian troubles subsided, they settled in Jessamine county, Kentucky. 
The father of the subject of this sketch, as well as his maternal grand- 
father, Samuel Berry, were soldiers in the war of 1812, and served with 
becoming bravery under General Harrison. In 1822, when Joseph was 
but two years old, his father emigrated to Missouri, and located in Boone 
county, becoming one of the pioneer farmers of that section. Joseph S. 
Hughes remained with his father on the farm until he was eighteen years 
of age, when, in 1838, he came to Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, 
where he now resides, and engaged as salesman in a dry goods store, and 
continued to act as clerk and salesman until the year 1811. In that year, 
by patient industry, self-denial and economy he had acquired sufficient 
means to begin merchandizing on his own account. He continued the 
business alone until 1849, when he and George I. Wasson, Esq., of Rich- 
mond, formed a copartnership for the purpose of carrying on a general 
mercantile business, under the firm name of Hughes & Wasson. This 
copartnership existed till 1859. March the 1st, 1856, Joseph S. Hughes 
was elected secretary of the Richmond Insurance Company, and continued 
to fill that position until June 23, 1859, at which time he was elected cashier 
of the branch of Union Bank, located at Richmond and served as such till 
the national banking law supplanted the state banks. The parent bank, 
organized under the national banking law virtually closed the branches, 
and on the first day of January, 1866, the subject of our sketch and Geo. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 509 

I. Wasson, Esq., became the purchasers of the assets of the Richmond 
branch bank, and organized a private banking house, under the style of 
Hughes & Wasson, which continued till Januar}^ 1, 1877, when George I. 
Wasson sold his interest to James Hughes and his son, Burnett Hughes. 
Since that time the business has been conducted under the firm name of 
J. S. Hughes & Co., private bankers and exchange dealers. 

In 1869, when the St. Louis & St. Joseph railroad (now St. Joseph 
branch of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific), was completed to Richmond, 
Joseph S. Hughes, with Messrs. John Gibson and WilHam Wilson, com- 
menced sinking a shaft for the purpose of developing the coal interests in 
the vicinity of Richmond. The undertaking was quite successful, and by 
energy, unyielding perseverance and close attention to business, they have 
built up a trade of exceeding magnitude, which greatly augments the busi- 
ness and material wealth of Richmond and surrounding country. It is 
individual effort, industr}^ and enterprise that most largely contribute to 
the growth and prosperity of the entire country. While personal energy, 
incited by a laudable ambition, enhances one's individual interests, it, at 
the same time, promotes the welfare of the community. This being true, 
it is safe to say that there is not a more useful citizen in Ray county, than 
the subject of our sketch. Messrs. J. S. Hughes & Co., are now opera- 
ting three mines, and employ upwards of one hundred miners. Their 
coal is shipped to St. Joseph, whence, through their house at that place, 
it is distributed in large quantities to southern Nebraska and northern 
Kansas. 

On the 2d day of October, 1844, Joseph S. Hughes was married to 
Miss Ann Laura Hughes, step-daughter of the late Major John H. More- 
head, of Richmond, Missouri. They have an interesting, intelligent fam- 
ily of six children, four sons and two daughters. Their oldest son, George 
A. Hughes, is book-keeper in the banking house of J. S. Hughes & Co., 
and is also interested with his father in the Richmond coal mines. Charles 
B., the second son, is also clerking in the same bank. Their elder daugh- 
ter, Martha S. (Hughes) Ferguson, is the wife of James M. Ferguson, 
Esq., a merchant of Columbia, Missouri. Their younger daughter, Mary 
E., now at school at Christian College, Columbia, Missouri, and their two 
youngest sons, Robert L. and John, are living with their parents and 
attending the public schools of Richmond. Mr. Hughes has lived in 
Richmond many years. He has seen the town grow from a rude hamlet 
to a business place of considerable importance; and to him, and such gen- 
tlemen as he, that growth, as well as the corresponding progress of the 
county, is largely due. 



510 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

JAMES HUGHES. 

James Hughes was born March 30, 1814, in Jessamine count}-, Ken- 
tucky. He was the fifth son, sixth child, of John and Elizabeth Hughes. 
His mother was a daughter of Samuel Berry, who served as a soldier in 
the war of 1812. His father was born in the old Red Stone Fort, (now 
Brownsville) in Pennsylvania, in the 3^ear 1777, whence he was taken with 
the family to Bryant's station, Kentucky, where they lived for several 
years. Afterwards, for many years, his father resided in Jessamine 
county, Kentucky. In 1822, when James was eight years old, his father 
removed with his family to Missouri, and settled in Boone county, where 
he was a pioneer farmer. James Hughes' father was a soldier in the war 
of 1812, and served under General Harrison. His maternal grandfather 
served under the same distinguished officer. His grandfather, Joseph 
Hughes, was a soldier in the revolutionary war. James Hughes spent his 
boyhood days in working with his father on the farm, and received his 
education at a country school, which was subsequently known as Bonne 
Fcmmc Academy. When he was sixteen years old, he came, in 1830, to 
Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, and engaged as clerk and salesman in 
a dry goods store, continuing as clerk and salesman for different leading 
mercantile firms in Richmond until 1837, when he engaged in merchandis- 
ing on his own account, in partnership with his brother, Willis Hughes. 
The firm continued to do an extensive, profitable business, till 184.5, when, 
closing his career as a merchant, our subject removed to the country, and 
engaged in farming and dealing in live stock, which pursuit he followed 
steadily, energetically and successful for more than thirty years. During 
all that period he occupied the front rank among the best farmers 
in the state. He was even more successful as a farmer than as a merchant. 
In January, 1877, he returned to Richmond and entered into the banking 
business in partnership with his brother, Joseph S. Hughes and his son, 
Burnett Hughes. His two sons. Ami and Allen Hughes, are farming and 
dealing in live stock on the old homestead in the country. This is a model 
farm of eight hundred and eighty-two acres, improved on the most 
modern plan, and well stocked with the finest breeds of stock of all kinds. 
Mr. Hughes is also largely interested in other real estate in different parts 
of the county. 

James Hughes was married in 1842, to Miss Elvira Smith, of Ray 
county, Missouri, formerly of Pittsylvania count}^ Virginia. His wife 
died on the 16th day of January, 1877. They raised a family of eight chil- 
dren, six sons and two daughters. Their oldest child, Elizabeth V., is the 
wife of William H. Mansur, cashier of the Bank of Salisbur}'. Their 
son, Newton Hughes, is a clerk in the same bank. Henry Clay Hughes, 
their oldest son, is a successful farmer, in Carroll county. Berry Hughes, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 511 

another son, is a farmer, and resides near Richmond, Ray county. Their 
youngest child, a daughter, Louisa R. Hughes, is hving with her father, 
in Richmond. In politics, James Hughes was a Henry Clay whig, but 
since the death of the great Kentuckian, and the dissolution of the whig 
party, he has been, and continues to be a firm, but consistent, democrat. 
He feels, as he has ever felt, a deep interest in the welfare, prosperity, and 
future greatness of his county, state, and country. Such men are the bul- 
warks of free government. James Hughes, in all the avocations of life 
in which he has been engaged, has displayed energy, integrity, and a 
just regard for the rights of his fellow-man. He, therefore, enjoys the 
confidence of all who know him. He is spending even his declining 
years in active business, as a banker, and in promoting the comfort, com- 
petence, and happiness of his children. Estimating James Hughes by 
the good he has done, he deserves to be more highly eulogized than many 
whose names have been emblazoned in history. The same honorable 
career our subject has pursued is open to thousands of young men every- 
where. The name of James Hughes will be a rich heritage for his chil- 
dren, when he shall have ceased from his earthly labors, and his good 
deeds shall be embalmed in their memories. 

CHARLES J. HUGHES. 

Charles J. Hughes was born near Paris, Bourbon county, Kentucky, 
June 27, 1822. His father, William Hughes, was a native of Culpepper 
county, Virginia, and with his parents moved to Kentucky, and was one 
of the early settlers of that state. He had no advantages of education, 
having earlv in life enlisted as a soldier in the United States army for the 
repression of Indian hostilities, where he served with due devotion and 
gallantry under General Arthur St. Clair. In the Indian fight, known as 
St. Clair's defeat, which took place near where Cincinnati now stands, 
November 4, 1791, he was wounded. He moved with his family to Boone 
county, Missouri, in 1827, and settled two and a half miles south of 
Columbia. Throughout his life he was esteemed for his high moral 
character, and his home was ever the seat of hospitality and a place of 
social enjoyment. In the year 1840 William Hughes died, respected by 
all his acquaintances. The maiden name of Charles' mother was Lucy 
Neal. She was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, and was of highly 
respected parentage. She died shortly subsequent to the death of her 
husband. The subject of this sketch had five brothers and three sisters, 
all of whom are now dead, except the youngest brother, Julius C. 
Hughes, of Colorado; Laura (Hughes) Sickles, widow of the late Doctor 
Sickles, of St. Louis, and Catherine, wife of Doctor A. M. Robinson, of 
Clinton county, Missouri. Charles received a good education from 



512 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Columbia College, but pecuniary embarrassment compelled him to quit 
school. He, however, continued to be a close student. He was noted 
during his boyhood years as a bright and thorough scholar, so far as he 
had advanced in the collecje curriculum. After leaving- school he hired 
out by the month, and was engaged six months with a surveying party on 
the Great Chariton river, in Adair county, Missouri. After his return 
home he entered the law office of Honorable J. B. Gordon, of Columbia, 
then regarded as among the most prominent lawyers of the state. After 
a severe course of some eighteen months' study in this office, he went to 
Monticello, and for some time studied law in the office of Honorable 
James S. Green, when he settled down to the practice of his profession, in 
Kingston, Caldwell county, Missouri, a stranger, without money and with- 
out friends. He soon acquired a good practice, being retained on one 
side or the other of all important litigated cases in the courts of his 
county, besides having a respectable practice in other counties of the 
fifth judicial circuit. Shortly after becoming a citizen of Caldwell he 
was appointed county seat commissioner of Kingston. In 1844 he was 
elected to represent his county in the lower house of the general assem- 
bly, and in 1846 was re-elected, and again in 1848, but resigned, and 
devoted his time and attention diligently to the practice of his profession 
till 1856, when he was again elected to the same position, and served 
faithfully and efficiently for two years. During his terms of service in 
the general assembly, he occupied prominent positions, being appointed a 
member of many of the most important com.mittees. He was chairman 
of the committee on federal relations, a member of the judiciary commit- 
tee, and of the committee on constitutional amendments, etc. When the 
cloud of civil war hung like a pall of darkness over the country, he, like 
others, hoped in vain for compromise. He desired that bloodshed should 
be avoided, if possible, and consistent with the honor and dignity of the 
union. 

In 1863, Charles J. Hughes, with his family, moved to Richmond, Ray 
county, Missouri, and after what was known as the test oath was required 
of lawyers, preachers and teachers, he looked upon it as a deep and dan- 
gerous scheme to subvert the rights of the people; refusing to take such 
oath, he removed to Kansas City in the fall of 1865, and engaged in the 
real estate business, which he continued till the spring of 1867, when the 
supreme court having declared the test oath unconstitutional, he returned 
to the city of Richmond, and resumed the practice of law, soon re-estab- 
lishing himself in an extensive lucrative practice. In the spring of 1871, 
he was elected mayor of Richmond. In 1872 he was elected by the 
Democratic voters of Ray county, judge of the court of common pleas. 
This court was aboHshed in 1874, and Judge Hughes was, that year, 
elected judge of the county and probate court. In 1878 he was elected 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 513 

judge of the probate court and presiding justice of the Ray county court. 
Judge Hughes held by appointment the office of county and circuit 
attorney, county school commissioner, and curator of the state university, 
and was, also, for a number of years director of the school board of the 
Richmond graded school. He is the ardent friend of education, regard- 
ing it as the paramount duty of our country to prepare, by liberal, free 
education, the youth of the land for useful and* honorable positions in 
life. Whilst a member of the legislature he aided in procuring the 
500,000 acre land grant to the pubUc school fund. Judge Hughes is, 
likewise, a w^arm advocate of internal improvement, as is evidenced by the 
fact that he introduced into the Missouri legislature the first memorial 
from his county, asking for the chartering of the Hannibal and St. Joseph 
railroad, and aiding the same. He is a member of the Cnristian Church 
at Richmond, and in his habits is temperate, industrious and upright. He 
is wadely known as a true friend, a generous neighbor, genial, obliging 
and kind. He began life without means, and has succeeded by dint of 
untiring energy and perseverance. It has always been his pride to aid 
the young when starting out in life; nor have the deserving indigent ever 
called on him in vain. In politics, Charles J. Hughes is a democrat of 
the strictest faith; always conceding to others, however, the right of 
enjo3nng and expressing then- opinions. June 9, 1850, he was married to 
Miss Susan Catharine Pollard, daughter of William C. Pollard, who rep- 
resented Ray county in the legislature from ISSi to 1836, and w^ho was 
captain of a companv in Indian wars, and also in Colonel Richard Gen- 
try's regiment in the Florida war. 

Judge Hughes and wife have six children, three sons and three daugh- 
ters, the eldest of w^hom, Charles James, Jr., graduated from Richmond 
College, and is a fine scholar. He is now a successful lawyer, having 
prepared himself for his profession at the State University, at Columbia, 
He was married to Miss Lucy Menefee, of Richmond, in September, 
1874, and now resides in Denver, Colorado. The other five children are 
at home with their parents, to-wit: William Pollard, Margaret, Catha- 
rine, Luajina J., John, and Edna. 

Judge Hughes is five feet nine inches in height, has black hair and 
eyes, and weighs one hundred and twenty pounds. 

HON. JACOB TRIPLER CHILD. 

Jacob Tripler Child was born in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 
January 19, 1833. His father, Ezekiel Child, was a descendant of one of 
the Quaker families that came with William Penn to America. Some of 
them still live in Philadelphia, where they first settled. He was a natural 
mechanic, and spent much of his time in perfecting locomotive steam 
engines. He died of cholera, at Richmond, Virginia, in 1856. The 



514 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

mother of the subject of this sketch, Susan L. Child (whose maiden 
name was Tripler) was of a Danish famity of pioneers that settled in 
Delaware at a very early day, but afterw^ards removed to Richmond, 
Virginia. Ezekiel and Susan L. Child had six children. The eldest, 
John T. Child, is a citizen of Wilmington, North Carolina; L. T. Child, 
of Worcester, Massachusetts; Jesse Child, of Richmond, Virginia; 
Elizabeth L. is now the wife of W. C. Tripler, of Philadelphia, Pennsyl- 
vania; Susan is the wife of Colonel James W. Black, a lawyer of Rich- 
mond, Missouri, and Jacob T., the subject of this sketch, who is the fourth 
son. Jacob T. Child received a common school education, and when 
fifteen years of age, entered the office of the Richmond (Virginia) Whig^ 
where he served an apprenticeship of five years, at the expiration of 
which time, he was employed in the same office for three years, thus 
becoming an adept in the profession. In 1856 he, in company with a 
party of young men, emigrated to Kansas. During the border ruffian 
troubles, he left that state and went to St. Joseph, Missouri, where he 
engaged with the editor of the Cycle. In 1857, he established the tri- 
weekly yournal^ which in a short time, he converted into a daily — the 
first in the Missouri valley. In 1861 he sold the yoit?-naI, and edited the 
Gazette a short time; after which he founded the Evening JVczt's, a strong 
democratic paper. He then removed to Richmond, Missouri, and pur- 
chased the JVorthwcst Conservator., the name of which he changed to 
Richmond Conservator., of which he is still (1881) the editor and proprie- 
tor. The Conservator has never failed to appear at the appointed day 
each week — not even on July 14th, 1869, when a tornado unroofed the 
building. At the beginning of the late civil war, Jacob T. Child accepted 
the appointment of major, in Governor Stewart's regiment, which, how- 
ever, did not go into service. He was then appointed adjutant of the 
35th Missouri volunteers, and served on the lower Mississippi, under 
General Grant. He was next promoted to be captain of company F, 
which position he resigned on account of ill health. He afterwards 
organized a company of Missouri militia (Papaws), and w^as chosen first 
lieutenant, engaging in active service until the close of the war. In 1874, 
he represented Ray county in the twenty-seventh general assembly, and 
served creditablv on several important committees. At the close of his 
term, he was elected mayor of the city of Richmond. 

Colonel Child has always taken an active part in politics, and has been 
a delegate to every democratic state convention since his identifica- 
tion with that party. Like many of our great men, he is not renowned 
for his oratory, but has wide influence with his party, intrepidly using the 
columns of his paper to advance those measures of state and national pol- 
itics, which he believes to be conducive to the general welfare of the people. 
He has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 515 

more than twenty years; is now president of the Missouri press associa- 
tion, and has held many other important offices. Jacob T. Child was 
married 'April 23d, 1861, to Elizabeth Rebecca McRoberts, of Kentucky, 
whose father was Major Andrew McRoberts, one of the pioneers of the 
mountains, and resided at Cumberland Gap, where he was celebrated for 
his courage, strength and endurance. He and his wife, with whom he 
has lived for more than fifty years, reside with their daughter in Rich- 
mond, Missouri. Colonel and Mrs. Child have five children, four sons 
and one daughter. He is a member of the Christian Church, and is deeply 
interested in everything that has a tendency to promote the cause of edu- 
cation and religion in the community in which he lives, and his future is 
full of promise. 

THOMAS D. BOGIE. 

Thomas Dudley Bogie, a native of Kentucky, was born on Silver 
Creek, in Madison countv, August 26th, 1838. Paternal grandfather 
was born on board of a vessel, on the Atlantic ocean, between Europe 
and the United States, His father, Thomas Bogie, also a native of Madi- 
son county, Kentucky, was of Scotch descent, and was born in Decem- 
ber, 1804. His mother, Frances S. (Stephenson) Bogie, was born in the 
same locality in 1818. 

Thomas D. Bogie, being the son of a farmer, was raised on a farm, and, 
performing the labor incident to that vocation, lived till he attained his 
majority, in the vicinity of his place of birth. The schools of his neigh- 
borhood were few and inferior, and hence his school advantages were 
quite meagre. He attended the common schools, such as they were, 
three months in the winter, and the rest of the year aided his father on the 
farm — a work from which he lost not a single season till he was twenty- 
one years of age. His attendance at school, altogether, did not exceed 
eighteen months. In September of 1859, young Bogie, then twenty-one, 
accompanied his father and family to Randolph county, Missouri, and the 
following spring embarked in the mercantile business in Huntsville, that 
county. He continued merchandising, with varied success, till 1869. The 
first year of his experience as a merchant, was, on account of the civil 
war, quite unprofitable; from 1866, however, till he abandoned the mer- 
cantile business, he was very successful. When, in 1870, he sold his inter- 
est in the dry goods store. Col. Bogie entered into the printing busi- 
ness, becoming the partner of J. S. Hunter, Esq., and with that gentle- 
man, was editor and proprietor of the Huntsville Herald, and so continued 
till January, 1875, when he bought Mr. Hunter's interest, and conducted 
the paper as sole proprietor until January, 1879. March 16th, 1872, he 
started, in connection with Hunter, the Keytcsville Herald^ which they con- 
ducted successfully for two and a half years, at the same time owning and 



516 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

editing the HimtsviUe Herald. In January, 1879, Col, Bogie sold the 
Hiintsville Herald to Elmore Fort, Esq., and the following April moved 
to Richmond, Missouri, and here, April 5th, purchased the printiftg estab- 
lishment of S. J. Huffaker, editor and proprietor of the Ray Chronicle., 
the name of which he subsequently changed to Richmond Defuocrat, and 
under that name still (1S81) owns, edits and conducts the paper. Decem- 
ber 8th, 1863, in Callaway county, Missouri, Col. Bogie was married to 
Miss Doratha Virginia Maughas, a native of Danville, Montgomery 
county, Missouri, and daughter of the late Dr. M. M. Maughas, of Calla- 
way county. They have four children, one of whom, Charles F., born 
September 26th, 1865, died February 13th, 1866. The living are: Dud- 
ley T., Mordecai M. and Rector S. Col. Bogie's father died in July, 
1873, at his home in Randolph county, Missouri, aged sixty-nine. His 
mother died in May, 1874, at Keytesville, Chariton county, aged fifty-six. 
He has been a Mason since 1861; is a member of Blue Lodge and of the 
Royal Arch Chapter; he is also a member of the Ancient Order of 
United Workmen, of the Knights of Pythias, and of the Christian 
Church. The success achieved by Thomas D. Bogie is a striking exam- 
ple of what may be accomplished by devotion to duty, talent, industry 
and perseverance. The young man who emulates his example, will be 
happily rewarded, and his pathway to the grave will be all strewn with 
roses. 

SILAS R. CRISPIN. 

Silas R. Crispin was born August 28, 1837, in Fayette county, Ohio. 
When about ten years of age his parents moved with him to Highland 
county, that state, where he grew to manhood. His father, Abel Crispin, 
born in 1819, was a native of Pennsylvania. He died in Highland county, 
above mentioned, in 1856. His mother, Mary A. (Wilson) Crispin, was 
born in Mason county, Kentucky, and died in 1852. In 1857, when he 
was twenty years old, Silas R. Crispin. moved to Lafayette county, Mis- 
souri, and has ever since been a resident of the state. He was first 
employed as overseer of a plantation, but afterward engaged in the 
freighting business across the plains for a time, running a train of wagons 
to Denver, Colorado. In the winter of 1858-59 he went to Mexico, by 
way of St. Louis and New Orleans, and bought mules, which he brought 
to Lexington, Kentucky, and sold. In the spring of 1860 he again crossed 
the plains, to Denver, Colorado. In 1862 he joined the Confederate army, 
and served in company I, Colonel Gardner's regiment of General Joe O. 
Shelby's cavalry brigade. At the organization of his company, Mr. 
Crispin was elected second lieutenant. He participated, among others, in 
the following engagements: Camp Hurky, Lone Jack, Springfield, 
Prairie Grove, Newtonia, Hartsville, Little Rock, Spoonville, Mark's 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 517 

Mills, Jenkins' Ferry, Helena, and other minor engagements. He was 
with Price on his last raid through Missouri. He took part in more than 
fort}' battles, but never received a wound, nor was he ever taken prisoner. 
In 1863 he was promoted to be captain of his company, which position 
he held till the close of the war. After the surrender of General Lee, in 
April, 1865, he took his company to Clarksville, Texas, where he 
remained until the 20th of the following June, when he started for Mem- 
phis, Tennessee, reaching that place about the middle of July, 1865. He 
there surrendered the last remaining regularly organized company of the 
Confederate arm}'. He was a true soldier, and fought cheerfully and 
bravely for the cause he believed to be right, so long as a ray of hope 
remained to inspire himself and his gallant comrades to arms. He was 
and is an upright, genial gentleman, and his true soldierly bearing won 
the respect and affection, not only of his own company, but of every fel- 
low-soldier who knew him. After the war Captain Crispin engaged in 
freighting across the plains, and continued in this occupation till the sum- 
mer of 1866, when he returned to Ray county, Missouri, and entered 
into the mercantile business, which he has followed ever since. He has 
an extensive, valuable stock of goods, and receives, as he deserves, a most 
liberal patronage. Captain Silas R. Crispin was married January 29, 
1867, to Miss Lizze Mason, of Ray county. Of this marriage one child, 
George H., born September 9, 1868, is now living. His wife, an estima- 
ble, accomplished lady, died March 22, 1877. April 9, 1879, Captain 
Crispin was again married, to Miss Malinda Shaw, of Ray county, a 
lady of intelligence, whose character is adorned by all the graces of 
womanhood. 

AARON H. CONROW. 

Aaron H. Conrow was born June 19, 1824, near Cincinnati, Ohio. He 
spent part of his boyhood days at, or near Pekin, Illinois, and from that 
place, with his parents, moved to Missouri, and settled in Ray county. 
Here, by dint of his own energy, he obtained a pretty thorough educa- 
tion, teaching school part of the time in order to get means to complete 
the same. In this he was very successful. He then chose the law as a 
profession, and by rigid economy and sedulous application, succeeded in 
making an eminent lawyer. On the 17th of May, 1828, he was married 
to Miss Mary Ann Quesenberry, daughter of David H. and Lucinda 
Quesenberry, of Richmond, Missouri. From this union resulted the 
following children: David, Benjamin, William S., and Mamie. He was 
appointed by the governor, judge of the first probate court established in 
Ray county. From January, 1857, to January, 1861, he was circuit attor- 
ney of the fifth judicial circuit of Missouri ; an office that had previously 
been filled by such eminent lawyers as Hamilton R. Gamble, Abiel Leon- 



518 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ard, Charles French, Robert W. Wells, Amos Rees, Thomas C. Burch, 
Peter H. Burnett, George W. Dunn, and others, but by none of them 
more zealously and efficiently than by the subject of this sketch. He 
was a brilliant and sutcessful advocate, a fine judge of law, and never 
descended to even the slightest artifice to gain the advantage of an oppos- 
ing brother lawyer. He was above all littleness, open, candid, ingenuous. 
He was the preceptor of three young men who afterward became able 
and prominent lawyers; one of them is now a circuit judge, and the biog- 
raphy of another, who Hves in Richmond, appears in this volume. Aaron 
H. Conrow was ever the fast friend of education, and no man contributed 
more liberally than he, in proportion to his means, to the support of insti- 
tutions of learning. He was ever a safe counselor in matters of moment 
relative to the town and community in which he lived. In 1860 he was 
elected to the state general assembly — a democrat worthy to be trusted. 
He was in the general assembly at the beginning of the war, and sided 
with the south. He was instrumental in recruiting and equipping the 
first company organized in Ray for the defense of what he believed to be 
right. He ranked as colonel in the Missouri state guards, a military 
organization he had helped to create by his vote in the general assembly. 
He was b}^ a majority of his comrades elected to represent his district in 
the confederate congress, and in that capacity, as in all others, served 
with singular zeal and promptness. He was present at the first meeting 
and at the final adjournment of that body. At the close of the war the 
amnesty agreed upon did not extend to members of the confederate 
congress, and fearing that if he fell into the hands of the successful party 
his life would be taken, he went to Mexico, and soon after arriving in 
that country, he was brutally murdered by a band of Mexican soldiers, 
on or about the 25th of August, A. D. 1865. 

JOHN R. HAMILTON. 

John R. Hamilton was born September 2, 1856, in Ray county, Mis- 
souri. Received his education at the State University, Columbia, Mis- 
souri, graduating in the law department of that institution, in the class of 
18 T9. Prior to attending the university he had read law three years with 
Hon. C. T. Garner, of Richmond. He was admitted to the practice of 
his profession in March, 1880. He is the son of Thomas Hamilton, a 
native of Kentucky, who moved to Ray county, in 1841. His mother, 
whose maiden name was Rebecca Shackelford, was a native of Clay 
county, Missouri. Mr. Hamilton is an exemplary young man, of excep- 
tionally good character, and his close application and untiring energy will, 
it is believed, be dul}- rewarded. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 519 

JOHN W. SHOTWELL. 

The subject of this sketch was born July 4, 182S, in Mason county, 
Kentucky. His lather was Judge Jabez Shotwell, who was born in Ken- 
tucky, in 1791, and died in Ray county, Missouri, in 1871. He was for 
many years judge of the Ray county court; a highly honorable and use- 
ful citizen, who will long be kindly remembered by all who knew him, 
living. His mother was likewise a native of Kentucky, born in 1797, and 
died in 1852. In the fall of 1833 Mr. Shotwell moved with his parents to 
Lexington, Missouri, and in the fall of 1835, to Richmond, Ra}^ county, 
where he now resides. Early in 1855 he began reading law, with Messrs. 
Oliver & Conrow, of Richmond, as his preceptors. He was admitted to 
the bar June 1, 1856. He is a successful lawyer, familiar with the differ- 
ent departments of his profession, and has been a close student. He 
enjoys an excellent reputation both as a lawyer and as a gentleman. In 
1877 he associated with him in the practice, J. E. Ball, Esq. ; the partners 
have a lucrative practice, as well as the confidence of the public. Mr. 
Shotwell was elected one of the directors of the Ray County Savings 
Bank, at its organization, and has been connected with it ever since. In 
February, 1880, he was elected its vice president, a position he still 
retains. In the year last mentioned he, in connection with W. P. Hubbell 
and L. D. Priest, sunk a coal shaft near the railroad depot in the western 
part of the city, to the depth of one hundred feet. They employ, in oper- 
ating this mine, about twenty men. The coal is of superior quality, the 
vein exhaustless, and the business exceedingly^ profitable. Mr. Shot- 
well accompanied General Price, as a soldier in the state guards, in Col. 
Reaves* regiment, to Camp Cowskin Prairie, and took part in the battles 
of Carthage and Wilson's Creek. February 14, 1861, he was married to 
Miss Julia E. Devlin, a native of Michigan. They have seven children 
living, five boys and two girls: Anna, John W., Joseph, Lizzie D., Wil- 
liam M., Benjamin E. and Horace. Mr. Shotwell is a member of the 
Baptist Church, while his wife is a member of the M. E. Church South. 
They are exemplary Christians, and respected by the entire community 
in which they live. Mr. Shotwell is also a member of the Masonic frater- 
nity and of the Knights of Honor. 

THOMAS L. SHAW. 

Thomas L. Shaw is a native of Bedford county, Tennessee. He was 
born September 13, 1820. In May, 1836, he moved with his parents to 
Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, where he has ever since resided. Most 
of his life has been spent as a farmer. In 1850, he crossed the plains with 
ox teams, to California, returning in the winter of 1852 and '53. In 1868, 
he sold his farm and opened the stone quarry known as Carroll county 



520 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

sand stone quariy, with which he is still connected as part owner. In 
1879, he entered into the grain trade in Richmond, and to this business he 
has given most of his personal attention since that time. From 1870 to 
1879 he was proprietor of the livery stable known as McCuistion's stable 
at present. He still owns the barn. Mr. Shaw was married March 9, 
1842, to Jane H. Ewing, a native of Ray county. They had four chil- 
dren, two of whom, Alice B. and Florence M., are living. Joseph F. and 
an infant are deceased. His wife died April 7, 1849. He was again mar- 
ried in the winter of 1854, to Ann Summerville, a Virginian by birth. 
She died May 22, 1856; and he was a third time married October 9, 1859, 
to Martha W. Bowen, of Bedford county, Tennessee. The offspring of 
this union are two children, Ida J. and Charles C. His third wife died 
September 2, 1875; and December 23, 1878, Mar}- H. Morrow, of Rich- 
mond, became his fourth wife. Mr. Shaw was one of the pioneers of 
Ray county, having come to Richmond when there were but five or six 
log cabins in the town, and the country was sparsel}' settled. He is a 
reliable, upright and honorable citizen, and takes a lively interest in the 
growth and prosperity of his town and county. He is a member of the 
M. E. Church South." 

ALEXANDER A. McCUISTION. 

Captain Alexander A. McCuistion was born February 24, 1827, in Bed- 
ford count}^ Tennessee. When he was but three years of age his parents 
moved with him to Missouri, and settled in Ray county. His father, 
Thomas McCuistion, was born December 12, 1792; was a native of North 
Carolina, and died in Ray county, Missouri, March 7, 1880. His mother's 
maiden name was Nancy Jordan. She is a native of Tennessee, born 
December 12, 1802, and is living with her son, the subject of this sketch, 
in Richmond. In his early manhood, Captain McCuistion was in both 
farming and mercantile pursuits. In 1801, he enlisted as a soldier in the 
Confederate army. Captain J. K. McDowell's company, of Colonel B. A. 
Reaves' regiment. He participated in the battles of Pea Ridge and 
Corinth, after which he was transferred to the commissary department, as 
clerk therein, and remained in that service till the close of the war. When 
peace was restored he retured home to Ray county, and resumed farm- 
ing, which he continued till 1874, when he was, on the democractic ticket, 
elected by the people clerk of the Ray county court. He took charge of the 
office January 1, 1875, and served four years. At the expiration of 
his term as county clerk. Captain McCuistion abandoned politics, and 
engaged in business in Richmond, as proprietor of a livery and feed 
stable, his present occupation. He is a member of the Christian Church, 
and also the Masonic fraternity. He was married September 10, 1852, to 
Miss Susanna S. Berr\% of Kentucky. They have three children, all sons, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 521 

as follows: Augustus L., salesman in the store of J. C. Brown & Co., 
Richmond; Edward P., with his father in the livery business, and George 
H., deputy sheriff of Ray county. His wife, who was an estimable lady, 
died September 28, 187U. He was a second time married, August 28, 
1875, to Mary E. Smith, a native of Ray county. She is a member of the 
M. E. Church South, and an exemplary christian. They had one child, 
but it died in infancy. Captain McCuistion was an honest and capable 
officer, and retired from his office universally esteemed. He is, likewise, 
an honorable and useful citizen. 

NATHANIEL DAVIS, M. D. 

Nathaniel Davis was born July 31, 1807, in Washington county, East 
Tennessee. When he was about five years old, his parents moved with 
him to Knox county, Tennessee, where he spent his youth and passed the 
threshold of manhood. At the age of twenty-two, he was entered a 
student in the University of East Tennessee, and graduated with honor, 
from that institution in 1832. After which he attended the famous Jeffer- 
son Medical College, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in the spring of 
1834, received his diploma of graduation therefrom. He then selected 
Ray county, Missouri, as the field of his future labors, and started for the 
" far west " to carve out his destiny. How well he has succeeded, let the 
affection of his neighbors, and the respect and the esteem in v/hich he is 
held by the people of the entire county, together with his comfortable 
home and surroundings, bear testimony. His character is untainted, and 
his very name is the synonym of integrity, hospitality and charity. He 
has grown old; the frosts of many winters have settled on his head, and 
"full of years and of honor, " he has retired from the practice of his pro- 
fession to pass the remainder of his declining years in the quietude of his: 
home, near the eastern limits of Richmond. He was an eminently suc- 
cessful practitioner, because he was skillful, prompt, and always reliable. 
In 1837, he was thrown from a horse, and by this accident his ankle was 
dislocated and broken, thereby permanently laming him. Dr. Davis was 
here through the exciting period of the " Mormon war, " and was com- 
pelled to seek safety by leaving his home for a time. During the great 
civil war, however, he remained at home, and was not seriously molested. 
In the fall of the year 1837, Dr. Nathaniel Davis was united in marriage 
with Miss Mariah A. Allen, of Ray county. She was, however, a native 
of Virginia. They have had six children, two of whom are deceased. 
The living are as follows: James A., collector of Ray county; Margaret 
Ann, wife of Murray F. McDonald, a merchant of Richmond; Alice, 
widow of George Mason, deceased, late of Richmond, and Samuel B., 
deputy county collector. His wife died August 23, 1878. She was a- 

33 



522 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

lady of cheerful disposition, and added to an exemplary Christian charac- 
ter, gentle manners and the graces of womanhood. 

JAMES A. DAVIS. 

James A. Davis, son of Nathaniel Davis, M, D., is a native of Ray 
county, Missouri, and was born November 27, 1837. He was educated 
at the Richmond College, Richmond, Missouri. In 1802 he engaged in 
the mercantile business in Richmond, in company with James F. Hudgins 
and Thomas H. Bayliss, and continued in that pursuit till November, 1864; 
at which time he withdrew from the firm, and went to Salt Lake City, 
Utah, where he remained one year, and then returned to Richmond, and 
resumed business, continuing about five years. He then engaged in farm- 
ing, and after about three years became deputy county collector for Thos. 
B. Fowler, Esq., and subsequently for Mr. Fowler's successor, A. M. 
Fowler, Esq., acting as deputy altogether, five years. At the general 
election in November, 1878, he was elected, as a democrat, to the office 
of collector of Ray county, which office he now holds, having been 
re-elected in November, 1880. He is an excellent officer, serving the peo- 
ple with efficiency and fidelity; he enjoys their entire confidence, of which 
he has proven himself eminently worthy. He was married May 15, 1861, 
to Miss Mary Triplett, of Rappahannock county, Virginia. She was an 
intelligent, amiable lady, but died November 26, 1864. To this union one 
child, Carrie, now the wife of Frank Clark, Esq., of Ray county, was 
born. May 15, 1866, Mr. Davis was again married to Miss Alice M. 
Hughes, of Howard county, Missouri. She is an accomplished lady, of 
refined and captivating manners, and ingenuous disposition. They have 
five children, to-wit: Harry, Frank, Katy, Lucy, and Alice. Mr, Davis 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in good standing. 

JAMES L. FARRIS. 

James L. Farris was born in Williamsburg, Kentucky, May 7, 1833. 
At the age of three years his parents moved with him to near Dandridge, 
Jefferson county, Tennessee. He was entered a student at Burnsville 
(Anson county, North Carolina,) High School, at which institution he 
received his literary training. In 1855 he began the study of law with 
Colonel David Coleman as his preceptor. In 1856 he removed to Ray 
county, and engaged in teaching school, at the same time pursuing his 
law studies. He continued teaching till 1860, in which year he was 
admitted to the bar. In the spring of 1861 he joined the Confederate 
army, entering the service in the Missouri state guard, under General 
Sterling Price. He subsequently enlisted in the regular Confederate 
army, and for his devotion, gallantry and soldierly bearing was promoted 
to a captaincy of artillery, and commanded the second battery organized 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 523 

in Missouri for the Confederate service. He participated in the battles of 
Lexington, Missouri; Pea Ridge, luka, Corinth, the siege "of Jackson, 
Mississippi, and fought through the Georgia campaign under General 
Joseph E. Johnston, taking part in all its engagements. He was with 
Hood in his march upon and retreat from Nashville, Tennessee, as well 
as in the battle of Selma, Alabama, under the famous cavalry officer. 
General Forrest. He surrendered and was paroled at Gainesville, Ala- 
bama, in May, 1865. He was a true soldier, brave, vigilant, and always 
in his place in time of battle. After the surrender he went to Carlinville, 
Illinois, and in 1867 began the practice of law in that city. In 1869 he 
returned to Richmond, Ray county, where he has since resided, prac- 
ticing his profession. He has served two terms as prosecuting attorney 
of Ray county. In 1875 he was elected by the people a member of the 
constitutional convention that framed the present state constitution, and 
in the deliberations of that body took an active and prominent part. He • 
was elected in 1876 to represent Ray county in the twenty-ninth general 
assembly, and in that position, as in all others, acquitted himself creditably 
and to the satisfaction of his constituents. Captain Farris is a brilliant 
public speaker; his speeches sparkle with wit and humor, and when occa- 
sion requires it, his denunciatory language is very powerful, his sarcasm 
withering; yet he never descends to vulgarity or to indecency of speech. 
He charms his auditors by his fascinating address, easy manner and 
graceful, significant gestures. He was married on the last day of July, 
1859, to Miss Amanda Tisdale, an intelligent, accomplished lady, of Ray 
county. Two sons, Don W. and James L., Jr., are the offspring of this 
marriage. His wife died March 6, 1862, and January 15, 1873, he was 
again married, to Miss Olivia N. Gaultney, of Yazoo county. She is an 
intelligent and accomplished lady. They have had one child, a daughter, 
Jennie I. 

JAMES W. GARNER. 

James W. Garner was born in Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, on 
the 4th day of March, 1851. His father is the Honorable Christopher 
T. Garner, Sr., of Richmond. His mother, E. B. Garner, is the daughter 
of James Mosby, Sr., and sister of W. W. Mosby, M. D., also of Rich- 
mond. The subject of this sketch graduated from the Richmond College 
in the class of 1870 and '71. Immediately after graduating, he entered 
upon the study of law, in the office of his father, Honorable C. T. Gar- 
ner, and General A. W. Doniphan, who were then co-partners in the 
practice of law at Richmond, Ray county. He was a close, careful and 
persevering student, and being naturally of superior intellect, his compre- 
hensive mind thoroughly mastered the theory of law in all its intricate 
fundamental branches; and on the 6th day of March, 1873, was admitted 



524 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V 

to the bar. Though the Richmond bar was exceptionally able, and many 
of its members distinguished for their learning and ability, our subject, by 
dint of his pluck, energy and manly deportment, entered at once upon a 
paying practice, which has ever since continued to increase, till he now 
enjoys a reputation as a lawyer second to few men in the fifth judicial cir- 
cuit of Missouri. Mr. Garner is a 3^oung man, scarcely yet in the prime 
of life, and an honorable and successful career, both professional!}', and as 
a private citizen, is undoubtedly before him. November 4, 1873, James 
W. Garner was married to Miss Leonora Snoddy, of Howard county, 
Missouri, daughter of Samuel W. and Susan F. Snoddy. After his mar- 
riage with Miss Snoddy, he formed a co-partnership with his father for 
the practice of his profession, under the firm name of C. T. Garner & 
Son. This partnership existed till James W. Garner was elected pros- 
ecuting attorney for Ray county, (see list of county officers) which posi- 
'tion he now holds. Mr. Garner is a democrat, and on the democratic 
ticket has been twice elected by the people of his county as their pros- 
ecuting attorney. During his first term of office, a great many impor- 
tant cases were tried, among others the noted case of the State of Mis- 
souri vs. J. T. Keyes. The trial of this case occupied fourteen days, and 
was conducted by our subject with singular abilit}^ and energy. There 
was also much litigation arising from the issuance of certain municipal 
bonds, in aid of the St. Louis & St. Joseph railroad, involving several 
hundred thousand dollars; all of which he attended faithfully, without 
assistance, and without causing the county additional expense. Mr. Gar- 
ner has held several important and very responsible positions, and in the 
discharge of all his duties, official and private, has been honest, faithful 
and capable. He was one of the local attorneys for the St. Louis, Kansas 
City & Northern railway company, and in 18'J8 was a member of the 
city council of the city of Richmond. As an officer, James W. Garner is 
entirely equal to the trust the people have conferred upon him; their con- 
fidence is in nowise misplaced. As a gentleman he is genial and obliging, 
and in everv department of life, honest, honorable and reliable. 

HENRY C. GARNER, M. D. 

Henry C. Garner was born March 21, 1827, m Fayette, Howard 
county, Missouri, and lived there with his parents till 1841, when he came 
to Ray county, where he has lived ever since. In 1844 he went to Ken- 
tucky to complete his literary and medical education, and entered, as a 
student, Transylvania Medical College, at Lexington, Kentucky, from 
which he graduated in the spring of 1850. He then returned to Rich- 
mond, Missouri, and formed a co-partnership, for the practice of his pro- 
fession, with Dr. Joseph Chew, now of Kansas City. After Dr. Chew's 
removal to Kansas City, Dr. Garner practiced alone for some time, and 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 525 

entered into partnership with Dr. Geo. W. Buchanan; they continued to 
practice together till 1860, when he formed a partnership with J. M. 
Allen, M. D., now the president of the state medical association of Mis- 
souri. This partnership lasted until 1861, when Dr. Allen joined the Con- 
federate army. Dr. Garner subsequently became associated with Dr. W. 
W. Mosby in the practice of medicine, and so continued till 1874, when 
he was elected cashier of the Ray County Savings Bank, which position 
he now holds and has held ever since. On becoming cashier of this 
bank he retired from the active practice of his profession, and, at present, 
his services are available only in cases of consultation. Dr. Garner had a 
large and lucrative practice ; in his early days it extended into the coun- 
ties of Clay, Carroll and Lafayette. He was a close student and kept 
fully abreast of the progress in medical science. Henry C. Garner is 
eminently a self-made man, having begun life as a poor boy; by energy, 
perseverance and rigid economy, he acquired means to educate himself — 
solely by his own efforts, excepting some pecuniary assistance received 
from his brother, Jno. C. Garner, whom he afterward fully repaid. He 
has always enjoyed the confidence and esteem alike of his professional 
brethren and of the people. While Dr. Garner was a remarkably suc- 
cessful practitioner, well read and learned in his profession, it is not as a 
physician that he is to be most admired; his high moral character, devo- 
tion to duty, gentlemanly bearing, and sterling worth as a member of 
society, challenge the respect of all. He was treasurer of Ray county 
from 1868 to 1867; has also been mayor of the city of Richmond, and 
has held other positions of public trust. December the 9th, 1852, Henry 
C. Garner was married to Eugenia A. Hudwall, of Chariton county, 
Missouri. They have eight children living, four boys and four girls: 
Thomas H., Edward S., Mattie M., Eugenia A., Henry C, Trigg, Docia 
Elizabeth, and Mabel Everett. Dr. Garner and his wife, who is an 
amiable lady of intelligence and refinement, are members of the M. E. 
Church South. He is also a Mason. 

WILLIAM A. HOLMAN, M. D. 

William A. Holman is a native of Ray county, Missouri. He was 
born October 3, 1837, and, being the son of a farmer, was reared on a 
farm. In May, 1861, he enlisted as a private soldier in company C, 3d Mis- 
souri infantry volunteers, of the Confederate army. He was a partici- 
pant in the battles of Pea Ridge, Baker's Creek, luka, Corinth, and 
Vicksburg, at which place he was captured; he was however, exchanged 
in a few months and returned to his command. Under General J. E. 
Johnston, he fought through the Georgia campaign, and was afterward 
with Hood, who superseded Johnston in his raid through Tennessee. 
After the battle of Corrinth, he was promoted, for gallant conduct in that 



526 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

engagement, from orderly sergeant to first lieutenant. He surrendered at 
Mobile, Alabama, in April, 1865. Upon his return home, he began the 
study of medicine, subsequently entered the St. Louis Medical College, 
and graduated from that institution in the spring of 1869; after which he 
located for the purpose of practicing his profession in Albany, Ray coun- 
ty, where he remained till January, 1874. In that month he came to 
Richmond, and engaged in the drug business. In 1876, he was elected 
treasurer of Ray county, after which he sold his drug store. He was 
re-elected in 1878, and again in 1880, and is now serving out, with 
honesty, fidelity and efficiency, a third term as county treasurer of Ray 
county. He is a member of the church, as is his wife, whose maiden 
name was Eliza McGee, and to whom he was married April 29, 1869. 
Mrs. Holman is a refined and exemplary Christian lady, and both she and 
her husband, are respected throughout the entire community in which 
they live. They have one daughter living — Blanche, born November 
18, 1872. 

JAMES E. BALL. 

James E. Ball was born September 9, 1854, in Carroll county, Missouri. 
He is the son of Francis M. Ball, who was a native of Ray county, Mis- 
souri, born in August, 1826. He lost his life in the cyclone of June 1, 1878,. 
which devastated a large portion of the city of Richmond. At the time 
of his death he was a member of the city council, and was, as he had ever 
been, an honored citizen, highly esteemed for the excellence of his moral 
character, and as a gentleman in all the relations of life. James E. Ball,, 
the grandfather of our subject, was a native of Virginia, and immigrated 
to Ray county in 1818, thus becoming one of its pioneers. He died in 
Arkansas, at some time in the late civil war. In 1865, the subject of this 
sketch moved with his father and family to Richmond, where he now 
resides. He was educated at Richmond College, and in March, 187.3, 
began the study of the law, under the instruction of Hon. John W. Shot- 
well. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1875; at once entered upon the 
practice of his profession, in partnership with his former preceptor, with 
whom he is vet so associated. James E. Ball was married January 17, 

1877, to Miss Lizzie Shotwell, an accomplished young lady of Lafayette 
county, Missouri. They have one child living, Bessie, born November 10^ 

1878. Mr. Ball has twice served as city attorney, and is now a member 
of the city council. He is a young man of steady habits, temperate, studi- 
ous and industrio'US. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 527 

JAMES T. McGINNIS, 

James T. McGinnis, a native of Ray county, Missouri, was born June 
12, 1857. His father, Captain Thomas McGinnis, was for a number of 
years a merchant in Hardin, this county, and when not at school, James 
assisted him in the store. He was four years deputy sherifl'of Ray county, 
during the incumbency of his father. At the general election in Novem- 
ber, 1880, although but twenty-three years of age, he was elected sheriff 
of Ray county. His term is not yet expired, and he is serving the people 
faithfully and efficiently. He is the youngest sheriff Ray count}^ ever had, 
and probably the youngest ever elected to that ofBce in the state. He is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity, and a young man of great promise. 

WILLIAM R. JACKSON. 

William R, Jackson, born December 28, 1831, is a native of Ray county, 
Missouri. He has lived in this county from his birth to the present time. 
Until 1857 he was engaged in farming. In that year he moved to Rich- 
mond, and in 1868 opened a furniture and hardware store. In all his busi- 
ness enterprises Mr. Jackson has been quite successful. In 1880 he erected 
on the north side of the public square, Richmond, a large brick store- 
room, and now has therein the largest stock of furniture and hardware in 
this part of the state. In 1877, he also opened a lumber yard and an 
agricultural implement house, which are now under the management of 
his brothers-in-law, Messrs. John Patton and Calvin Houser. They keep 
a full supply of ail kinds of lumber and farming implements. Mr. Jack- 
son was never sworn in as a soldier in the Confederate service, but he 
accompanied Colonel Rivers and General Slack to the southern part of 
the state, and took part in the battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek, and 
Dry Wood. He was married April 1, 1863, to Miss Lucy J. Holman, of 
Ray county, an accomplished lady of gentle and captivating manners. 
They have two children living: Ellen S., born July 25, 1866, and Elwood, 
born January 31, 1868, and one deceased — died in infancy. Mr. Jackson 
is a successful, enterprising business man, and by his liberality and public 
spirit has done much to build up the city of Richmond. 

MAURICE C. JACOBS. 

Maurice C. Jacobs was born in Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, 
August 3, 1838. He received his education at the Richmond College, 
and in the spring of 1866 graduated from the Eclectic Medical Institute of 
Cincinnati, Ohio. He began the practice of his profession in Elkhorn, 
Ray county, but after a time, moved to Napoleon, a town in Missouri, on 
the boundary line, between Lafayette and Jackson counties. After 
practicing in that village some time, he returned to Richmond. In the 



628 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

fall of 1874, he purchased the drug store of Messrs. Bullock & Donald- 
son, and since that time has been engaged as druggist and apothecary, at 
the same time practicing his profession. He is at present (April, 1881) 
the only eclectic physician in Richmond, and he has an extensive, lucrative 
practice. June 14, 1862, Maurice C. Jacobs was married to Miss 
Amanda E. Hudspeth, of Jackson county, Missouri. She died March 
13, 1862; and August 1st, 1867, Dr. Jacobs was again married to Mrs. 
Helen M. Huston Morton, of Portsmouth, Ohio. Dr. Jacobs is an 
affable, agreeable gentleman, and justly merits the success he has 
achieved. He, as well as his wife, is a member of the Christian Church, 
and his good moral character is worthy of the highest emulation. He is 
also a Mason, Odd Fellow, and a member of the order of Knights of 
Pythias. 

WILLIAM A. CRAIN. 

William A. Crain was born November 3, 1820, in Flemming county, 
Kentucky. His father was William Crain, who was born in Fauquier 
county, Virginia, in 1784, and died in March, 1869, in Flemming county, 
Kentucky, in his eighty-fifth year. He has three brothers and four sisters 
living, as follows: John L., of Flemming county, Kentucky; James S., 
of Butte county, California; Noble H., of Flemming county, Kentucky; 
Rhoda Wilson, of Richmond, Missouri; Elizabeth E., of Bath county, 
Kentucky; Sarah Hilligoss, of Flemming county, Kentucky, and Amanda 
Carpenter, of Flemming county, Kentucky. William A. Crain, the sub- 
ject of this sketch, was raised on a farm, receiving such education as the 
schools of his neighborhood afforded. He is a man of strong, practical 
common sense, has read extensively, and his mind is well stored with val- 
uable general information, making him an interesting conversationalist. 
He spent the winter of 1852-3 in the state of Indiana, alternating between 
Shelbyville and Rushville, as places of abode. During the following 
summer he traveled through Illinois, dealing, to a considerable extent, in 
land warrants; and in the fall, returned to his home in Kentucky. In the 
spring of 1854, he came to Ray county, having first visited the county, 
however, in 1843. He remained here until the latter part of the year 1855, 
at which time he again returned to Indiana. Upon his arrival at Shelby- 
ville, in that state, he engaged in keeping hotel, and followed this occupa- 
tion till 1859, when he moved to Rushville, Indiana, and there opened a 
hotel, which he conducted till late in the fall of the year 1860, when he 
sold it, and went back to Kentucky. Remaining in that state till 1865, he 
returned to Shelbyville, Indiana, and became a clerk in a hotel, and 
remained such till after the close of the civil war. In the spring of 1866, 
he returned to Ray county, where he remained till the spring of 1869, 
when he returned to Flemmingsburg, Kentucky. In the spring of 1872, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 529 

went to California on a visit to his brother's, and after returning to his 
native county, in the winter of 1873, has remained here ever since. 
He has interests in both Ray county, Missouri, Flemming county, 
Kentucky, and, therefore, spends part of his time in each. William A. 
Grain was a soldier in the Mexican war. He enlisted in the company 
of which L. M. Cox was captain, Manlius V. Thompson's regiment, 
infantry. He served twelve months, at the end of which time the war 
was at an end. In politics Mr. Crain was a strong whig, during the exist- 
ence of that party. In 1860 he voted for Lincoln for the presidency, and 
has ever since been identified with the republican party, the principles of 
which he believes to be founded in humanity, truth, and justice. He was 
ever opposed to the institution of slavery; but while he is very decided in 
his views, he seeks to obtrude them upon no man, and freely accords the 
right of individual preference, or opinion. 

JOHN A. WASSON. 

John A. Wasson was born in the state of Indiana, but reared and edu- 
cated in Boone county, Missouri. His father, Mr. James F. Wasson, was 
a school teacher, and taught for many years in different states of the 
Union. Under his father's instruction, our subject received the greater 
part of his education. Mr. Wasson learned the carpenter trade in Gibson 
county, Indiana, and has pursued that calling most of his life. He was at 
one time a contractor and builder at Tipton, Missouri, and constructed 
more than twenty-five buildings there, including the Catholic Church. 
When the civil war commenced Mr. Wasson entered the Confederate 
service as a volunteer in the 16th Mississippi regiment of infantry, com- 
manded by Colonel Posey. He was in Stonewall Jackson's division dur- 
ing the entire four years of war. He was twice taken prisoner by the 
enemy; the first time he was exchanged, and the second time held for 
seventeen months, until after the surrender. He was w^ounded by a shot 
in the left knee at the battle of Cross Keys, in Virginia, but fortunately 
suffered no permanent disability from it. Mr. Wasson was married on 
the 14th day of January, 1871, to Miss Clara Belle Pendroy, of Centralia, 
Missouri. He came to Ray county in the month of October, 1880, and 
has since then been engaged in business with Mr. George I. Wasson at 
Richmond. 

DAVID P. WHITMER. 

David P. Whitmer was born July 4, A. D. 1829, near Waterloo, Sen- 
eca county, New York. His father, Jacob Whitmer, was the son of 
Peter Whitmer, and his mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Schott. 
His grandparents, having moved from near Hamburg, Pennsylvania, 
about 1809, settled near Waterloo, New York. All of them w^ere farm- 



530 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ers, and of German descent. In 1831, Peter Whitmer, with his sons, 
Christian, Jacob, John, David, and Peter, settled in Jackson county, Mis- 
souri, with their famihes. They soon moved to Clay county, Missiouri, 
where Christian and Peter died. Thence they removed to Caldwell 
county, and, remaining there till 1838, they all moved to Richmond, Ray 
county, where the living yet reside, excepting John Whitmer, who has 
for many years been a citizen of Caldwell county. Peter Whitmer, Sr., 
died in Richmond, Missouri, at the age of 82, August 13, 1865. His wife 
survived him but a short time. They were all plain, honest men, and 
good citizens. Like most of the early settlers of Ray county, they were 
all poor when they came to Richmond, but their highest aim seemed to 
be to live above reproach, " unspotted from the world," and they incul- 
cated these principles into their children. When the subject of this 
sketch was in his twelfth year, his father, Jacob Whitmer, was taken sick, 
and for three years was able to do but little work. David, being the 
oldest son large enough to work, became the main-stay of the family — 
cultivated a rented farm, got up wood, and went to mill and to market. 
When his father became able to work again, his limited means were well 
nigh exhausted. But, in 1845, by close economy, he had saved enough to 
buy two and a half acres of land in the suburbs of Richmond, and erect 
thereon a small brick dwelling. Here he lived till the day of his death, 
April 26, 1856. Before his death, our subject's father built a small shoe- 
shop on the land mentioned, which he kept up till the time of his death, 
the son working with his father in the shop during the winter, and on a 
farm in summer, cultivating some rented land, and thus continued until the 
boy was about seventeen, when, having become expert as a boot and shoe 
maker, his father, from that time, kept him in the shop summer and win- 
ter. Thus the young man grew up in obscurity and poverty, and inured 
to toil. But by close application, he did at least a third more work than 
any other hand, and found considerable time to read and prosecute his 
studies at home. In the spring of 1849, he informed his father of his long 
contemplated intention of qualifying himself for a lawyer, and arranged 
with his father to start to school. After attending school two weeks, the 
man upon whom his father relied to do the work in the shop, got on a 
spree and quit work: whereupon young David left school, and went 
back to work with his father at his trade. Meanwhile he pursued his 
studies diligently, working early and late at night. He did sufficient 
work in nine months to save three months of his last year of minority 
for school. On starting to school he found that he had, by his study at 
home, kept fully up with his classes. He continued at school two years 
at the old Richmond Academy, with Professor A. C. Redmon as his pre- 
ceptor. Until the last year of his attendance at school, he was ably 
assisted by Colonel James W. Black, who engaged with Professor Red- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 531 

mon as a teacher, and who has proved himself to be one of the finest lit- 
erary critics in Ray county, where he still resides. 

While at school, the Jude^e included in his studies all the common school 
branches, tocrether with the higher mathematics; Latin, logic, and astron- 
omy. When he left school, he entered the study of the law with Hon. 
Aaron H. Conrow as his preceptor, at Richmond, Missouri. Finding, at 
the end of twelve months that his purse needed replenishing, he taught a 
six months' school for that purpose, at the same time continuing the 
stud}' of law. On the 4th of September, 1854, he obtained a license to 
practice his chosen profession, from Hon. Geo. W. Dunn, judge of the fifth 
judicial circuit. He opened a law office at once, in Richmond, accepting 
the kind ofTer of ex-Governor Austin A. King, to put his law library 
in the young attorney's office, and office together. Young Whitmer 
rapidly grew in repute as a lawyer, and soon secured for himself the con- 
fidence of the public, and a lucrative practice. In 1857 he was elected 
the first city attorney of Richmond, and the following year was again 
elected to the same position. In 1858 he was elected commissioner of 
common schools for Ray county, and served two years. He was the 
only man on his ticket who was elected. In June, 1859, he entered into 
a law partnership with Hon. Aaron H. Conrow, his former preceptor. 
They continued together in business till the commencement of the civil 
war, in 1861, when they dissolved partnership, Mr. Conrow enlisting 
with the Missouri state truards, afterwards becomincj a member of the con- 
federate congress. Judge Whitman took the position that the cause of 
the Union was paramoimt to all other considerations, and should rise above 
all party and sectional issues. He, therefore, espoused the Union cause, 
and since that time has acted with the republican party. 

In Februar}', 1862, he was commissioned circuit attorney for the fifth 
judicial circuit, the old incumbent having failed or refused to take the oath 
prescribed by what was known as the convention ordinance. He at once 
entered upon the discharge of his duties. Judge x^ustin A. King was, at 
the same time, and for similar reason, appointed judge of the fifth judicial 
circuit, and entered upon his duties, simultaneously with Mr. Whitmer. 
In the fall of 1863, Judge Whitmer was called by a convention 
of Union men of Carroll county to make the race for judge of the fifth 
judicial circuit. At first declining, he finally yielded, and at the polls 
received a majority in each of the. counties of Carroll and Caldwell, but 
was defeated, his able and distinguished friend, Judge Dunn, being his 
successful competitor. When the enrolled Missouri rfiilitia were organized 
July 29, 1862, he was elected and commissioned captain of company F, 
fifty-first regiment, E. M. M., and was at once ordered into active service. 
Remained on duty until December, when he, with fifty men and two lieu- 
tenants, was detailed for active service during the winter, holding post at 



532 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Richmond, Missouri, Lieutenant-colonel J. W. Black, commandincr post, 
the refT^iment being relieved from active service till further orders. In 
April, 1863, he was detailed as captain of company D, fourth provisional 
E. M. M. In the summer of 1863, he was detailed by Colonel Chester 
Harding, commanding department of northwest Missouri to wind up the 
unsettled business of Provost Marshal Hemory, removed. He accepted 
the position, and found on hand some twenty-five or thirty citizen priso- 
ners, together with a detachment of U. S. troops, occupied as provost 
guards. He returned the provost guards to their regiment and in a short 
time disposed of the prisoners and all the business pertaining to the office, 
restoring confidence and giving general satisfaction. In November, 1863, 
his company and regiment were relieved from active service, excepting 
Captain Tiffin, with part of company C, who were retained in charge of 
the post during the winter months. In June, 1861:, Captain Whitmer, 
with one lieutenant and thirty men, was ordered into active service' as 
commandant of the post at Richmond. Marauders began to infest the 
country, troubles thickened and raids became frequent. Early in July 
Captain Whitmer received information that some three hundred mejn, 
under Thrailkill, had engaged and defeated a battalion of Colorado troops 
near Fredricksburg, fourteen miles west of Richmond. He issued orders 
immediately, calling on all good citizens who were willing to aid in the 
defense of their homes, to report to his headquarters at once, wdth such 
arms as they could command; at the same time, he sent a message to Col. 
McFerren, commanding post at Lexington, to send reinforcements at once, 
that, although his force was small he intended to fight, but not to surren- 
der. In the evening Captain Colly arrived with his command. The citi- 
zen force was stationed on and about the college grounds, while the sol- 
diers on duty, were placed to guard the approaches from without. Thrail- 
kill, however, nearing the city, avoided it by turning north, and made a 
raid through Caldwell county. From that onward, till the fall of the 
notorious Bill Andersou, in 1864, near Albany, Ray county, the cloud of 
war lowered, hanging dark and gloomily over all this part of the state. 
In order to make the citizen force more efficient, Captain Whitmer organ- 
ized them into a company of home guards, under command of Captain C. 
T. Garner. 

Captain Whitmer and the various companies of his regiment were 
generally engaged in the field, on scouts and often in pursuit or in contact 
with raiders, until they were honorably discharged in November, 1864. 
During all this period Captain Whitmer was circuit attorney, and had 
leave of absence when necessary to attend the courts and look after the 
prosecution of criminals. After the war — in March, 1867 — a common 
pleas court being established in Ray county. Judge Whitmer was com- 
missioned as judge thereof, and served till the next general election, in 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 533 

1868, when he was re-elected, receiving the largest vote of any candidate 
on the ticket, except the vote for Grant. Judge Whitmer concluded his 
term as judge of this court, which had probate, as well as common law 
and equity jurisdiction, with a complete index to the probate records from 
the beginning. After the expiration of his term of service upon the bench, 
Judge Whitmer again devoted himself to the practice of law. During all 
this time he has been a citizen of Richmond, Missouri. Though frequently 
solicited, he refused to run for any political position other than city offices; 
and although a Mason and Past High Priest of Royal Arch Chapter, A. 
F. & A. M., has always opposed all secret political organizations as dan- 
gerous to the liberties of the people. April 20, 1859, he was married, by 
Elder James A. Garfield, now president of the United States, to Miss 
Vashti Whitmer, daughter of Peter Whitmer, deceased. She is a lad}^ of 
culture and refinement, and together with her husband, enjoys the confi- 
dence of her numerous friends. They have no children living. Judge 
Whitmer ranks high as a lawyer, and is in the prime and vigor of man- 
hood. 

THOMAS D. WOODSON. 

It is not alone among military heroes; nor in the cabinet; nor among 
the luminaries of literature, of science, or of art, that we are to look for 
great and good men. There is another and larger class of citizens, not 
so dazzling, to be sure — whose fame, indeed, is circumscribed; who have 
never been renowned for achievements in war, nor for eloquence, great 
learning, or statesmanship, but who are, nevertheless, entitled to grateful 
recognition for the parts they have taken in sustaining society, religion, 
and the economy of government, who are really more useful to the . 
world than many of those whose fame has extended far and wide. Such 
men, we mean, as quietly pursue the various necessary vocations of life ; 
who live honorably, discharge the duties of citizenship, and by liberality, 
christian deportment, and individual effort contribute to the happiness of 
all. Thomas D. Woodson, son of Robert S. and Hulda Ann (Young) 
Woodson, was born in Woodsonville, Hart county, Kentucky, March 
10th, 1828. His father was born in Goochland county, Virginia, Novem- 
ber 26th, 1796, and moved with his parents to the present site of Wood- 
sonville, then in Barren county, Kentucky, in 1804. His grandfather, 
Thomas Woodson, was born in Goochland county, Virginia, on the River 
James, twenty miles above the cit}^ of Richmond, December 2d, 1772, 
and died in Woodsonville, February 14th, 1857. His grandmother, also a 
native Virginian, born May 2d, 1776, died in the same village, July 21st, 
1844. His mother was born January 14th, 1801, in Rockingham county, 
Virginia, and is still (1881) living, and resides with the subject of this 
sketch in Richmond, Missouri. His great grandfather, Matthew Wood- 



534 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

son, was born in 1731, and married Elizabeth Levilian, only child 
of John Peter Levilian. His maternal crreat grandfather, Jesse 
Saunders, married Mary, onh' child of Anthony Levilian. His 
paternal great grand parents, grand parents, and his father 
were Old School Baptists. This faith, extending back to John 
Peter Levilian, making the fourth generation, reminds one of the faith of 
Paul and also of Timothy, which extended backward to the third or 
fourth generation. The parents of our subject had nine children, three of 
whom died in infancy. The rest are as follows, arranged with respect to 
their ages: Jane Ann, who married John H. Ardinger, Esq., a merchant 
of Woodsonville, Kentucky, who subsequently moved to Lexington, 
Missouri, where he was a prominent citizen a number of years; he is now 
living in Texas; Philip J.; Martha A., who became the wife of the late 
Governor Austin A. King, of Missouri; the subject of this sketch; Eliza- 
beth Levilian, wife of Shelby A. Jackson, M. D., of Ohio county, Ken- 
tucky, and Robert Hyde, who joined the Confederate army at the com- 
mencement of the civil war, and receiving a wound at the battle of 
Champion Hills, Mississippi, fell into the hands of the enemy and died. 
His grandfather Thomas was the founder of Woodsonville, once a bright 
and attractive village, situated on a high plateau, overlooking the sur- 
rounding country, on the south bank of Green river, in Hart county, Ken- 
tucky. Thomas D. Woodson was a soldier in the war against Mexico. 
He volunteered in 1847, joining the 4th Kentucky infantr}^ and -served 
till the close of the war, in the company of which, at first, Pat Gardner and 
afterwards Thomas Mayfield, was captain. At the close of the Mexican 
war, he came to Missouri and located at Kingston, in Caldwell county, 
where he engaged in the mercantile business. He remained in Kingston 
until in the spring of 1852, when he crossed the plains, with a train of ox 
wagons, to California. Continuing in California till January, 1854, he re- 
turned to his home in Missouri, and pursued his former vocation at King- 
ston till in 1863, when he removed to Richmond, Ra}- county, where he 
resumed merchandising, and conducted a store till the fall of 1878, at 
which time he closed out to Messrs. Holt & Hughes. In 1868, he par- 
ticipated in the organization of the Ray County Savings Bank, and was 
chosen its vice-president. He held this position till he disposed of his 
mercantile house, as above stated, when he turned his attention to 
banking exclusively. In 1879 he was elected president of the Ray 
County Savings Bank, and still holds that position. Mr. Woodson has 
also been extensively engaged in dealing in live stock, farming, etc. He 
owns several well improved and fertile farms in Ray and adjoining coun- 
ties. He was married December 5, 1854, to Miss Sabina L. Hughes, a 
native of Clark county, Kentucky. They have three children living, viz. 
Lydia Annie, born September 27, 1855; Harrie Philip, born March 23, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 585 

1859, and Virginia Elizabeth, born September 11, 1870. Mrs. Woodson 
was a refined and amiable lady, but she is not now among the living — 
having died April 11, 1871. Mr. Woodson is a devout and consistant 
member of the M. E. Church South.. His name is untarnished; his 
friends are legion ; and his hfe not in vain. 

PHILIP J. WOODSON. 

The subject of this sketch, a brother of Thomas D. Woodson, was 
born in Woodsonville, Kentucky, January 6, 1823. In the spring of 1849 
he went across the plains to California, spending five months on the way. 
He passed about twelve years in the mining districts of California, most 
of the time engaged in mining, in which he was quite successful. In the 
spring of 1861 he returned by the overland stage route, traversing Lower 
California, Arizona, and Texas, and traveling 2,800 miles in twenty-three 
days, reaching his home in Kentucky in May. In the spring of 1863 he 
returned to California, and remained one year, looking after his mining 
interests. In 1865 Mr. Woodson located permanently in Richmond, Mis- 
souri, where he is now a respected citizen. He was engaged in mer- 
chandizing in Richmond, in partnership with his brother, T. D. Woodson, 
Esq., until 1878, when they sold out their stock of goods, and since that 
time our subject has not been actively engaged in business on account of 
ill health. He is the owner of a fine farm, containing about five hundred 
acres, as well as some valuable city property. He was married October 
25, 1865, to Miss Hallie J. Jackson, a most accomplished lady, of Bow- 
ling Green, Kentucky. He is a member of the regular Baptist Church, 
while his wife is united with the M. E. Church South. For genealogy of 
Mr. Woodson reference is made to the biographical sketch of his brother, 
Thomas D. Woodson, Esq. 

JOHN C. BROWN. 

John C. Brown was born near Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, Janu- 
ary 29, A. D. 1835. His father, WiUiam, was born in Rutherford county, 
Tennessee, October 6, 1809, and was raised and educated in the county 
of his nativity, and emigrated to Missouri with his parents in 1829, living 
on a farm during his life. He was a Baptist of the old school type; never 
desired office at the hands of the people, but has been content to five the 
life of a farmer, and a Christian gentleman. He was married to Miss 
Sarah J. Ralph, in 1832. She was born in Guilford county, North Caro- 
lina, January 6, 1813, and came with her parents to Ray county, at an early 
day. By the marriage of William Brown to Miss Ralph, there were born 
seven children, one of whom died in infancy; James H. went to Oregon, 
and died there in 1873; Mary F. died at sixteen years of age; Isaac R. 



536 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

resides in Carrollton, Missouri, and is clerk of the circuit court in the 
seventeenth judicial district; Charles W., salesman with McWilliams, 
Crooke & Co., wholesale hats and caps; Jennie, married to Samuel V. 
Endsley, of Ray county. John C. the subject of this sketch, was raised 
on a farm, and finished his course of study at Carrollton, Missouri, in 
1856, acquiring a good English education and some knowledge of the 
Latin. He left school, and followed teaching in Carroll, Saline and Ray 
counties, always giving satisfaction as a teacher. In April, 1857, he was 
employed as salesman in the store of Messrs. Hill & Ely, of Carrollton, 
Missouri, and left in the spring of 1861, with the confidence and approval 
of his employers; went to farming and dealing in stock till 1872. In 
November, 1872, he was elected sheriff' of Ray county, and having filled 
the office to the satisfaction of the people, was in November, 1874, 
re-elected by an increased majority, receiving the largest vote cast for 
any candidate at that election. At the end of his second term, December, 
1876, he retired from the office of sheriff, and commenced the practice of 
law in partnership with Judge Wm. A. Donaldson, having been admitted 
to the bar in February, 1877. He was married September 27, 1860, to 
Miss Hattie A. George, of Caldwell county, Missouri, who is a native of 
Anderson county, Kentucky, and was born November 22, 1842; and emi- 
grated to Caldwell county with her father, David George,, and died 
August 24, 1872. To this union were born six children, one of whom 
died in infancy. Of the others, Wm. D. was born July2 7, 1861; Eugenie, 
August 5, 1864; Anna Bell, March 4, 1866; John Dudley, January 23, 
1868, and Charles Oscar, April 29, 1871. On May 6, 1874, Mr. Brown 
was married to his second wife, Miss Olive E., daughter of Felix G. 
Miller, Esq., of Ray county, born November 2, 1851. With his father's 
consent, Mr. Brown left home when seventeen years of age, and without 
means, principally educated himself, as his parents were unable to give 
him much pecuniary aid. He attributes his success to the prompt man- 
ner in which he always met each and every engagement. Through life 
he has made it his determined aim to come promptly to time, thus proving 
the truth of the adage, " punctuality is the soul of business success. " Mr. 
Brown is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a Royal Arch Mason ; 
he is also a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, and contributes 
liberally to the building of churches, and to the support of the ministry. 
In politics he is an unswerving democrat, and has been so from his early 
manhood. He is at present engaged in the mercantile business in Rich- 
mond, where he is respected and esteemed by every one. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 537 

GEORGE I. WASSON. 

George I. Wasson was born September 19, 1819, in Wilson county, 
Tennessee, where he lived, assisting his father on the farrri, till he was 
twenty-one years of age. In 1840, he moved from Tennessee to Mis- 
souri, and located in Richmond, Ray county, a stranger, young, without 
friends, without money, and with no resource, save his indomitable energy, 
pluck, perseverance, and habits of sobriety and economy. The young 
Tennesseean was not long in making "troops of friends;" his affability, 
good nature, and generous, obliging disposition, soon gained for him the 
esteem of all around him, and he was not long in finding employment, at 
once congenial, responsible and remunerative. Shortly after his arrival, 
he was appointed deputy sheriff of Ray county, and after holding this 
position, discharging its duties with credit to himself and to the entire 
satisfaction of his principal and the people, he entered a dry goods store 
as clerk, and continued this occupation about two years. He was then 
elected constable of Richmond township, and held the office continuously 
till the year 1846, when, appreciating his steady habits, honesty, capacity 
and fidelity, the people elected him to the responsible office of sheriff of 
the county; and at the close of his term, two years afterward, chose him 
as his own successor. 

In 1849, in connection with Joseph S. Hughes, he opened a dry goods 
store. He continued in this business, meanwhile conducting a fine farm 
of six hundred acres, near Richmond, and dealing extensively in leaf 

tobacco, till in 1866. In he was elected president of the branch of 

Union Bank of Missouri, located in Richmond, and served with efficiency 
in this capacity till 1865, in which year he embarked in the private bank- 
ing business. He continued in this business about twelve years, or until 
187T, when he sold out, and engaged in the leaf tobacco trade, packing,, 
pressing, and shipping, in which he was quite successful; but after about: 
one year he resumed the mercantile business. In September, 1879, he 
exchanged his store for the hotel formerly known as the Shaw house, 
which same he has changed to Wasson house. Mr. Wasson is now 
owner and proprietor of the Wasson house, which he has greatly 
improved. He is a man of great versatility, of strong natural ccmmon 
sense, quick to comprehend, and of far-seeing sagacity. Knowingly, he 
never wounds the feelings of any man ; he is ever the friend of public 
enterprise, of education, and of whatever he believes to be conducive to 
the good of his friends, of the town in which he lives, or of his countv. 
In whatever department of industry he is engaged, he is the same genial, 
courteous, and accommodating gentleman, of generous impulses, warm- 
hearted, sympathetic, and kind — hundreds of his fellow-citizens, less fortu- 
nate than himself, are indebted to him for deeds of charity. In 18 — he 
34 



538 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

was elected a director of the branch of the Union Bank of Missouri, 
located at Lexington, Missouri, and in 1868 he was elected a director 
of the Union National Bank, of St. Louis, and remained an officer thereof till 
1874, at which time the bank having failed, he was appointed to wind up 
its business. October 22, 1842, George I. Wasson was married to Miss 
Angeline B. Child, a native of Madison county, New York. Mrs. Was- 
son is a refined and intelligent lady, amiable, benevolent, and affectionate, 
and much of the success attained by her husband is due to her cheerful 
disposition, good judgment, and womanly virtues. They have had two 
children, but both of them died in infancy. George I. has been one of 
the most active, energetic, and enterprising business men Ray county 
ever had, and no individual has done more for its advancement, or is now 
more closely identified with the county, in all that pertains to its pros- 
perity, wealth, and development. 

CHRISTOPHER T. GARNER. 

Christopher Trigg Garner, son of Colonel Jesse W. and Docia (Trigg) 
Garner, was born March 25, 1825, in Fayette, Howard county, Missouri. 
Colonel Jesse W. Garner, a native of Virginia, was born in Northumber- 
land county in 1791, and when a boy removed to Winchester, Clark 
county, Kentucky. He married Docia Trigg January 15, 1810. In 1819 
he moved to Missouri, and settled in Old Franklin, Howard county. 
About a year afterward he removed to Fayette, and from 1820 to 1841 
lived in that town and in the vicinity thereof. In the year last mentioned 
he moved to Ray county, and in 1848 to near Liberty, Clay county, 
where, in June, 1850, he died. He was one of the Missouri pioneers, a 
carpenter by trade, and built the first court house and college buildings 
at Fayette. He was a leading Mason, and was present at the organiza- 
tion of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Missouri. He was a man of integ- 
rity of character, decision, energy and enterprise, good judgment, and 
strong, practical, common sense, highly esteemed and universally 
respected, kind and affectionate in his family relations, generous and phil- 
anthropic. Docia Garner was the daughter of Gen. Stephen Trigg, and was 
born January 21, 1782, in Bedford county, Virginia. She was a descend- 
ant of the Trigg family that emigrated from England and settled in Spott- 
sylvania county, Virginia, the sons of which distinguished themselves as 
soldiers in the revolutionary war, in the war of 1812, and in the Indian 
wars of a later period. They were in the siege of Yorktown, the battle of 
King's Mountain, and in the Indian battle at the Blue Licks, Kentucky. 
C. T. Garner, the subject of this sketch, until he attained his majority, 
worked at daily labor for his father, attending school irregularly, for short 
intervals, in the log school-houses of that day. His education was 
obtained mainly by his own exertion. He taught school about a year, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 539 

« 

then went into a store as clerk for a few months. Desirincr to study the 
law, he entered the law office of Honorable George W. Dunn, of Rich- 
mond, Missouri, in IS-iS, and read law coiitinuously for nearly three years. 
In May, 1848, he received license to practice his profession from Judge 
Austin A. King, afterward governor of Missouri. The judge, on hand- 
ing him his license, advised him to locate permanently at Richmond and 
engage in the practice of his profession. He yielded to the suggestion 
with great reluctance, as the bar of Richmond was then composed of 
such eminent lawyers as Philip L. Edwards, George W. Dunn, Ephraim 
B. Ewing, Charles E. Bowman, Mordecai Oliver, and E. A. Lewis. 
Without any money, library books, or office furniture, he was allowed 
the privilege of occupying a table in a drug store for his office ; a copy of 
the revised statutes of Missouri, kindly lent him by a friend, was the 
extent of his library. The first earnings of his profession were applied 
to paying his legal preceptor for board and instruction while studying his 
profession. Afterward he purchased such books as his limited means 
would allow. Sympathizing friends gathered around him, and his pros- 
pects for a living practice began to brighten. He soon acquired a remun- 
erative practice, which he has retained at the same bar for a period of 
thirty-two years. He has traveled his own circuit and practiced in the 
courts of ten counties. On the 5th day of November, 1850, in Callaway 
county, Missouri, he was married to Miss Efizabeth B. Mosby, an estima- 
ble and accomplished lady, the daughter of Major James Mosby. Mr. 
Garner was a whig. His judicial circuit, during the existence of that 
party, was composed of the counties of Ray, Clay, Carroll, Clinton, De 
Kalb, Harrison, Daviess, and Caldwell, which were then, by a large 
majority, democratic in politics. In 1852 he became a candidate for cir- 
cuit attorney, and was elected by a handsome majority over his opponent, 
who was a good lawyer, a popular man, and a democrat. He discharged 
the duties of the office until the expiration of his term, in 1856, with suc- 
cess and ability, when he declined a candidacy for re-election. In his 
prosecution he met such distinguished lawyers as Colonel A. W. Doni- 
phan, Colonel James H. Moss, Governor Willard P. Hall, and Honorable 
H. M. Vories. Mr. Garner was chosen to draw up the charter for the 
city of Richmond and secure its incorporation. In 1858 he advocated, by 
a thorough and energetic canvass, the proposition submitted to the people 
of his county for voting $200,000 to aid in building a railroad through the 
county. In 1861 he was strongly and decidedly for the Union, doing all 
he could to resist the wave of secession, which threatened to involve his 
native state in civil war. With unfaltering firmness he remained loyal to 
the government until the end of that memorable struggle. In 1864 he 
organized a company for the purpose of defending the town and people 
against the depredations of bushwhackers, by whom they were threat- 



540 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY.^ 

ened. In 1862 he was elected a member of the general assembly from 
Ray county, and became a wise, prudent legislator, a prominent leader of 
the conservative element of that body, and exerted a propitious influence 
over its deliberations. In 1866 he assisted in procuring the stock and 
organizing the K.ay County Savings Bank, was elected a director, and 
has been annually re-elected to the present time. Upon the organization 
of the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Railroad Company and the St. 
Joseph & St. Louis Railroad Company, he was retained as one of their 
attorneys, and is still so employed. There is not a public enterprise in 
his section to which he has not contributed by his talents and influence, 
having been, and still being, a liberal contributor to the building of 
churches and institutions of learning, and to the support of churches, 
schools, and all movements for the public good. Though not a member 
of any church, his life has been exemplary, temperate, and moral. He is 
a Mason, but belongs to no other charitable organization. He is identi- 
fied with the democratic party, though originally a strong whig. Mr. 
Garner has an interesting family of seven children: James W., Chris- 
topher T., Jr., Elizabeth B., William H., Sarah J., Mary V., and Jessie 
C. His three eldest children are well educated, being graduates of Rich- 
mond College. His wife, Elizabeth B., was born Febiuar}- 6, 1832, in 
Callaway county, Missouri, and is a most excellent Christian lady, having 
united with the Christian Church before her marriage. 

JAMES W. BLACK. 

James Witherspoon Black, son of Rev. James Black and Nancy (Mc- 
Murran) Black, was born in Jefferson county, Virginia, about seven miles 
from Harper's Ferry, January, 8th, 1828. His father was born in Adams 
county, Pennsylvania, in 1777. He was a highly educated gentleman, 
being a graduate of Washington College, Washington county, Tennessee. 
He is well known in the annals of the Presbyterian Church, having been 
a devoted, faithful minister of that church for more than fifty years. His 
labors extended over a wide field, embracing in their limits the states of 
Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. He married 
Miss Nancy McMurran, of Shepherdstown, Jefferson county, Virginia, in 
1820. After a long, useful, and active life, he died at his home in Shep- 
herdstown, Virginia, in the eight3'-fourth year of his age. Colonel 
Black's mother was born in Shepherdstown, Virginia, in 1792. She was 
the daughter of Mr. Joseph McMurran, a native of the County of Down, 
Ireland, who emigrated to Jefferson county, Virginia, at an early day. 
He married a Miss Lowrie, of Virginia, who survived him many years. 
Colonel Black's mother, after the death of his father, continued to live in 
Shepherdstown till in 1863, when she removed to Richmond, Missouri, 
and lived with her son, Joseph E. Black, until her death, March 16, 1869. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 541 

The subject of this sketch received a portion of his early education in 
his native county. On the removal of his parents to Cambridge, Guern- 
sey county, Ohio, in the spring of 1837, he was entered a student at Cam- 
bridge Academy, and made some progress in the branches pertaining to 
an English education. He afterwards attended for a short time a select 
school in Belmont county, Ohio. In 1811, his parents moved from Ohio 
to Washington county, Pennsylvania; thence, in 1815, to Somerset count}^, 
same state ; and finally returned to JefTerson county, Virginia. In the fall 
of 1846, he entered, as a student, Washington College, Washington 
county, Pennsylvania, and there commenced the prosecution of his 
classical studies. While at this institution he gave preference to the 
Washington Literary Societ3\ Hon. James G. Blaine, now secretary of 
state of the United States, and Hon. James H. Hopkins, democratic 
member of congress from Pennsylvania, in 1876, were students at Wash- 
ington College at the time our subject attended that school. On leaving 
Washington College in 1847, he pursued his classical studies under the 
tutilage of Prof. Joseph J. Stutzman, of Somerset, Pennsylvania. His 
course of classical studies wath Prof. Stutzman embraced Latin, Greek 
and German. In 1848, he began the study of law in the office of Messrs. 
Cox & Stutzman, of Somerset, and was admitted to the bar on motion of 
Colonel J. R. Edie, February 5, 1851, after a rigid examination by a 
sworn committee, appointed by Hon. Jeremiah S. Black, then on the 
bench. Judge Black presided over the committee on examination, and 
took an active part in propounding questions to the young applicants. 
On receiving his license as an attorney, young Black returned to his home 
in Virginia, first visiting, however, a number of the eastern cities, and 
spending some days in Washington City, where he visited the capitol 
while congress was in session, and had the pleasure of seeing and hearing 
in debate such illustrious statesmen as Clay, Cass, Corwin, Chase, Ben- 
ton, Butler, Douglas, Davis, (Jefferson) Hale, Houston, Foote, Soule^ and 
Seward. After receiving license to practice his profession, he remained 
at home but a short time, till he left for the great west, his destination 
being St. Paul, Minnesota. After a long trip, mainly by steamboat, he 
reached that city about the 10th of April, 1851, and was cordially received 
by Hon. Alexander, governor of the territory. St. Paul, at that time, 
was a small place, and for a great portion of the year cut oft' from the 
pleasures of the more civilized country farther southward. The prospect 
of acquiring a lucrative practice in St. Paul was not very encouraging 
hence he concluded to return to St. Louis, and decide there upon some 
other point at which to establish himself in the practice of his profession. 
After remaining in St. Louis a short time, he concluded to go to western 
Missouri, and took passage on the steamboat Isabel, for Independence, 
having with him a young friend named George S. Hupp, who had accom- 



542 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

panied him from St, Paul. Meeting on the boat Dr. Thomas King, a 
member of the legislature from Ray county, they were induced by that 
gentleman to visit Richmond, in Ray county. They arrived at Richmond, 
May 7, 1851, and being pleased with the country, concluded to remain, 
and formed a co-partnership for the practice of the law. The following 
August, however, Mr. Hupp was summoned home and Mr. Black con- 
tinued the practice alone till October, following, when he engaged as 
teacher in the Richmond Academy. The next spring he established the 
Richmond Herald^ mentioned elsewhere in this volume. In 1852, he sold 
the Herald and resumed the practice of law, and continued it till the 
spring of 1853, when he established a school at Liberty school district in 
Ray countv. He followed teaching at Liberty, Wakanda and Camden, 
until the commencement of the civil war. The fall of the year 1855, 
however, was spent in traveling through the eastern states. On the 
organization of the militia in Ray county, in July, 1862, he was appointed 
enrolling officer of Ray county, and after enrolling the militia of the 
county was appointed by General Loan, mustering officer, and organized 
and mustered into service ten companies of militia, which formed the 
51st regiment of Missouri enrolled militia, and in October, 1862, he was 
commissioned by Governor Gamble lieutenant colonel of this regiment. 
In December, 1862, he was appointed by General Vaughan, commander 
of the military post of Richmond, Missouri, with full command of all the 
military forces in the county, which position he held till the spring of 
1863. While in command of the 51st regiment, he frequently performed 
active service in Ray, Lafayette, Jackson and other counties of western 
Missouri. 

In 1863, as provost marshal of Ray, he enrolled the county, agreeably 
to the conscription act. In 1864 he was elected, on* the democratic ticket, 
to represent Ray, in the general assembly, and served in that body from 
18^ to 1866. In the summer of 1866, he was one of the delegates from 
the sixth congressional district of Missouri, to the democratic national 
convention at Philadelphia; and was, also, one of the delegation that 
called on President Andrew Johnson, after the adjournment of the con- 
vention, Hon. Reverdy Johnson being chairman of the delegation and 
delivering the address to the President at the White House. In 1866 he 
received the appointment of United States revenue collector for the sixth 
district of Missouri, from President Johnson. His headquarters were St. 
Joseph. In January, 1867, he made a tour of inspection of the entire 
sixth revenue district, by order of the revenue department, and made a 
full and complete report of all the distilleries in the district. On making 
such report he received a very complimentary letter from the commis- 
sioner o( internal revenue, and was by that officer strongly recom- 
mended to the United States senate for confirmation. He was, on Feb- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 543 

ruary 26, 1867, unanimously confirmed by the senate collector of the 
sixth district, on motion of Senator B. Gratz Brown, of Missouri. In 
1868 he again resumed the practice of law in Richmond, entering into 
co-partnership with his brother. Judge J. E. Black. In 1870 he was 
elected, as a democrat, mayor of the city of Richmond. He has served as 
member of the city council five years, having been first elected in 1874. In 
the fall of 1876, he was appointed mayor of Richmond by the city council. 
Vice William S. Seymour, resigned, and served till April, 1877. He has 
been a director of Richmond College since 1879; and since the fall of 
that year president of the board of directors. Colonel Black strongly 
opposed secession, and was a firm advocate of the Union. He deplored 
the necessity of civil war, clearly foreseeing its desolating results; yet 
he was of the opinion that secession was wrong, and if successfully 
accomplished would weaken and ultimately ruin a nation, which, united^ 
is the most prosperous and powerful on the globe; hence, he was for 
maintaining the Union, even at the cost of internecine conflict. While in 
the general assembly during the winter of 1865-66, a bill was introduced 
by the member from Caldwell, for the purpose of changing the northern 
boundary of Ray county, and depriving it of all the land in townships 
fifty-four, commonly known as the " six mile strip." The bill, through the 
exertions of himself and his colleague, Hon. John Grimes, was defeated. 
In 1872, he was secretary of the democratic central committee and in the 
fall of that year, received the support of the Ray county delegates for con- 
gress. Colonel Black has been married three times. His first marriage 
was with Miss Joey H. Nisbet, of Rav county, a native of Armagh county, 
Ireland, May 28, 1857. His first wife, who was a lady of exceeding 
grace, culture and refinement, died October 3, 1860. June 1'5, 1863, he 
married Miss Florence E. Menefee, of Booneville, Missouri, an accom- 
plished lady, who died January 29, 1866. His third marriage, October 
15, 1874, was with Miss Sue T. Child, of Richmond, a native of Phila- 
delphia, but for several years a resident of Richmond, Virginia. She 
was in the latter city most of the time, while it was beleaguered by the 
Federal forces. In 1864, she succeeded in getting through the lines, and 
passing up the valley of Virginia, via Winchester and Martinsburg, 
reached Philadelphia in March, 1864. She is a sister of Hon. Jacob 
T. Child, editor of the Richmond Conservator^ and is an intelligent, amia- 
ble and affectionate lady, attractive in person, and refined in manners. 
Colonel Black has two children living, issue of his first marriage, viz: 
James Black, a promising young man in his twenty-first year, who has 
recently graduated first in class — of which he was chosen valedictorian — 
from the State University, at Columbia, Missouri; and Mary G. O. 
Black, who lives with her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Mait- 
land, of Ray county. The only child of the second marriage, Henry 



544 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Menefee Black, died in 1866. Colonel Black is a member of the Pres- 
byterian Church. James W. Black has had a somewhat varied experi- 
■ence in life, but in ev^ery way an upright, useful and honorable one. Him-- 
self a ripe scholar, a warm-hearted, public spirited gentleman, he has 
ever been the active, ardent and faithful friend of education, religion, and 
of every enterprise looking to the betterment of his friends and neigh- 
bors, or to the promotion of the general welfare. 

DAVID H. QUESENBERRY. 

A native of Virginia, born in Fauquier county, December 20, 1805. In 
his infancy, his parents moved to Barren count}^, Kentucky, of course, 
taking him with them. In 1834 Mr. Quesenberry removed to Lafay- 
ette county, Missouri, and the following year to Richmond, Ray county, 
where he has ever since resided. He has lived in Richmond more than 
forty-six years, continuously, and has been a resident of the town longer 
than any other person now living. Mr. Quesenberry has long enjoyed 
the respect, confidence, and esteem of his fellow-citizens. He was six 
years deputy clerk of the county court of Ray county; for about three 
years postmaster of Richmond, and filled the office of justice of the peace 
over twenty-five years. He was married October 9, 1828, to Miss 
Lucinda Warder, of Barren county, Kentucky. They were neighbors 
from infancy. They have only one child living, Mary Ann, born July 28, 
1829, in Barren county, Kentucky, who became the wife of the late Hon- 
orable Aaron H. Conrow, of Richmond. John Zacheus, born July 4, 
1836, died in infancy. He and his wife are members of the M. E. Church 
South, and are consistent, exemplary Christians. Their earthly labors 
must soon have ceased, but they will continue to live in the hearts of a 
host of friends. 

BENJAMIN J. BROWN. 

Benjamin Johnson Brown was born in Franklin county, Kentucky, 
December 9, 1807. He lived in that state till about the age of twenty- 
five, and then, in 1832, moved to Missouri, and settled in Ray county, of 
which he was one of the pioneers. When he reached Richmond there 
were onl}^ three or four houses in the town, and the county was sparsely 
settled. He was here to encounter the inconveniences and hardships of 
pioneer life, and lived to enjoy the comforts, growth, and development of 
the county in after years. To this improvement no man contributed more 
than the subject of this sketch. Always enterprising and liberal, of an 
open, generous disposition, and a warm heart, he was ever ready to aid in 
all enterprises calculated to benefit his town, county, or state. He gath- 
ered rapidly and gave with a liberal hand, and was never known to turn 
his back upon any meritorious enterprise or object. There were but few 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 545 

men who shared so larjrely the confidence of the people. He was four 
different times elected by the people of his county to the office of sheriff" — 
twice without opposition. He was also twice elected to the office of state 
senator from his district, and was president of the senate at the time of 
his death. These and many other positions of public trust were bestowed 
upon him by his fellow-citizens, the duties of all which he discharged with 
promptness and fidelity. At the outbreaking of the civil war, Colonel 
Brown espoused the cause of the south, and became a gallant soldier in 
the Confederate army. He ranked as colonel, and commanded a regi- 
ment at the battle of Springfield, Missouri, in which he lost his life, 
August 10, 1861, while leading a charge upon one of the columns of the 
enemy. From the position of the enemy the charge was, of necessity, 
somewhat protracted, and when killed. Colonel Brown was some thirty 
yards in advance of his forces, making observations with a view to 
triumphant onslaught. At the time of his death he was a member of the 
Christian Church at Richmond. Colonel Brown was twice married. 
The first time to a Mrs Moon, of Richmond, Missouri, by whom he had 
five children, as follows: Thomas J., of Gallatin, Missouri; Mariah F., 
wife of James S. De Masters, of Richmond;Susan J., of Waverly, Missouri; 
Ro Ann, wife of James P. Kiger, of Richmond, and Alice J., wife of B. 
F. McrCord, of Waverl}', Missouri. His second marriage, December 1.5, 
1845, was with Miss Mary Ann White, who was born August 28, 1825, 
in Scott county, Kentucky. About the year 1840, she moved with her 
mother (her father, David B. White, having died in Kentucky), to Clay 
county, Missouri, and subsequently settled permanently in Richmond, 
where her marriage with Colonel Brown was solemnized. She survives 
her husband, and with her son, Walter W. Brown, is keeping house in 
Richmond, at her beautiful home in the northern part of the city. The 
issue of Colonel Brown's second marriage is seven children, two of whom 
are deceased. The living are: Mary L., wife of Wesley Allison, of 
Lawson, Ray county; William T., of Lawson; Benjamin J., Walter W. 
and Emily Oliver, wife of Rev. James Elmore Dunn, of Plattsburg, 
Missouri. Walter W. Brown, who lives with his mother, was born May 
26, 1858, in Ray county. He received his education at Richmond College. 
When seventeen years of age he engaged with J. W. Harrison, of Rich- 
mond, Missouri, to learn the trade of harnessmaker. After working with 
Mr. Harrison about five years, he accepted a situation with Dan T. Duval, 
of Richmond, with whom he is yet engaged. Mr. Brown is a skilled 
workman, devoting most of his time to fine work, for doing which he has 
an excellent reputation. He is a sensible, sober, industrious young man, 
and his success in life is assured. 



540 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ADAM J. BARR. 

Adam Johnston Barr was born July 4, 1828, in Bethlehem, Northamp- 
ton county, Pennsylvania. His father, James Barr, came from near 
Glasgow, Scotland, to America, in 1801, and settled in New York City, 
where he lived with his father for some time; then moved to Pennsyl- 
vania, where Adam, the subject of this sketch was born. Colonel Barr 
is a descendant of Scotch parents, of which he is a genuine type. When 
he was about nine years old, his father, with his family, moved to Steu- 
ben county. New York, in which state they resided two years, and then 
returned to Pennsylvania, where for many years he lived with his parents 
upon a farm. "When quite young Adam left home to mark out his own 
destiny. He had no education, save such as he had obtained during the 
winter terms of a country school. After leaving home, however, he 
attended the academy of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and when his money 
gave out, he would teach a term of country school, and then return to his 
studies. After attending the academy for some time in this way, he left 
school and obtained a position as receiving clerk at the Cambria iron 
works, then in process of construction. Having accumulated some means 
he concluded to study medicine and accordingly entered the office of Dr. 
Yeagly, at Johnstown, in the fall of 1849. He attended medical 4ectures 
in Cincinnati, where he graduated in 1852, and then went to Waverly, Pike 
county, Ohio, to commence the practice of his profession. When he 
arrived at Waverly he had but one dollar with which to begin business. 
He soon, however, acquired a good practice, and, before the year closed, 
found that he had a practice that was paying him at the rate of three 
thousand dollars per year. He won great popularity and his success in 
his profession was remarkable. Becoming dissatisfied with the place, 
however, and desiring to seek a home in the west, he left Waverly in the 
fall of 1858, and came to Ray county, Missouri, where he settled and 
practiced his profession. In 1859 Adam J. Barr was married to Miss 
Nannie Jacobs, daughter of Clayton Jacobs, a merchant and an old and 
respected citizen of Ray county. To them were born two children: Leo 
James and Lizzie Theodosia. Here he practiced medicine until the break- 
ing out of the rebellion. Being a strong Union man, and coming as he 
did from Ohio, he was regarded by many as a northern man. During 
the presidential canvass of 1860, he took decided grounds with the Doug- 
las party, and strongly advocated the election of Stephen A. Douglas to 
the presidency, and became somewhat prominent in the canvass as a 
Douglas democrat. The excitement growing out of this election con- 
tinued, and the discussion of its issues engendered strife and deepened the 
prejudice then existing till the country was precipitated into civil war. 
His strong outspoken advocacy of the Union rendered his position, to 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. OiT 

some extent, perilous. While in his office one evening compounding some 
medicine, he was shot at through the window, the bullet passing close to 
his lace and breaking the glass on the shelf in front of which he was 
standing. He was at this time corresponding with the Hon. James H. 
Burch, Sr., who was at Jefferson City attending the state convention. 
The object of these communications was to devise some plan for military 
relief, and to keep the representatives in the state convention properly 
advised as to the condition of this part of the state. Having been 
informed that plots were formed for his assassination, he was compelled 
to escape to the woods, where he remained several days without food or 
shelter. He resolved one night to venture into a lonely cabin surrounded 
by a dense forest, and obtain some nourishment, and, if possible, learn 
something of the military bands in search of him. On approaching the 
cabin everything was quiet, but the door was soon opened to his raps, 
and he found the inmate to be a strong Union man, and learning from him 
the names of the Union men in the neighborhood, he wrote out a call to 
them to meet him in the woods near by, at ten o'clock the following night, 
and bring with them such arms as they could collect, and also bring good 
horses, blankets, etc. To this call twenty-five well armed men came, and 
he was at once chosen their leader. They marched to Cameron, reaching 
that place at daylight the next morning. Here they met Major James, 
with a small organization of militia. From here they went to St. Joseph, 
participating in skirmishes on the way. From St. Joseph, Col. Barr went 
to Chillicothe, Missouri, where he was appointed assistant surgeon, and 
placed in charge of the hospital. The following spring he accompanied a 
detachment of soldiers, under Major A. Allen, to Richmond, Ray county, 
where he remained during the summer, recruiting and reorganizing the 
militia of the count}^, and was commissioned by Governor Gamble, 
colonel of the Ray county (Missouri) militia, who were armed, equipped 
and put into active service. Under his military control the peace of the 
county was soon restored, and citizens of both parties returned to 
their usual vocations of life. In the fall of 1863 the state election was 
held, and he was chosen a representative of the state general assembly 
from Ray county. He served two sessions and took an active part, with 
others, in the reorganization of the state government, supporting all the 
important measures looking toward the restoration of law and quiet. In 
the senatorial contest he voted for John S. Phelps, until he was with- 
drawn; then, as his second choice, for Judge Breckenridge, of St. Louis, 
but the general assembly adjourned without electiong a U. S. senator. 
Upon his return home he canvassed the county, and in public speeches 
advocated the emancipation policy of the general government. He was 
returned to the legislature, full}' endorsed by his constituents, and voted for 
B. Gratz Brown and John B. Henderson for the United States senate. 



54:8 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

In 1864 under the new call of President Lincoln for additional troops, 
he, in connection with Colonel Bradshaw, of St. Joseph, recruited the 44th 
regiment of infantry volunteers. Colonel Bradshaw was commissioned 
colonel, and he lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, and they were mustered 
into service, and at once ordered to Paducah, Kentucky. Upon arriving 
there they found orders and transfers awaiting to take them to Tennes- 
see, to re-inforce General Schofield, who was suffering from General 
Hood's army, which had entered the state, and were en route to Nash- 
ville. They met Schofield's retreating army at Columbia, where they 
were immediately thrown into battle, and from Columbia to Franklin they 
were continually under fire. At Spring Hill thev gallantly led a charge, 
and turned the flanking enemy. At Franklin they were in the hottest of 
the fight, and here, during a charge upon the outer works held by the 
enemy, a large number of the regiment were killed and wounded. Here 
Colonel Bradshaw. early in the fight, was wounded and fell into the 
hands of the enemy. Colonel Barr was now left in command of the regi- 
ment, and fought bravely till the close of the battle, but the Union forces 
retreated to Nashville, where the 44th Missouri was attached to the 16th 
army corps, of General A. J. Smith. Colonel Barr, at the head of his 
regiment, participated in the three days' fight at Nashville, and then, in the 
pursuit of General Hood's army across the mountainous country of Tennes- 
see. They were next taken by transports to Eastport, Mississippi,' where 
Colonel Barr received the news of his election, as a delegate, to represent 
Ray, Clinton, Caldwell, and Carroll counties, in the state constitutional 
convention. He laid the communication before General Smith, who gave 
him leave of absence, and ordered a gun-boat to take him to Cairo, where 
he took the cars for St. Louis. Upon his arrival in that city he took his 
seat in the convention, which had been in session some time, and the ordi- 
nance abolishing slavery had been passed, but by resolution he was 
allowed to record his vote in favor of the emancipation of slavery in Mis- 
souri. He was placed upon some of the most important committees, and 
took a prominent part in the deliberations of the convention, being fre- 
quently called to the chair. At the assembling of the legislature, after 
the adoption of the new constitution, he was elected by that body one of 
the curators of the state university'. He was also, the same year, elected 
clerk of the circuit court of Ray county, and was appointed assistant 
United States assessor of the sixth district of Missouri. When solicited, 
in 1867, to become a candidate for congress, he refused, saying that he 
had no desire for any other office, and besides, his personal friend. Van 
Horn, was a candidate, and he did not wish to be in his way. Subse- 
quently he became a delegate to the congressional convention, which met 
at Liberty, and did much to secure the nomination of Van Horn. He 
was then selected by his friends, as a candidate for lieutenant-governor of 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 549 

the state, but would not allow his name to be used. Having studied law 
Colonel Barr abandoned medicine, and, since the war, has been engaged 
in the practice of the legal profession. He has since, and during the war, 
advocated and supported the policy of the republican party; but he has 
avoided all public participation with either party, preferring the quiet of 
his home to the strife and turmoil of the politician. In religion, as in poli- 
tics, he is liberal in all his views. He believes in the divinity of the Bible, 
but thinks that the popular theology of the day is liable to misconstrue and 
misapply many of its most essential truths; that true religion is like truth, 
analytical, and courts investigation, becoming brighter thereby; but that 
human creeds and theology are synthetic, once torn to pieces, and thor- 
oughly dissected by a scientist, they can never be re-united, and therefore 
engender strife and discord; that true Christianity unites the human 
family in bonds of love and respect, and elevates and ennobles the race. 

WILLIAM WALLACE MOSBY, M. D. 

William Wallace Mosby was born near Georgetown, Scott county, 
Kentucky, June 1st, 1824. His father, James Mosby, was a native of 
Virginia. He was a farmer in moderate circumstances in Kentucky, but 
emigrated t« Mississippi in 1826; remained in that state two years, and in 
1828 moved to Callaway county, Missouri. He was an ardent friend of 
Henry Clay, and a warm advocate of his political views, though he never 
sought preferment at the hands of his party. His mother, Elizabeth 
Robards, was a daughter of Capt. George Robards, a Virginia plaiiter, 
who emigrated to Mercer county, Kentucky, where his daughter, Eliza, 
was born. She was a devoted christian, and was deeply interested in the 
reformation introduced by Alexander Campbell. Her earnest prayers 
and exemplary Christain life were the means by which her husband, 
though after he had passed the meridian of life, was brought into the 
church, of which he remained a consistent member until his death, January 
9, 1871. Her motherlv devotion had a strong influence in moulding the 
character of her children, all of whom became members of the church. 
William W. Mosby received a sound English education, together with a 
pretty thorough knowledge of Latin and Greek, from private schools. 
At the age of eighteen he began the study of medicine, under Dr. Franklin 
Dillard. He attended the medical department of Transylvania Uni- 
versity, in the class of 1844-5, and the Louisville Medical College, in the 
years 1845-6. Up to this time his work had been very arduous. His 
father had a large family, eight children, dependent upon him, and he was 
unable to supply his son with the necessary funds to complete his educa- 
tion. Young Mosby, therefore, worked during the planting and harvest- 
ing season, and attended school in the winter. As soon as he was 
sufficiently advanced to teach school, he followed that avocation, obtaining 



550 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY, 

a sufficient amount to enable him to attend one course of lectures. He 
borrowed money to complete his medical course, and graduated, to find 
himself in debt, and without means. He immediately selected Richmond, 
Ray county, as the field of his fiiture labors, not having, at the time, 
sufficient means to pay for a week's board. He soon after formed a part- 
nership with Dr. Joseph Chew, now of Kansas City, which lasted about 
eighteen months. But he was ambitious to build up a reputation on his 
merits, and withdrew from the partnership to begin what afterward 
became a large and lucrative practice. He subsequently entered into 
partnership with Dr. Henry C. Garner, which lasted from 1866 to 1873. 
Dr. Garner became cashier ot the Ray County Savings Bank, and the 
partnership was dissolved. He has always been able to attend promptly 
to all calls for his professional services, and to this he attributes much of 
his success. He is thoroughly read in his profession, has a large, well 
selected library, and spends much of his leisure time in the study of the 
more modern authors on the theory and practice of medicine and surgery. 
In 1847, he took an interest in a drug store with Marion F. Ball and 
Mordecai Oliver, under the firm name of Marion F. Ball & Co. This 
firm existed for some time, when he purchased the interest of his partners 
and associated his sons with him, and still continues the business in the 
name of W. W. Mosby & Sons. At the beginning of the civil war h-e 
enlisted in the enrolled Missouri militia and was appointed surgeon, serv- 
ing as such two years. When Colonel John C. Hale organized the fourth 
provisional regiment, he was appointed regimental surgeon, with the rank 
of major, and served until 1864, when the regiment was disbanded. In 
the fall of 1862, he was elected to represent his district, embracing the 
counties of Caldwell, Carroll, Clinton and Ray, in the state senate, and 
served four years. While a senator he opposed the bill calling into exis- 
tence the convention that subsequently adopted the Drake constitution, 
and also the test oaths and registration which were so obnoxious to the 
people. In 1876, he was re-elected to the same position, receiving a 
majority of nine hundred over both his opponents. In politics he was a 
whig during the existence of that party, and a strong Union man during 
the war. Since that time he has co-operated with the democratic party. 
He was four years president of the board of education of Richmond Col- 
lege, and has . always been an advocate of whatever would promote the 
educational interests of the country. A warm friend of the temperance 
cause he was a member of the Sons of Temperance only two or three 
months, till he withdrew, believing that the temperance cause should be 
controlled by the "church. He was four years a director in the Union 
Bank of Missouri. He is a member of the Christian Church and has been 
an elder in that body for over thirty years, and superintendent of the Sun- 
day-school (which he assisted in organizing) for twenty-five years. Dr. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 551 

Mosby was married September 29, 1847, to Miss Sarah Catharine Jacobs, 
daughter of Joel Jacobs, deceased, a farmer of Ray county, a native of 
Virginia, who died before the marriage of his daughter. They have had 
six children. The eldest son died suddenly of malignant diphtheria, at the 
age of twenty-two, when he had just finished a thorough study of 
the science of medicine, and was prepared to begin the practice. His 
second son, Charles Archibald, has adopted his father's profession, and is 
associated with him in practice. Charles and John are in charge of the 
drug store. William is conducting a farm. Mar)- Eliza and James 
Edward are at home with their parents. 

JOSEPH E. BLACK. 

Joseph Edwards Black, second son of James and Nancy Black, was 
born in Jefferson county, Virginia (now West Virginia) April 25, 1832. 
When about five years of age, his father and the family removed to Ohio, 
and after residing in that state a number of 3'ears, moved to Pennsylvania, 
where he principally resided till he emigrated to Missouri. On the 16th 
day of March, 1852, Joseph E. Black located in Ray county, Missouri, 
where he has ever since continued to reside. He received his education 
in the common schools of the various places where his parents resided. He 
took a thorough course in mathematics, as well as a general course in the 
branches of an English education, including the natural sciences; and also 
a course in Latin, and a partial course in Greek and German. He is a 
studious, careful reader, and has endeavored by close application, to be- 
come familiar, at least with English literature, and in this particular he has 
met with admirable success; his knowledge of the best British and Ameri- 
can writers — poets, historians and romancists— making him an excedingly 
interesting conversationaHst, and a most agreeable and instructive com- 
panion. He folk)wed the profession of teaching about fifteen years, hav- 
ing taught about ten years in Ray county. He was elected school com- 
missioner of Ray county in 1860, and as teacher, commissioner and pri- 
vate citizen, has devoted a great part of his life to the promotion of educa- 
tional interests. He was admitted to the bar in Richmond, Ray county, 
Missouri, April 20, 1862, and has, excepting one short period of interrup- 
tion, continued in the practice of the law ever since. He has been quite 
successful as an attorney, as well in the United States courts, and the 
supreme court of Missouri, as in the lower courts. He ranks high as a 
lawyer both in point of legal ability and moral worth. He acted with 
the Benton democracy of Missouri until the commencement of the 
civil war, when he joined the republican party, with which he acted until 
1878, when he became a member of the greenback party; and since that 
time he has taken an active part in promulgating the principles and policy 
of this poUtical organization. In addition to the office of school commis- 



552 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

sioner, he filled the office of county attorney for Ray county from Jan- 
uary 1, 1869, to January 1, 1873; and has held other offices of trust. 
In 1870, he was a candidate for representative in the state general as- 
sembly. He served in provisional company C, 51st regiment, E. M. M., 
from the organization of the regiment to September 17, 1864, whenever it 
was called into active service. On the date last mentioned, he was com- 
missioned adjutant of the regiment, to rank from July 5, 1864, and was in 
active service during part of that year. Upon the organization of the state 
militia in 1865 — May 12th — commissioned adjutant of the 1st regiment of 
Missouri militia, and was immediately ordered into active service to assist 
Col. R. S. Moon in organizing the Missouri militia in the third sub-district, 
first militia division of Missouri, including Ray, Clay, Platte and Clinton 
counties. Col. Moon was relieved, and Adjutant Black completed the 
organization, and served till September 30, 1865. He was a contributor 
to the editorial columns of the Richmond Herald^ mentioned elsewhere, 
and has contributed, more or less, to almost every paper published in the 
county. August 21, 1859, Joseph E. Black was married to Miss Mary 
Sabina, daughter of Haden S. Trigg, Esq., a biographical sketch of whom 
will be found elsewhere. Mrs. Black is an amiable, intelligent lady, and 
to her much of the success, and all of the happiness of her husband is due. 
They have had nine children, of whom three sons and a daughter are liv- 
ing, as follows: Joseph E., Jr., Ann A., William W. and Eugene D. His 
property in the city of Richmond, Ray count}^, was in the path of the 
cyclone which utterly destroyed a large portion of the city, June 1, 1878. 
The greater portion of his family was at home, and escaped without 
injury, but his material loss, like that ot many others, was very great. In 
the midst of misfortune and discouragement, and without any available 
means or assistance from the fifteen thousand dollar fund contributed by 
the public for the benefit of sufferers from the cyclone, he managed by 
great exertion to rebuild his residence, and was the first one to return 
with his family to the storm-stricken district. Disdaining to sacrifice prin- 
ciple to a desire for popularity, he has ever been found defending the 
rights of those, of whatever nationality, least qualified by their wealth, in- 
fluence, or power to recompense him for the sacrifices he has made. 
Making duty his guiding star, he is consoled by the reflection that its 
faithful performance will meet with an appropriate reward. While 
occupying prominent public positions, he necessarily took an active part in 
all questions agitating the public mind, and his views have always been 
liberal, and of an advanced character. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 653 

ELIJAH F. ESTEB. 

Elijah F. Esteb was born March 23, 1832, in Wayne county, Indiana. 
He was entered a student at Whitewater College, Centerville, Indiana, and 
at that institution received the greater part of his education. After leav- 
ing school he chose the law as his profession, and entered upon its study 
with ardor and a determination to succeed, if success could be accomplished 
by indefatigable energy, perseverance and economy. He had for his pre- 
ceptors the late Honorable Oliver P. Morton, afterwards a distinguished 
member of the United States senate, and Nimrod Johnson, one of the ablest 
lawyers of his day. Naturally of superior intellect, quick to comprehend, 
with a mind at once synthetic and analytical, it readily grasped the 
abstruse, subtle propositions of the different branches of the law, and his 
progress was easy, rapid, and thorough. In 1852 he was admitted to the 
bar. Having qualified himself for the profession by a severe course of 
reading, under the instruction of the ablest attorneys in the state, he was pre- 
pared to enter at once upon the large and lucrative practice that awaited him 
in Wayne, Union, and neighboring counties. He continued to practice in 
these counties with gratifying success for five years, a most liberal proportion 
of all litigated cases being entrusted to his attention, notwithstanding his con- 
temporaries at the bar were much older, and had alreadv become distin- 
guished in the profession. But like many other young men, he desired to 
seek his fortune in the great west, and in 1857 he left Wayne countv, 
Indiana, and going to the state of Iowa, settled Jn a county of ' the same 
name as the one he had left in Indiana. While a citizen of Iowa he was 
elected by the people to a seat in the upper branch of the state legislature^ 
and filled that position with credit to himself, and to the satisfaction and 
profit of those whom he represented. While in Iowa, he also edited, for 
one year, a paper known as the South Tier Democrat, and in the capacity 
of editor, proved that his versatility of intellect qualified him for other 
fields of mental labor, than the practice of the legal profession, although 
for the latter he was peculiarly fitted, not only by special preparation, but 
by his talents and inclination. In 1864 he moved to Caldwell county, Mis- 
souri, and was, in 1865, appointed circuit attorney for the fifth judicial cir- 
cuit, which office he held till January, 1869. While in that countv he was 
also appointed one of the curators of the state university, at Columbia. In 
1866 Judge Esteb removed to Richmond, Ray county, of which place he 
has ever since been a respected citizen. His ability as a lawyer is 
acknowledged by all who know him, and he is above reproach as a man 
of integrity and excellent moral character. September 10, 1855, Elijah F. 
Esteb was married to Miss Rebecca W. Mills, a native of Ohio. They 
have had two children, one'of whom, Frank L., died at the age of six years; 
the other, Ralph Eugene, born October 24, 1861, lives with his parents, 
35 



554: HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

and is a student at law under the instruction of his father. He is a gradu- 
ate of the Kemper Family School, of Booneville, Missouri. Judge Esteb 
and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Masonic fraternity. 

GEORGE A. STONE. 

George A. Stone, son of George Stone, was born May 23, 1843, in Liv- 
ingston county, Missouri. His father was a native of Virginia, born in 
1798, and died November 3, 1871, in Livingston county, Missouri. In 
1863 Mr. Stone crossed the plains to Idaho territory, where for one year 
he engaged in mining. He spent another year in Utah, Arizona, and Cal- 
ifornia, after which he returned to his home, in Missouri, and resumed his 
former occupation, that of farming. In 1874 he entered into the mercan- 
tile business, and sold goods at Mooresville. The following year he 
shipped his goods to Waxahoochie, Texas, where he remained one year, 
and returned to Missouri, locating at Richmond, in which city he sold 
goods about four years, and at the same time studied law. He was 
admitted a member of the bar in January, 1880, since which date he has 
devoted his time to the practice of the law, and to the real estate business. 
He is a member of the Baptist Church, and so, also, is his wife. He also 
belongs to the Richmond Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He was married 
October 16, 1866, to Miss Mollie Hudgins, of Richmond. She is a native 
of Missouri, and an estimable and accomplished lady. They have four 
children: Irene, born August 5, 1867; Clarence B., born July 10, 1869; 
Karl E., born January 25, 1879; infant girl, born December 6, 1880. 
George A , Stone is a popular, promising attorney, and has the confidence, 
good will, and esteem of the entire community. 

THOMAS N. LAVELOCK. 

Thomas N. Lavelock was born on the first day of the year A. D. 1854, 
in Sangamon county, Illinois, but in his infancy his parents moved to Dal- 
las, Texas. They remained there only a few years, however, and about 
1857 they moved to Richmond, Ray county, Missouri. Mr. Lavelock 
received a thorough literary training at the Richmond College, Rich- 
mond, Missouri, and, in 1878, graduated from the law department of the 
Missouri State University, at Columbia. In July, 1878, he opened a law 
office in Richmond, and entered upon the practice of his profession. In 
1880, in connection with George W. Trigg, he purchased the abstract of 
title records of the late Captain George N. McGee, and since that time 
has devoted part of his attention to the title abstract business. He also 
represents, as agent, several leading American insurance companies. He 
has been quite successful in the practice of the law, and, though young, 
has a large and remunerative business, the result of continued industry, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 555 

sobriety, integrity, and manly deportment. He is urbane, obliging, and 
kind, of benevolent disposition, a true friend, and a warm-hearted, genial 
gentleman. He is not yet in the prime of manhood, and his luture is 
bright with promise. His father, born about the year 1818, was a native 
of Ireland. He emigrated to America, and died in Ray county, in 3 863. 

JAMES D. TAYLOR, M. D. 

James D. Taylor was born in Ray county, Missouri, July 30, 1834. 
His father is David Taylor, a native of Pittsylvania county, Virginia. 
He immigrated to Missouri, and settled in Ray county, in 1833, and is yet 
living, in good health— 

" Hearty and hale is he, an oak that is covered with snowflakes. " 

Dr. Taylor commenced the study of medicine in 1857, in the office of 
Doctors Joseph Chew and G. W. Buchanan, of Richmond. He subse- 
quently attended the St. Louis Medical College, from which he graduated 
with honor, in 1861. After his graduation, he returned to Richmond, and 
entered the practice of the profession, for which, by a thorough course 
of reading, and instruction at the best medical school in Missouri, he 
qualified himself. With the exception of a period of interruption during 
the civil war, he has practiced in Richmond since he graduated. In the 
fall of 1861, he joined the Confederate army, as surgeon of the first 
Missouri cavalry, and served until he was captured at Mt. Vernon, Mis- 
souri, in th^fall of 1862. He was paroled, returned to his home, and did 
not again enter the army, but pursued the practice of his profession. Dr. 
Taylor has always had a lucrative practice. He is skilled, thoroughly 
conversant with the science of medicine in its ever}- branch, prompt, 
attentive, careful and vigilant. James D. Taylor's urbanity and good 
nature are proverbial; he is pleasing in address, polite, courteous, and 
especially attentive to the stranger who bears the impress of a gentleman. 
He was married February 10, 1864 to Fannie E. Duvall, an accomplished, 
and only daughter of Isaac Duvall, a well known and honored citizen of 
Ray county. They have one child living, Carl D., born April 16, 1872. 
Dr. Taylor and wife are members of the Christian Church. He also be- 
longs to the order of A. F. and A. M. He has never sought office or 
preferment at the hands of his fellow-citizens, preferring to discharge the 
duties of his profession, untrammeled by extrinsic affairs. He has, how- 
ever, been mayor of the city of Richmond. 

GEORGE W. TRIGG. 

George W. Trigg is a native of Ray county, Missouri. He was born 
November 30, 1846. His father, Haden S. Trigg, a biographical sketch 
of whose life may be seen elsewhere in this volume, immigrated from 
Tennessee to Missouri at an early day, and settled in Ray county. Here 



556 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V 

George was reared on a farm, in the management of which, when not at 
school, he assisted his father. He received a good education, which he 
has continued to improve by reading and study. In the fall of 1863, he 
moved with his parents to Booneville, Missouri, and in 1864 went to San- 
gamon county, Illinois, where he remained five years, the two last years 
of which time he was engaged in teaching school. In the spring of 1869, 
in company with his father's family, he returned to Ray county, Missouri, 
and was employed for a time in the office of Messrs. Doniphan & Garner, 
attorneys at law, after which he was engaged as clerk in the Ray County 
Savings Bank, for two and a half years, at the end of which time he was 
elected cashier of the bank. He discharged the duties of his position 
creditably until in 1875, when he went to St. Louis to become book 
keeper in the wholesale grocery house of Messrs. Keach, Sloan & Com- 
pany, but returned to Richmond in August, 1876, to accept the position 
of deputy circuit clerk of Ray county. He retained his position until 
January 1, 1879, when, having been elected clerk of the Ray county 
court at the general election in November of the preceding year, he 
entered upon the duties of that office, and is now serving the people of 
Ray as their county clerk. He is a capable, honest and faithful officer, 
as well as an ingenuous, generous and obliging gentleman. June 26, 1873, 
George W. Trigg and Miss Julia N.Jenkins, of Springfield, were united 
in marriage. She is an accomplished lady, and by her cheerful disposi- 
tion and wifely devotion, gladdens the home of her husband, r, They have 
three children, as follows: George A., born November 1, 1875; Eleanor 
G., born May 20, 1877, and Frank W., born February 1, 1880. Mr. 
Trigg is a member of Richmond Lodge A. F. and A. M. 

WARREN W. EWING. 

Warren W. Ewing was born November 25, 1854, in Ray county, Mis- 
souri. He received his education at the Richmond College. In the 
spring of 1874 he was employed as salesman in the dry goods store of 
McDonald & Davis, of Richmond, and retained this position till in 1877, 
when he purchased Mr. Davis' interest in the store. In the fall of 1878 
he sold out, and rebuilt the Shaw House, which had been partially 
destroyed by the cyclone of June 1st, 1878. He conducted this hotel till 
the autumn of 1879, when he sold it, and in connection with his present 
partner, built the large and imposing brick edifice on the north-east corner of 
the public square, in which is the opera house and the elegant storeroom of 
Fowler & Ewing. Mr. Ewing is an energetic, enterprising young man, and 
deserves much credit for what he has done in behalf of the city of Rich- 
mond. He and his partner, Mr. Fowler, have a large, elegant and com- 
plete stock of goods, and receive, as they deserve, a most liberal pat- 
ronage. Mr. Ewing is the present treasurer of the city of Richmond, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. • 557 

an office he has held for years. He is a Mason, and secretary of Rich- 
mond Lodge, A. F. and A. M. November 27, 1877, Warren W. Ewing 
was married to Miss Fannie E. Shaw, of Richmond, Missouri, of which 
•city she is a native. She is a lady of rare accomplishments, winsome 
manner, and cheerful, and felicitous disposition. They had one child, 
Virgil C, born September 15, 1878; died March 6, 1880. 

JAMES W. SMITH, M. D. 

James W. Smith is a native of Ray county, Missouri, and was born 
May 7, 1848. His literary training was acquired at Richmond College, 
Richmond, Missouri. In 1869 he entered the drug store of Taylor & 
Donaldson, where he remained as clerk (at the same time studying medi- 
cine) till the fall of 1872. As medical student, Doctor Geo. W. Buchanan, 
of Richmond, was his preceptor till he entered the St. Louis Medical 
College, from which he graduated in the spring of 1874. After gradu- 
ating he entered upon the practice of his profession at Orrick, Ray 
county. In the spring of 1876 he returned to Richmond, and formed a 
partnership with Doctor J. D. Taylor, buying also an interest in the drug 
store of Taylor & Ringo. He continued the practice of medicine and a 
druggist and pharmacist, in connection with Doctor Taylor, under the 
firm name of Taylor & Smith, until March 1, 1881, when they dissolved, 
W. C. Patton, Esq., purchasing the interest of Doctor Taylor in the drug 
store, while Doctor Smith retained his interest therein, and continues the 
practice of medicine alone. Doctor Smith is a member of the Missionary 
Baptist Church, as is his wife, an accomplished lady, nee Mary V. Bates, 
a native of Ray county, to whom he was married December 14, 1876. 
He is also a member of Richmond Lodge A. F. & A. M. He is a suc- 
cessful practitioner, a genial gentleman, and useful citizen, and as such is 
highly respected and esteemed. 

ROBERT B. KICE, D. D. S. 

Robert B. Kice, a native of Indiana, was born September 9, 1837. In 
his infancy, however, he was^taken to Booneville, Missouri; thence, after 
a short time to Lexington, Missouri, where he grew to be a man. He 
was educated, so far as respects his literary training, in what was then 
the .Masonic College of Lexington. He graduated from that institution 
in 1855; and then going to the city of Baltimore, Maryland, two winters 
attending the celebrated Baltimore Dental College, and graduated there- 
from in the spring of 1858. After his graduation, he located, for the 
the practice of his profession, in Richmond, Missouri, where he has ever 
since remained, in the enjoyment of a lucrative practice and of the esteem 
of all who know him. He believes in the old adage, " A rolling stone 
gathers no moss," and has remained at Richmond, steadily and success- 



558 HISTORY OF RAY COUNri. 

fully pursuing his profession, for which he is quahfied by thorough train- 
ing, continued application, and long experience. Robert B. Kice was 
married October 27, 1858, to Miss Joaella Jacobs, of Ray county. They 
have five children living: George J., born May 6, 1867; John D., born 
March 27, 1869; Effie M., born January 6, 1873; Robert B., born Feb- 
ruary 8, 1876, and Daisy, born November 4, 1877. Dr. Kice is a leading 
member of the Masonic fraternity. 

BURNETT HUGHES. 

Burnett Hughes was born in Ray county, Missouri, January 28, 1850. 
He was educated at the State University, Columbia, Missouri, and reared 
on a farm. In 1872 he entered the banking house of Hughes & Wasson, 
Richmond, Missouri, as book-keeper, where he remained until January 
1, 1876, when he was elected cashier of a bank at Salisbury, Chariton 
county, Missouri. January 1, 1877, he and his father bought the interest 
of George I. Wasson in the banking house of Hughes & Wasson, since 
which time he has devoted himself to the business of this bank. He is a 
member of the Christian Church, and so is his wife. He was married 
January 26, 1876, to Miss Kate Morehead, of Leavenworth Cit}^ Kansas. 
She is a native of Lexington, Missouri. They have two children living: 
Ralph B., born September 17, 1878, and James M., born June 20, 1880. 
Mr. Hughes is an active, energetic young man of fine business capacity, 
temperate, reliable, and of unexceptional moral character. 

CAPTAIN ELI HUGHES. 

John Hughes was a native of Virginia, and was born in the year 1782, 
and died in Perry county, Indiana, in the year 1864. He served as cap- 
tain under General Harrison, in the war of 1812; and it was he that 
recruited the volunteers who fought the battle of Tippecanoe. His son» 
Captain Eli Hughes, the subject of this sketch, was born in Harrison 
county, Indiana, May 31, 1827, and there, residing on a farm with his 
father, grew to be a man. In 1848 he went to Louisiana, and worked at 
the cooper's trade till 1856. He then traveled through different states, 
until 1857, at which time he located in Ray county, where he has ever 
since made his home. Until the commencement of the civil war. Captain 
Hughes was engaged in farming. January 8, 1862, he enlisted as first 
lieutenant, in company B, 3d cavalry of Missouri state militia. In July, 
1862, he was promoted to the captaincy, and served as such until March, 
1865, when he was mustered out of service, with his regiment. He took 
part in the battles of Newtonia and Springfield, and served through the 
campaign of General Schofield, through Arkansas, in 1862. He was 
wounded by guerrillas in Arkansas, July 18, 1862, a ball passing through 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 559 

his left hand, and one entering his left side. From these wounds he has 
never completely recovered. He, notwithstanding his wounds, remained 
with his company until mustered out. He commanded in several engage- 
ments with guerrillas — was victorious over Captain Tuck Smith, captur- 
ing thirty-four of his horses, in Arkansas, in August, 1864. Captain 
Hughes returned home after the war, and engaged in millmg, to which 
he has given his attention ever since. He was married April 16, 1868, to 
Miss Mary Crowley, of Ray county. Of this union two children are 
living: Mattie D., and James H. C; and two are deceased. His wife 
died February 1, 1873, and he was again married, February 28, 1874, to 
Mary J. Lile, of Ray county. They have one child living, Jessie E, 
Captain Hughes was appointed, by General Holland, to receive the sur- 
render, under Lincoln's amnesty proclamation, of Confederate troops in 
northern Arkansas. He accepted the appointment, and discharged its 
duties in a creditable manner. 

FELIX G. MILLER. 

Felix G. Miller was born November 10, 1822, in Ray county, Mis- 
souri. He is a son of Sebourn J. Miller, who was a Ray county pioneer, 
having immigrated to this countv from Tennessee, in 1819. He was born 
near Nashville, Tennessee, in 1794, and died in Ray county in August, 
1837. He was for many years a justice of the Ray county court, and 
held other offices of trust and profit, conferred by the suffrages of his fel- 
low citizens. Our subject was reared on a farm. His education is limited to 
that of the common schools, but he is a man of strong common sense, good 
judgment, and general information. He has always been a farmer, and 
now owns about 700 acres of excellent land, all of which is well improved 
and in a high state of cultivation. During Mr. Miller's boyhood, Ray 
county was almost a wilderness, very sparsely settled, without mills, 
markets were distant, and the country in many places unreclaimed. He 
has lived, however, to acquire a competency, to see his county advance to 
a position scarcely second to any in the state, and himself to partake of 
the comforts and advantages of modern improvements. He is a member 
of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and also of the Masonic frater- 
nity since the year 1849. He was married to Martha A. Woodward, of 
Ray county, but a native of Kentucky. Some years after the death of 
his first wife, April 30, 1850, he was again married to Sophronia Hill, of 
Ray county, who was born in Tennessee. They have three children: 
Ollie, wife of John C Brown, of Richmond; Ava, wife of Peter Trimble, 
of Richmond, and Winfield, a merchant in Knoxville, Ray county. 



560 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY, 

JOSEPH S. SHOOP. 

Joseph S. Shoop was born May 16, 1816, in Washington count}^, Mary- 
land. When about fifteen years of age, he went to Waynesborough, 
Pennsylvania, to learn the trade of cabinet making. After remaining four 
years and a half thus employed, he spent a few months in Ohio, and then 
came to Ray county, arriving October 28, 1837, and engaged in the man- 
ufacture and sale of furniture until about the year 1863, when he pur- 
chased a farm one mile south of Richmond, to which he moved. In the 
fall of 1878 he again engaged in the furniture business, but continued to 
reside on his farm, till the spring of 1881, when he rented out his farm 
and returned to Richmond, and now devotes his whole attention to the 
furniture business. He is a member of the Christian Church, and is a 
p-ious, unobtrusive, honest man. He was married in September, 1842, to 
Miss Maria Bransford, of Barren county, Kentucky. His first wife died, 
and some years afterward he was married to Mary E. Baber. They 
have three children, Cora D., Thomas W. and Clarence. 

MAJOR JOHN P. NORVELL. 

John P. Norvell was born June 19, 1829, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. 
When one year old his father moved with him to Pulaski, Middle Ten- 
nessee, where he lived till he was fourteen years of age, and with his 
father's famil}' returned to Alabama. Four years later he went to Mis- 
sissippi. While in Pulaski, Tennessee, on a visit, in 1846, he enlisted as a 
soldier in the war against Mexico, in Colonel Jonas Thomas' regiment, 
termed the "Giles County Troopers," Captain Milton A. Harris. Suffer- 
ing at the time from a gun-shot wound, he only went as far as Arkansas, 
and was left, sick. He afterward returned to his home, and in February* 
1846, he moved with his father and family to Pontotoc county, Missis- 
sippi. In 1852 he rhoved to Missouri and located at Walnut Grove, in 
Greene county, where he engaged in farming and dealing in live stock. 
June 22, 1861, he was mustered into the Confederate army, at West 
Plains, Missouri, as first lieutenant of company D, first regiment Missouri 
state guards, McBride's infantry, and served till the close of the war. He 
was promoted to quartermaster and paymaster of the northern sub-dis- 
trict of Arkansas. During his service in the army he took part in the 
following principal engagements: Wilson Creek, Oak Hill, Pea Ridge, 
Corinth, Brownsville, Little Rock, Camden, Pleasant Hill, Mansfield, 
Jenkins' Creek. After the engagement at the last mentioned place he was 
promoted and made chief of transportation for General Price in his last 
raid through Missouri. He was also at the storming of Pilot Knob, and 
with Shelby in his raid upon Booneville and Glasgow, and in the fights 
at Lexington, Independence, Coleman, Marais-des-Cygnes, and New- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 561 

tonia. After the close of the war, Major Norvell went to Jackson, Mis- 
sissippi, and near that place engaged in cotton raising, dealing in stock* 
etc. In December, 1873, he returned to Missouri, and located in Mad- 
ison county, and in December, 1875, went to Kingsville, Johnson county, 
where he lived till February 1, 1881, at which time he moved to Ray 
county, where he still resides. He is engaged in farming, and in staging 
in connection with the Wabash railway. He is the owner of a good farm 
near Richmond, and is the lessee for five years of a fine blue grass farm, 
on which he is grazing stock. He, however, resides in Richmond on 
account of its educational advantages. Major Norvell has been a man 
of remarkable activity, energy, and pluck. He was a brave soldier, 
always in the front of battle, and never shirked a duty whatever peril its 
performance engendered. He was married November 12, 1848, to Miss 
Elizabeth J. Nisbitt, of Mississippi. She died July 17, 1849; and he was 
again married January 16, 1853, to Miss Louisa Lawrence, of Springfield, 
Missouri. They have five livmg children and three deceased. The living 
are as follows: Mary Frances, wife of W. C. McFall, of Weatherford, 
Texas; Laudon S., Rhoda A., Joe Shelby and Fidelia S. Major Norvell 
is a member of the Masonic fraternity. He and his wife are members of 
the Christian Church. 

MAJOR JOHN R. HAMACHER. 

John R. Hamacher, a native of Scott county, Indiana, was born August 
27, 1841. He was brought up to the occupation of a miller. In October, 
1861, he enlisted as a private soldier in the Union army, joining company 
D, 40th irfantry regiment, Indiana volunteers, and served gallantly until 
the close u£ the war. He was promoted to be second lieutenant, then cap- 
tain, and afterward major. He was with his regiment in every import- 
ant battle, and took part in the following: Battles of Cumberland, Yazoo 
River, Arkansas Post, Grand Gulf, Port Gibson, Raymond, Champion Hills, 
and Black River Bridge, and was engaged through the entire siege of 
Vicksburg, and in the battle of Alexandria, Louisiana, after which they 
were granted a furlough to return home. Upon their returning, they 
re-enlisted, and were on provost dut\^ at Lexington, Kentucky, Major 
Hamacher being, part of the time, provost marshal. He was, for a time, 
military conductor on the Louisville & Lexington railroad. He spent the 
remainder of his term of service in Kentucky and Tennessee, but was 
never called into active service. Major Hamacher was not seriously 
wounded in the war, unless we may except the loss of a finger; yet he 
was always at his post, and dared to lead where any dared to follow. He 
never faltered nor lagged in the rear; he loved the clatter of musketry, 
and the cannon's roar was music to his ears. He was a true soldier, and, 
as an officer, held the aflection of his troops. Upon his return home from 



562 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the war, he resumed his former occupation of milling. In 1866 he was 
placed in nomination by his party for county clerk of his county, but the 
entire republican ticket was defeated. In 1869 he removed to Audrain 
county, Missouri, and engaged in farming; but, after one year, went to 
Carroll county, where he also farmed, continuing this vocation until in 
1871, he moved to Carrollton, and purchased the woolen mills at that 
place, which he operated three years, at the end of which period he 
moved to Ray county and bought a mill, east of Richmond, which, in 
1879, he moved to that city and rebuilt; and he now has, in Richmond, 
one of the finest and most thoroughly equipped steam flouring mills in 
this part of the state, where he does both local and custom work. John 
R. Hamacher was married August 2, 1864, to Miss Margaret A. Vandu- 
sen, of Scott county, Indiana. To this union were born three children, 
but one of them is deceased. Gertrude, born October 12, 1867, and 
Elmer, born March 23, 1871, are living. Mr. Hamacher is a member of 
the Masonic order. 

ANDREW J. BOTTS. 

Andrew J. Botts was born March 30, 1853, in Jefferson county, Iowa. 
His father was John Botts, a native of Adair county, Kentucky, born in 
1820 and died in 1870 in Macon City, Missouri. His mother's maiden 
name was Susan Craig, she also, was born in Adair county, Kentucky, 
and died in Macon City, Missouri, in 1864. When the subject of this 
sketch was about four years old, his parents moved with him to Macon 
county, Missouri. In July, 1864, he went into the union army as drum- 
mer in company B, 42d Missouri volunteers. He remained with the army 
until the close of the war — doing garrison duty in Tennessee, and par- 
ticipating in various skirmishes. After the war, he returned home and 
entered into the tinning business, and in 1867 went to Chillicothe, Missouri, 
to learn the trade of tinner. He remained there three years, and in 1870 
went to Millville, Ray county, and took charge of a hardware store. 
After two years, he moved to Richmond and opened the hardware store 
he now owns and conducts. He has a very large and complete stock of 
hardware goods; in fact it is a store that would do credit to a much 
larger cit3^ He was married May 24, 1876, to Miss Lina E. Ballinger, 
of Ray county. They have one child, Walter, born April 30, 1877. Mr. 
Botts is an active, industrious, public spirited young gentleman, and is an 
honor to the town in which he lives. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 563 

WILLIAM C. PATTON. 

William C. Patton, son of Robert W. Patton, a native of Tennessee* 
and who settled in Ray county more than half a century ago, was born 
July 30, 1854, in Ray county, Missouri. After attending the common 
schools, he was entered a student at Richmond College, and in that institu- 
tion received his education. He taught school a year after leaving col- 
lege, and then entered the Ray County Savings Bank as clerk. In May, 
1877, he accepted a situation in the drug store of Doctors Taylor & Smith, 
of Richmond, which he held until March, 1881, when he purchased the 
interest of Dr. Taylor in the drug store, and now, in partnership with Jas. 
W. Smith, M. D., under the firm name of Smith & Patton, is engaged as 
druggist and pharmaceutist. Their store is well appointed, and contains 
every article properly belonging in such an establishment. Mr. Patton 
has served three terms as recorder of the city of Richmond; further than 
this, he has not asked the suffrage of his fellow-citizens. He is a member 
of the Presbyterian Church, and is correct in habits, truthful, high-toned 
and honorable. He is yet quite young and being strong and vigorous and 
endued with all the characteristics of true manhood, his future is bright 
with hope. 

WILLIAM P. HUBBELL. 

William P. Hubbell was born March 13, 1828, in Franklin county, Ken- 
tucky. He is a son of Captain William D. Hubbell, who was born at 
Bridgeport, Connecticut, m 1797, and is still living. Captain W. D. Hub- 
bell was a clerk on the first steamboat that passed up the Missouri river, 
in the spring of 1819. He is quite active, both mentally and physically for 
one of his age, and is still cheerful, interesting and instructive in conversa- 
tion, and the fact that he must soon "pass on" causes him no gloomy fore- 
bodings. He lives at Columbia, Boone county, Missouri. The subject of 
this sketch was reared on a farm. At the age of twelve years his father 
moved with him to Howard county, Missouri, but remained there but 
two years, till he removed to Clav county, Missouri. In the spring of 
1850, William P. Hubbell went to California, crossing the plains with a 
train of ox wagons. On the way he and his associate travelers established 
a ferry across Green river, which they conducted about six weeks, and 
sold out at a net profit of about $5,000. He returned home in 1851, and 
engaged in merchandising, first at Liberty, Clay county, and afterward at 
what is now Missouri City. He continued in business there for eleven 
years. In July, 1864, he went to Carrollton, Illinois, where he was 
engaged till the fall of 1865, in the mercantile business. He then came to 
Richmond, Missouri, and here again resumed his favorite occupation of 
merchandising. Mr. Hubbell owns, lives on and superintends a beautiful. 



564 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

well improved and fertile farm just outside the limits of Richmond. He 
has some eight or ten acres in small fruits of various kinds, besides a 
large orchard of apples', peaches, pears and cherries of the finest varieties. 
He is also a member of the firm of Shotwell & Co., engaged in coal min- 
ing. They have a shaft near Richmond, and employ more than twenty 
men in taking out the coal. He has been engaged in the mercantile buisi- 
ness ever since he came to Richmond, and is now in that occupation in 
connection with his eldest son, John W. They carry a full stock of dry 
goods and groceries. William P. Hubbell was married August 25, 1859, 
to Mary C. Quail, at Washington, Pennsylvania, of which place she is a 
native. They have the following children living: John W., Mary W., 
William M., Clarence H. and Charles G. He and his wife are members 
of the Christian Church, and their exemplary christian character is worthy 
of all emulation. 

WILLIAM MARSHALL. 

WilHam Marshall was born December 12, 1829, in Glasgow, Scotland. 
In his childhood he accompanied his parents to Canada, and remained there 
till he became a man. He served an apprenticeship of six years, learn- 
ing the trade of boot and shoemaker. In the spring of 1852 he came to 
Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, and for about one year plied his voca- 
tion in the employ of another; at the end of that time, he purchased an 
interest in the shop of his employer, and subsequently, by purchase, 
became sole proprietor, and has ever since conducted the business alone. 
William Marshall started in life a poor boy, without any advantages of 
wealth or personal assistance from others; but by patient toil, prudence ^nd 
economy, has succeeded in gaining a competency. He has a handsome 
property, including a comfortable home in the city of Richmond. He 
has no enemies, and his friends are numbered among the best men in the 
county. He was married October 9, 1853, to Miss Eliza Kavanaugh, of 
Ray county, a native of Canada. They have four sons and three daugh- 
ters living: Sarah E., William E., Robert, Mary C, John, James and 
Jessie. 

JOHN T. BANISTER. 

John T. Banister was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 8th da}- of 
October, 1851. His father was Judge Nathaniel Banister, a native of 
Nicholas county, Kentucky. He removed to Missouri and settled in Ray 
county in the year 1843. Judge Banister was a man greatly esteemed by 
the people of Ray county. From 1864 to 1865, he was judge of the pro- 
bate court of Ray county. He was a prominent lawyer, a wise counselor 
and a sincere friend, devoted to his neighbors, his county and his country. 
He died May 18, 1877, in Richmond, Missouri. The subject of this sketch 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 565 

was educated at Richmond College, Richmond Missouri. Having com- 
pleted his education, he engaged in teaching school, and continued in this 
pursuit for five 3^ears. In the fall of 1876, he was elected by the people, 
county surveyor of Ray county. His term of office expired January 1, 
1881, but at the general election in November, 1880, he was re-elected to 
serve four years from the first of January, following. He was elected on 
the democratic ticket. John T. Banister is an unassuming gentleman, of 
ardent temperament, candid, obliging and kind. As an officer he is equal 
to the Jeffersonian test, as is amply proven by the readiness of the people 
to make him his own successor. He resides with his mother, whose mai- 
den name was Levisa J. Craig. He is a native of Kentucky, but was 
among the early settlers of Ray county, Missouri. 

OLIVER N. HAMACHER. 

Oliver N. Hamacher was born April 17, 1856, in Scott county, Indiana. 
In 1870 he moved with his parents to Audrain county, Missouri, and in 
the fall of the same year moved to Carroll county, Missouri, and after 
remaining on the farm one year with his father, spent two years in school 
at Carrollton, Missouri, and at Lexington, Indiana. After which he came 
to Ray county, and entered into the milling business with his brother. 
Continuing with his brother four years, he went to Dewitt, Missouri, 
where he was in the milling business until the fall of 1877, when he 
returned to Ray county, and again joined his brother, John R. Hamacher, 
as partner with him in the ownership and control of their steam flouring 
mill, at Richmond. They have four run of burrs, do excellent work, and 
have an extensive trade. Mr. Hamacher is a member of the I. O. O. F. 
He was married, May 13, 1880, to Miss Minnie A. Prechard, an accom- 
plished lady of Richmond, Missouri. In connection with their mill, the 
Hamacher brothers have a wool-carding machine, with a capacity of 100 
pounds per day. Oliver N. Hamacher also owns a farm of 120 acres. 
He is a young man of great promise, and is highly respected for his 
upright, moral character. 

JOHN T. PATTON. 

John T. Patton was born June 9, 1829, in Bedford county, Tennessee, 
and in the fall of 1830 moved with his parents to Ray county, where he 
has ever since resided. He is a son of James Patton, deceased, who was 
a native of Tennessee, born in the year 1801. He was among the first 
settlers of Ray county, and helped to establish the first state and county 
roads in and through the county. He continued to reside in this county 
until his death, which occurred in 1877. The subject of this sketch was 
a farmer all his life up to the year 1876, when he moved to Richmond, 
where he engaged in the lumber trade and in dealing in agricultural 



566 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

implements, in connection with his brother-in-law, W. R. Jackson, Esq. 
They have a large trade, doing an extensive business in each of their 
lines. John T. Patton was married in 1850, to Miss Margaret Emmer- 
son, an intelligent, amiable lady, of Ray county. To this union were 
born three children, who are yet living: Laura A., wife of William 
Magill, of Ray county; Isabel, wife of Rufus Hill, of Ray county, and 
Margaret J., at home. His wife died in 1858, and Mr. Patton was again 
married, in November, 1859, to Miss Narcissa R. Jackson. They had 
one child, but it is now deceased. Mr. Patton and his wife are members 
of the Christian Church. He is a good citizen, an honest man, a poHte 
and genial gentleman. 

CHARLES JOHNSON, M. D. 

Charles Johnson was born in the year 1826, in Yates county. New 
York. He attended a medical school in New York, from which he 
received his diploma. The school was subsequently moved to Philadel- 
phia. He began the practice of medicine m 1847, in New York state, 
but has practiced, also, in Indiana and IlHnois. In 1856 he came to Rich- 
mond, Ray county, Missouri, and continued the practice of his profession 
until 1874, in which year, on account of faihng health, he moved to Colo- 
rado, and continued the practice of medicine at Silver Spring ranche, 
near Colorado Springs. In the spring of 1878 he went to Wilson county, 
Kansas, where he owned a farm, and practiced about one year, after 
which, in the spring of 1881, he returned to his former home, Richmond, 
Missouri, where he intends spending the remainder of his days. Doctor 
Johnson was married in September, 1856, to Mariah L. Cowdery, of Ray 
county. She was born in Ohio. He never belonged to any church soci- 
ety, religious or secret organization of any kind. 

WILLIAM D. FISHER. 

William D. Fisher, born in 1852, is a native of Chester county, Penn- 
sylvania. He is a son of George W. Fisher, now living at Mt. Carroll, 
Illinois. His father, George W. Fisher, is a native of Pennsylv^ania, born 
in 1826. The subject of this sketch, at the age of two years was taken by 
his parents to Carroll county, Illinois, where they settled in 1854. In 1868, 
he took up the photograph business, and after learning the art of photo- 
graphy, moved, in 1870, to Kansas City, Missouri, where he worked at 
his calling three months; thence he moved to Liberty, Missouri; after 
remaining in that town three months, he came to Richmond, where, in 
connection with Dr. Kice, he continued his business of photography. In 
1874, he went to Yankton, Dakota, where he remained two years, after 
which he returned to Richmond, where he now resides and is engaged at 
his vocation. Upon his return to Richmond, Mr. Fisher entered into the 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 567 

mercantile business, which he continued for three years, and then opened 
the photographic rooms he now occupies. Having spent a number of 
3'ears in preparing himself for his business, Mr. Fisher is well qualified 
by skill and experience to prosecute his profession with success. He is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a worthy gentleman, manly, 
upright and reliable. 

MURRAY F. McDonald. 

Murray F. McDonald was born January 3, 1836, in Culpepper county, 
Virginia. His parents were Eben McDonald, and Elizabeth (Settle) 
McDonald, both of whom were natives of Culpepper county, Virginia; 
Eben McDonald, born about 1806, and his wife, Elizabeth, in 1808. They 
were highly respected and honored citizens of the Old Dominion, and 
were noted for that genuine hospitality which ever characterizes the true 
Virginian. Eben McDonald died in 1852, and Elizabeth McDonald in 
1863. Murray's grandfather, Latt McDonald, was also a Virginian. He 
served creditably in the war of 1812. He had five brothers who emi- 
grated westward from Virginia at an early day. Murray F. McDonald, 
the subject of this sketch, was reared on a farm, receiving his education 
at a high school in Jefterson, Virginia. When he came to be a man, he 
entered the mercantile business as clerk and salesman. In 1854, he moved 
to Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, where he was again emplo3'ed for 
some years as salesman in a dry goods store. In 1859, he embarked in 
his favorite pursuit, that of merchandizing, on his own account. He 
retired, however, in 1861, on account of the civil war, then commencing. 
In 1869, he again resumed the mercantile business, in Richmond, Missouri 
at the store room he now owns and occupies, on the north side of the 
court house square. He has a very large, costly and elegant stock of 
goods, and is liberally patronized. Murray F. McDonald is one of the 
leading business men of Richmond; he is of a modest, retiring disposi- 
tion, attends closely to his calling, but he is deeply interested in the wel- 
fare of his town and county, and is a man of warm impulses, moralh^ 
upright, honest and reliable. He has been a member of the city council 
several terms, and has held other positions of trust since becoming a res- 
ident of the city of Richmond. He was married December 28, 1858, to 
Miss Maggie Davis, a daughter of Dr. Nathaniel Davis, of Richmond 
Missouri. They have four children living, viz: James A., born December 
3, 1859; Murray, born January 7, 1861; Beverly, born November 13, 
1862, and Daisy, born August 8, 1866. Mr. McDonald is a member of 
Richmond Lodge A. F. and A. M. 



568 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. ! 

OLIVER T. DICKENSON. 

Oliver T. Dickenson was born in 1839, in Albemarle county, Virginia. 
In 1844, when he was five years of age, his parents moved with him to 
Boone county, Missouri. At the age of eighteen he went to learn the 
trade of carriage-maker. He was several years in learning his trade, and 
in 1859 opened a carriage and buggy manufactory in Richmond, Mis- 
souri, where he made carriages and buggies of a very superior kind, 
employing constantly from six to eight workmen. He continued in a 
prosperous business till the fcyclone of June 1, 1878, swept over Rich- 
mond, totally demolishing his shop, among others, and destroying over 
$4,000 worth of finished work, ready for delivery. He was left without 
tools and entirely without means to carry on his business, which he set- 
tled up as best he could, and in 1880 built the livery stable where he is 
now engaged in the livery business. He has a good trade, and is a plain, 
unpretending, honest man, who attends closely to his business, harms no 
man, pays his taxes, and discharges the duties of a citizen cheerfully, a 

punctually, and honorably. He is a member of the order of Knights of 
Honor and of the Knights of Pythias. Oliver T. Dickenson was mar- 
ried in 1863 to Susan J . Asbury, ol Ray county, but a native of Kentucky. 
They have two children living: William N., born August 18, 1864, and 
Minnie L., born October 8, 1873, and two deceased. He is a son of Nim- 
rod W. Dickenson, a native of Virginia, who was drowned in the Mis- 
souri river in 1844. His mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Robinson. 
She also was a native of Virginia; was born in 1815, and died about the 
year 1872. 

WILLIAM S. CONROW. 

William S. Conrow, son of the late Honorable Aaron F, Conrow, was 
born in Ray county, Missouri, May 4, 1855. He was educated at Rich- 
mond College. After leaving school he adopted the law as a profession, 
and entered upon its study under the instruction of Captain James L. Far- 
ris, attorney at law, Richmond, Missouri. In 1877, he was admitted to 
the bar, and began the practice of his profession in partnership with Cap- 
tain Farris. In April, 1878, he was elected city attorney of Richmond, 
and re-elected in 1879, and again in 1880. April, 1881, he was elected 
city recorder, an office he now holds. These positions of trust, bestowed 
by his fellow-townsmen, evince the confidence they have in young Con- 
row. He is a talented young man, and if he continues prudent, persever- 
ing, and pains-taking, will succeed in life. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. ^569 

JOHN F. MORTON. 

John F. Morton was born in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, March 
6, 1860. When he was about two years of age, his parents moved to Ports- 
mouth, Ohio; in the high schools of which city, young Morton received his 
education. In the spring of 1879, he began the study of law, having for 
his preceptor. General A. W. Doniphan, of Richmond, Missouri, to which 
place young Morton had moved the year previous. In the spring of 1881, 
he was admitted to the bar, and the same spring was elected city attorney 
of Richmond, the duties of which posit^ion he is discharging very accep- 
tably. He is a son of John F. Morton, deceased, a native of Kentucky. 
His father died in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1866. His mother is now the 
wife of Maurice C. Jacobs, M. D., of Richmond, Missouri. John F. Mor- 
ton is an intelligent young man, studious, temperate and energetic, and if 
he continues as such, as he doubtless will, a bright future awaits him. 

DANIEL T. DUVAL. 

Daniel T. Duval is a native of Ray county. He was born in the year 
1850, and raised on a farm, and followed that occupation continuously till 
the spring of 1881, when, after selling his farm, he purchased the saddle 
and harness stock of J. W. Harrison, of Richmond, and engaged in that 
trade. He has a commodious store-room, and a full line of everything 
pertaining to a well appointed saddle and harness shop, and is rapidly 
building up a large and lucrative business. Mr. Duval is a son of Thomas 
A. Duval, who came from Virginia, where he was born, to Ray county, 
Missouri, at an early day. He died in 1864. Daniel T. Duval is a prom- 
ising young man, active, energetic and attentive to business. 

JOSEPH H. DEVLIN. 

Joseph H. Devlin was born in Chariton county, Missouri, in the year 
1844. His father was Reverend Joseph T. Devlin, a minister of the M. 
E. Church South. He was a native of Delaware, born in June, 1811, 
and died in Ray county, Missouri, in October, 1878. He was a sincere, 
earnest Christian, a faithful minister, a steadfast friend, and in every 
department of life, one of the best and purest of men. Joseph H. Dev- 
lin, the subject of this sketch, was educated at the Richmond College. 
He has always lived in Missouri, but as his father was a Methodist min- 
ister, he necessarily moved from place to place. After leaving school he 
went to Carrollton, Missouri, where, for about twelve years, he was 
engaged in selling goods. In October, 1880, he moved, with his family, 
to Sherman, Texas, but after spending the winter in that place, returned 
to Missouri, and located in Richmond, Ray county, and took charge of 
36 



570 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the lumber yard of McDonald & Company, which position he still holds. 
He was united in marriage, May 16, 1872, with Miss Maggie Ritenour, 
of Kansas City. They have had four children, only one of whom, 
Mamie, born May 1, 1879, is living. Mr. Devlin is a member of the M. 
E. Church South. His wife also, is a member of that church. He is also 
a member of the A. O. U. W. A worthy citizen, he receives the respect 
of all who know him. 

MATTHEW J. CREEL. 

Matthew J. Creel was born, August 18, 1833, in Culpepper county, 
Virginia. When about sixteen years of age, he went to learn the carpen- 
ter's trade, and served an apprenticeship of four years. In 1855 he emi- 
grated to Van Buren county, Iowa, and two years later came to Ray 
county, Missouri. He was exetensively engaged in farming till the outbreak- 
ing of the civil war. After the close of the war, he embarked in the mercan- 
tile business, and followed it for about ten years. Abandoning mercantile 
life, he resumed his trade, and has since worked at it in the city of Rich- 
mond, Missouri, continuously. He has been a member of the M. E. 
Church South for many years, all the time one of the most active and untir- 
ing workers in behalf of his church, and of religion generally. He takes 
a warm interest in the Sunday-school work; leads in the Sunday-school 
singing, and is also leader of the church choir. His wife is also a mem- 
ber of the M. E. Church South, and is a pious, unassuming Christian 
woman. He was married. May 10, A. D. 1859, to Miss Mary E. Bran- 
stetter, of Richmond, Missouri. They have eight children: Sallie P., 
Myrtie E., Henry L., Sterling Price, James P., Edward B,, Mattie H., 
and John E. 

JOHN R. GREEN. 

John R. Green was born November 4, 1858, in Caldwell county, Mis- 
souri. He is the son of John W. Green, Esq., a native of Kentucky, 
born in 1836, and now a respected citizen of Richmond, Missouri. In 
1866 our subject moved with his father's family to Richmond, Ray 
county, where he has ever since resided. He was, like many other excel- 
lent and scholarly young men of Ray county, educated at Richmond Col- 
lege. After leaving school, he was employed for about four years as clerk 
in a drug store at Richmond. January 1, 1879, he accepted the appoint- 
ment as deputy circuit clerk under the late John W. Spurlock, and in that 
capacity continued to act until the spring of 1881, when he was appointed 
by Governor Crittenden, clerk of Ray circuit court, to fill the vacancy 
occasioned by the death of John W. Spurlock, Esq. During his service 
as deputy clerk, Mr. Green had control of the ofiice a great deal of the 
time, owing to the protracted illness of Mr. Spurlock, and when appointed 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 571 

to the office was well qualified for the position. As an officer he is cour- 
teous, attentive, and in every way efficient. As a private citizen, he is 
generous, obliging, and honorable. A brilliant future is before him. 

V CHARLES SEVIER. 

Charles Sevier, son of Major Robert Sevier, was born at Fort Leaven- 
worth, Kansas, September 30, 1832. In 1840, he, with his father's family, 
located at Richmond, Ray county, Missouri. He was educated at the 
Richmond College, and at the Masonic Institute, Lexington, Missouri. In 
1853 he entered the circuit clerk and recorder's office, (ex-oflScio) as assis- 
tant to his father, then the incumbent of those offices. He was shortly 
afterward appoint his father s deputy, and continued as such until 1865. 
He then went to farming on his farm near Richmond. Mr. Sevier owns 
a fine tract of land of about two thousand acres, most of which is in the 
vicinity of Richmond. During the past two years much of his time has 
been engrossed in settling the estate of his father; he has, however, all 
the time superintended his large tracts of farming land, most of which 
are in grass. Charles Sevier was married in 1856, to Susan L. Murrell, 
of Lafayette county, Missouri. To this union were born tlie following 
children, who are living: Samuel M., bom August 10, 1859; (who has 
recently graduated at Kemper's Family School, Booneville, Missouri,) and 
Isabel, born January 5, 1862. His wife, an amiable lady, died June 4, 
1866. Mr. Sevier was again married January 28, 1869, to Emma A. 
Dines, of Ray county. She is an accomplished, estimable lady. They 
have four children: Robert, born December 1, 1869; George F., born 
July 28, 1872; Mary R., born July 27, 1876, and Ann H., born April 24, 
1878. Mr. Sevier is a member of the Presbyterian Church, a good citi- 
zen, and an honest man. 

LOUIS ZUR MEGEDE. 

Louis zur Megede was born in Soest, Prussia, in the year 1821. In his 
boyhood he served a full apprenticeship, learning the jeweler's trade. In 
1841, when he was twenty years of age, he immigrated to the United 
States, and settled in St. Louis, Missouri. After working for a time as 
journeyman jeweler, he opened a shop on his own account in St. Louis, 
which he conducted about two years, and then moved with his stock of 
jewelry to Lexington, Lafayette county, Missouri. This was in the j^ear 
1849. He remained in Lexington, until the year 1877, when he moved to 
Richmond, Ray county, where he has ever since resided, and is a respected, 
useful citizen. In 1858, however, he had established a branch store in 
Richmond, which he left in charge of a Mr. Ludniz. This stock, at the 
commencement of the civil war, he moved back to Lexington; and again 
in 1865, reopened his branch store in Richmond, which, under his direc- 



572 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

tion, was conducted by a Mr, Engler, until Mr. zur Me^jede moved with 
his family to Richmond to make the place his permanent home. He is a 
successful business man, having in his store a large and complete stock, 
not only of watches, clocks and jewelry, but of musical instruments, wall 
paper, stationery and books. He has a comfortable home in Richmond 
having just finished a handsome new residence. He was married in 
Prussia, February 24, 1861, to Isabella DalHnger. They have had seven 
children, of whom two are deceased. The living are : Louis, born March 
13, 1862; he is now engaged with his father in the store; Emelie, born 
September 20, 1865; Bella, born July 12, 1867; Albert, born May 5, 1869, 
and Frederick Amo, born July 2, 1879. The older members of Mr. zur 
Megede's family belong to the Presbyterian Church. He is the youngest 
son of William zur Megede, who was burgomaster of the city of Soest. 

CAPTAIN JOHN P. QUESENBERRY. 

John P. Quesenberry is a native of Barren county, Kentuck}^, where he 
was educated, and grew from infancy to manhood. In 1840, he moved to 
Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, and has ever since resided in that town. 
He was first employed as salesman in the dry goods store of J. S. Hughes 
& Co., and afterward with James S. Lightner. He was attentive, indus- 
trious and efficient in these positions, and of course, filled them with credit 
to himself, and to the profit and satisfaction of his employers. By the year 
1848, he had saved out of his earnings sufficient n^eans to go into business 
on his own account, and in that year, in co-partnership with Robert 
McGee, Esq., opened a general store, under the firm name of J. P. Quesen- 
berry & Co. ; and, although Mr. McGee withdrew fi-om the firm in a few 
years, the firm name has never been changed, and still remains, J. P. 
Quesenberry & Co., though the subject of this sketch in the sole proprie- 
tor. Mr. Quesenberry has been long and actively engaged in business in 
Richmond; he has been a leading merchant of the town for almost a half 
century, and during all that time has earnestly labored to promote the 
interests of his town and county. He lives not alone for his own aggran- 
dizement, but to contribute to the well-being of those among whom he 
lives. He has been longer engaged as a merchant in Richmond, than 
any other man. In June, 1861, he joined the Confederate army, and was 
one of the first to enter that service from Ray county. He enhsted as a 
private soldier, but in April, 1862, was made quartermaster of his regi- 
ment, and served as such until July of the same year, when he was 
elected first lieutenant of his company, and in November following, the 
captain having fallen in battle, Lieutenant Quesenberry was elected to the 
captaincy, and held that rank until May, 1865, when he resigned on 
account of ill health, but remained with his command until the close of the 
war. He was present at, and participated in the following battles: 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 573 

Carthage, Springfield, Lexington, (Missouri), Oak Hill, Helena, Prairie 
Grove, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, (Louisana), and Jenkins' Ferry, besides 
numerous engagements of minor importance. In the army, as well as in 
civil life. Captain Quesenberry was always punctual — never " behind 
time." In camp he was genial, cheerful and full of life; in battle, brave, 
unfaltering, and at the fore-fi"ont. After the war, when peace was 
restored, he returned to his home, sorrowful, but not despondent, and 
resumed his former vocation, that of merchandising, in which he is now 
engaged. Captain Quesenberry takes a deep interest in all that looks to 
the improvement of his county, educational, religious or otherwise. He 
has long been united with the M. E. Church South, at Richmond, and is 
a leading member of the Masonic fraternity, having joined that order in 
1845. There are many " good men and true," in Ray county; Captain 
Quesenberr}^ is one of them, and none are more highly esteemed and 
respected. 

HENRY C. BURGESS. 

Henry C. Burgess was born in Independence, Jackson county, Missouri, 
in 1845. In 1859, he, with his parents moved to Johnson county, Mis- 
souri, where they remained until in 1863, when they removed to Rich- 
mond, Ray county. Mr. Burgess, in his youth, learned the wagon 
maker's trade, working at the business with his father, until the latter's 
death in 1878, when he and his brother, Thomas J. Burgess, took charge 
of the shop and business, and have since, as before, had an extensive trade. 
He, in partnership with his brother, does a general blacksmithing and 
wagon making business. They also repair wagons, buggies and farm 
implements, as well as manufacture both, wagons and buggies. They 
are superior workmen, and their work is equal in every particular to that 
made in eastern shops. They employ generally, from five to eight work- 
men. The subject of this sketch is a son of Thomas N., who was born 
in Madison county, Kentucky, about the year 1812, and died in Rich- 
mond, Missouri, in 1878. His mother's maiden name was Couchman ; she, 
also, was a native of Kentucky, and was born in 1815; died in 1874. The 
shop and residence of his brother, T. M. Burgess, were destroyed by the 
cyclone of June 1, 1878. Two of the femily died from injuries received, 
and five others were seriously wounded. The house, shop and contents 
were utterly destroyed. The brothers, however, nothing daunted, began 
anew after the disaster, and have succeeded admirably. Henry C. Bur- 
gess is a member of the Christian Church, and also of the Knights of 
Honor. He is an industrious, energetic, and worthy gentleman, and fully 
merits the success he has achieved, as well as the esteem in which he is 
held by his fellow-townsmen. 



574 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

THOMAS J. BURGESS. 

The subject of this sketch is a brother of Henry C. Burgess. He was 
born in 1860, in Jackson county, Missouri. His parents moved to Rich- 
mond, Ray county, in the fall of 1863, and here Mr. Burgess has ever 
since resided. He was educated at Richmond College. When about 
thirteen years of age he commenced to learn blacksmithing, working 
under different persons,* till the death of his father, when he and his 
brother succeeded to the business, which is fully described in connection 
with the biographical sketch of Henry C. Burgess. Mr. Burgess is yet 
quite young, but he is a skilled artisan, and being intelligent, prudent and 
persevering, his future is full of promise. 

ISAAC L. BURGESS. 

Isaac L. Burgess was born in 1844 in Independence, Jackson county, 
Missouri. He is a brother of H. C, and T. J. Burgess. In 1855, he 
moved with his parents to Johnson county, Missouri. He learned the trade 
of wagon-maker under his father, who was a skilled workman. In 1861, 
he enlisted in company G, 1st Missouri cavalry, Colonel Gordon's regiment 
of General Joe O. Shelby's brigade, Confederate army, and served until 
the fall of 1864. He fought bravely and well, taking part in the following 
engagements: Carthage, Springfield, Prairie Grove, Helena, Franklin 
and Nashville, Tennessee. After returning home from the army, he went 
to the Rocky Mountains and spent one year there, and again returned to 
Ray county, and engaged in farming, which he continued for two years; 
after which he resumed his trade in Richmond, Missouri, and has followed 
it ever since. He is an excellent workman and has a large trade ; the peo- 
ple liberally patronizing him because of his industry, energy and superior 
workmanship. Mr. Burgess is a member of the order of Knights of 
Honor. He is a worthy gentleman, prompt to meet every engagement 
reliable, honest, and honorable. January 10, 1869, he was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Sarah Walker, an intelligent, amiable lady, of Ray county, 
Missouri. They have two children, Charles F., born February 11, 1871, 
and Lulu, born February 17, 1874. 

HENRY P. GROW. 

Henry P. Grow was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, January 1.3, 1848, 
and lived in that city until 1860, when he, with his parents, moved to 
Ohio. In 1864 he enlisted in company C, 23d Ohio Union volunteers, 
and remained in the army till the close of the war. His regiment, which 
he was always with, save when disabled by a wound, took part in the 
battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia, October 19, 1864. In this engagement 
Mr. Grow was severely wounded in the left leg, and in the morning was 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 575 

captured, but recaptured in the evening. He was sent to the hospital at 
Baltimore, where he was confined to his room for three months, after 
which he was assigned to detail duty, being unable for active field service. 
After the close of the war he returned home and learned to be a carpen- 
ter under his father. In 1867 he moved to Ashland, Kentucky, and in the 
fall of 1870, came to Richmond, where he has ever since remained, with 
the exception of two years, from 1872 to 1874, spent in Kansas City, Mis- 
souri. Mr. Grow and his partner, Mr. Abbott, are among the leading 
carpenters and builders in Richmond; they are fine workmen, always 
reliable, prompt, and industrious. They erected many of the beautiful 
dwellings for which the city of Richmond is so remarkable. Mr. Grow 
has just completed a very handsome and substantial residence for himself. 
He is a member of the M. E. Church South; of the I. O. O. F.; of the 
Knights of Honor, and of the Knights of Pythias. He was married 
December 12, 1871, to Miss Paulina Jackson, of Ray county. To this 
union were born the following children: Annie M., Livie C. and Myrtle. 
His wife, who was a daughter of Caleb Jackson, of Ray county, died 
February 22, 1878. 

RUDOLPH PALMER. 

Rudolph Palmer is a Virginian, born in Loudon count}^ of the " Old 
Dominion," in the year 1821. His father was a farmer, and Rudolph 
followed that occupation in his native state till 1858, when he moved to 
Carroll county, Missouri, and again engaged in farming, and continued it 
for seven years in that county. In 1865, he moved to Ray county, and 
followed his occupation of farming till the spring of 1880 ; at which time 
he took charge of the boarding house in Richmond, of which he is now 
proprietor. Mr. Palmer was married in 1848, to Susan Whaley, of Vir- 
ginia. The offspring of this union was thirteen children, ten of whom 
are living: Hugh W., Franklin P., Nancy C, Mary V., Alice A., Louella, 
Minnie, John, Amy and Clyde. 

GEORGE W. BUCHANAN, M. D. 

Geo. W. Buchanan was born August 16, 1828, in Harrodsburg, Mercer 
county, Kentucky. His parents died, leaving him an orphan at the age 
of two years. His father was William Buchanan, an honored citizen of 
Kentucky. Doctor Buchanan is of Scotch descent, his ancestors having 
immigrated to the state of Virginia from Scotland at an early day. His 
grandfather, George Buchanan, was one of the early settlers in Kentucky, 
and his famil}^ was among those who located, laid out, and built the 
town of McAfee Station, Kentucky. He came to Missouri with his 
maternal grandfather, James Tilford McCoun, in or about the year 18o4, 
locating on land east of and adjacent to the city of Richmond, Ray county. 



576 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Here our subject spent his boyhood days and grew to man's estate. He 
attended school part of the time; the rest worked on the farm, and taught 
school, thereby earning a support and the means to complete his educa- 
tion, the foundation of which he had already laid by careful study and 
diligent application. After spending two years at the Masonic College, 
Lexington, Missouri, he, in 1850, returned to Kentucky, and was entered 
a student at Center College, Danville, and graduated from that institution 
in 1852. He then resolved to adopt the medical profession, and to that 
end attended a course of medical lectures at Cincinnati, Ohio. He sub- 
sequentl}^ became a student at the celebrated Jefferson Medical College? 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in 1855 graduated therefrom with honor. 
He returned to Richmond, and at once entered upon the practice of his 
profession, which, with marked success, he has ever since continued, and» 
with the exception of about seven years, at Richmond. During a part 
of the years 1861 and 1862, Doctor Buchanan was surgeon-in-chief of 
the hospitals at Lexington, under General Sterling Price, after which he 
resumed his practice at Richmond. George W. Buchanan was married 
in 1855 to Miss Emily Terry, of Richmond, Missouri, but a native of 
Danville, Virginia. He spent the years from 1864 to 1870 in Colorado, 
with his wife and family, having gone for the benefit of the former's 
health. While in Colorado, he practiced his profession. In 1869, Mrs. 
Buchanan died, at Georgetown, Colorado. By his marriage with Miss 
Terry, Doctor Buchanan has one son: William Terry, born in 1861. He 
was again married in 1872, to Henrietta R. Watkins, of Ray county. 
They have three children: George Watkins, Charles Allen, and James 
McAfee. Doctor Buchanan has been longer in practice at Richmond 
than any other physician (not retired) in the place. He has always had 
an extensive, lucrative practice, in which he has been remarkably suc- 
cessful. 

BENJAMIN F. DUNCAN. 

Professor Benjamin F. Duncan was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, 
April 29, 1842. When Benjamin was about nine years of age, his father 
moved to Daviess county, Missouri, and here he assisted his father in the 
cultivation and management of the latter's farm. In 1857, while working 
at a threshing machine, which was in rapid motion, he met with an unfor- 
tunate accident, which deprived him of his right arm. Two years later 
he began his college course at William Jewell College, Liberty, Clay 
county, Missouri, under the renowned William Thompson — the " Spur- 
geon of the West;" and in the spring of 1862, he entered the sophonlore 
class of Georgetown College, Georgetown, Kentucky, and graduated 
with honor, in 1865. After graduating, he spent the summer visiting 
with his cousin. Doctor J. F. Cook — now president of Lagrange (Mis- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 577 

souri), College — and through his influence received the position of presi- 
dent of the Campbellsburgh High School, which he held two years. He 
then determined to abandon the teacher's profession; and the law pre- 
senting an inviting field for his future labors, he determined to prepare 
himself for the bar. His friends, however, prevailed upon him to accept 
the presidency of Concord College, a Baptist institution, located at 
New Liberty, Owen county, Kentucky. After three years he resigned his 
position as president of this school, and purchased the Eminence Male 
and Female Seminary, located at Eminence, Kentucky. Here he 
remained until in 1876, when he sold that institution, and, returning to 
Missouri, was elected president of Grand River College, at Edinburg, 
Missouri; he, however, declined the position to accept that of principal of 
the Richmond, Ray county, public schools, which position he now holds. 
His rept^rt to the board of directors for the year ending the first Tuesday 
in April, 1881, will be found elsewhere in this volume. Professor Duncan 
is eminently well qualified for the profession of teacher; he has made it 
his life-work, and he is yet in the prime of active manhood, with years of 
usefulness, and a brilliant future before him. Benjamin F. Duncan was 
married November 14, 1867, to Miss Sarah E. Buchanan, a native of Hop- 
kinsville. Christian county, Kentucky. She is an educated lady, of amia- 
ble disposition. Her father was James Buchanan, who, for about twenty 
years, was professor of mathematics in Center College, Danville, Ken- 
tucky. They have four children: James B., Anna Blanche, John M., 
and Eva. 

WILLIAM S. TOMPKINS. 

William S. Tompkins is a native of Missouri. He was born in Ran- 
dolph county, February 25, 1839. He was educated in the common 
schools, and in Grand River College, Missouri. In the spring of 1861, he 
was mustered into the Confederate service, as a volunteer. He belonged to 
company F, Rives' regiment, fourth division, Missouri state guards. He 
bore a gallant part in the battles of Wilson Creek, Dry wood and Lexing- 
ton. In the last mentioned engagement, he was seriously wounded, 
being shot through the left shoulder. From this wound he has never so 
far recovered as to be able to perform manual labor. As he was disa- 
bled, Mr. Tompkins returned home, and reniained till 1864, when he 
rejoined the army, and staid with it till the termination of the war, when 
he engaged in farming and teaching school jointly. In 1875, he was 
elected county school commissioner of Ray county, for a term of two 
years ; at the end of which time he abandoned farming, and accepted the 
appointment as deputy county clerk, and held the position till January 1, 
1879, when he was elected as teacher of the intermediate department of 
Richmond Graded Schools, a position he now holds. William S. Tomp- 



578 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

kins was married in 1863, to Miss Nancy G. Terrill, of Randolph county, 
Missouri. They have five children living, and two sons deceased. The 
living are as follows: Martha A., Samuel, William G., Clara B., and 

(infant). Mr. Tompkins and wife are consistent members of the 

Baptist Church. He is a worthy gentlemen and a successful teacher. 

ADAM K. REYBURN. 

Adam K. Reyburn was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, August 6, 
1816. When Adam was about a year old, his parents moved to Missouri 
and settled in Boone county, where he lived till the age of nineteen. In 
1837, he went to Indiana and engaged in contracting and building, making 
his home at Indianapolis. Among the buildings erected by him in that 
city, are the state and branch bank buildings. In 1840, he returned to 
Missouri, and located in Lexington, where he merchandized two years. 
He then came to Richmond and bought a carding factory, which he con- 
tinued to operate until 1847, when he sold out and returned to Lexington, 
to resume the mercantile business, but this time in partnership with his 
brother, Lewis C. Reyburn. He soon sold out, however, and after 
spending one year in farming, near Pleasant Hill, in Cass county, returned 
again to Lexington, and built a carding machine, which he conducted till 
in 1852, in which year he came back to Richmond and repurchased the 
carding mill he had sold five years before. In 1858, he again sold his 
carding mill, and moved to his farm three miles west of Richmond. In 
1861, he returned to Richmond, and was not actively engaged in business 
during the war. In 1865, he was appointed sheriff of Ray county, and 
served two years. In the fall of 1866, he was elected by the people to 
the same oflSce, and held it four years. Since that time he has been 
engaged in farming. He owns 800 acres of valuable farming land, well 
improved and convenient to market, all of which he personally superin- 
tends. He resides in town, however, where he owns a fine property. He 
is a director and one of the stockholders in the Ray County Savings 
Bank. He and his wife are members of the Missionar}'- Baptist Church. He 
was married in the fall of 1843, to Permelia A. Griffin, of Lexington, Mis- 
souri. She is a native of Kentucky, and the daughter of Berry G. Griffin, 
who was born April 12, 1823, in Mason county, Kentucky. He was mur- 
dered in Richmond in 1867, by the bandits, who, at the same time, robbed 
the bank at Richmond. Mr. Reyburn and wife have six children, four 
boys and two girls, to-wit: Charles H., of Colorado, employed with Bar- 
low, Saunderson & Co., mail contractors; James T., a farmer, of Ray 
county; Permelia J., wife of John W. Francis, formerly sherifi' of Ray 
count3% but now of St. Louis; Lucy A., and George H. 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 579 



WILLIAM T. SINGLETON. 



William T. Singleton was born in Montgomery county, Missouri, in 
1852. He is a son of John S. Singleton, of Rolla, Phelps county, Mis- 
souri. He is a native of Virginia. His mother's maiden name was Stew- 
art. She is a native of Kentucky. His parents are still living. When 
about sixteen years of age, the subject of this sketch entered the employ 
of the Wabash Railroad Company, as telegraph operator at Wentzville, 
having learned telegraphy at High Hill, Missouri. He was operator at 
difTerent points on this road till in 1874, when he was appointed agent at 
Lexington, Missouri. He remained at Lexington three years, and was 
transferred to De Witt, Carroll county, Missouri. He was also in De 
Witt three years, and in the fall of 1880, came to Richmond, Ray county, 
where he is at present engaged with the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific 
Railroad Company. He has been constantly in the employ of this com- 
pany for more than thirteen years. This long period of uninterrupted 
service is ample testimony of his integrity, efficiency and gentlemanly 
deportment. Wm. T. Singleton was married June 4, 1879, to Miss Eva- 
line W. Squires, an accomplished lady of Carroll county, Missouri. They 
have one child, Bessie E., born March 9, 1881. He and his wife are 
members of the M. E. Church South. He is also a Mason. 

ROBERTSON L. JACOBS. 

R. L. Jacobs was born November 25, 1852, in Ray county, Missouri. 
He was educated at Richmond College. After leaving school, he went, 
in 1874, to Lacygne, Kansas, and engaged in the hardware business until 
1876, when he sold out and traveled through Texas for a few months, 
after which he located at Empire City, Kansas, dealing in hardware for a 
few months; after which he returned to Lacygne, and again engaged in 
the hardware business until January, 1878, when he sold out and returned 
to Ray county, and farmed for two years. In June, 1880, he purchased a 
harness shop, in Richmond, and has since been engaged in the business. 
He has a large trade and carries a full line of harness, saddles, etc. He is 
an enterprising, successful business man, and a gentleman of excellent 
moral character. He is a member of the Christian Church. 

CHARLES A. MOSBY, M. D. 

Charles A. Mosby was born in Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, Feb- 
ruary 29, 1855. He received his Hterary training at Richmond College, 
Richmond, Missouri. In 1875, he began the study of medicine under the 
instruction of his father. Dr. W. W. Mosby. In 1878 he graduated from 
the Missouri Medical College, St. Louis, Missouri. Having graduated, 
he returned to Richmond and entered at once upon the practice of his 



580 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

profession, associated with his father. While attending medical college 
in St. Louis, he still retained an interest in the drug store of Dr. W. W. 
Mosby & Son, at Richmond. He is yet a partner of his father in this 
store, which the}- have conducted for a number of years. They have 
recently completed a large brick building, in which is their drug store — 
one of the best appointed and most extensive in this part of the state. 
Mr. Mosby is a young rhan, highlj'- esteemed for his integrity, good nature 
and exemplary moral character. He is energetic, affable and obliging, 
and the confidence and esteem with which he is regarded are not unwor- 
thily bestowed. 

LOUIS BAUM. 

Louis Baum was born in Bosen, Prussia, in the year 1843. When 
about fifteen years of age, he came to the United States, and located in 
Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, where he engaged in selling goods till 
the breaking out of the civil war. He then began deahng in horses 
and mules, buying and selling them to the government, which he con- 
tinued till the close of the war. He then bought and sold horses and 
mules on his own account, shipping to St. Louis and New Orleans. In 
1879, he formed a co-partnership with George I. Wasson, Esq. They 
erected a large stable, and have since done a very extensive business, buy- 
ing, during the past eighteen months over $120,000 worth of mules and 
horses. Mr. Baum is a man of great energy and strict integrity. He is 
a son of Mishel Baum, a native of Germany, who came to America 
about the year 1879, and died in St. Louis, Missouri, May 31, 1881, at the 
age of eighty-four. He had seven children, six of whom were at his 
death-bed. The youngest daughter, living in New York, was not pres- 
ent. Mr. Baum is a member of the Masonic fraternity. He is also a 
member of two secret societies, known as Free Sons of Israel and Bena 
Brith, both of them in St, Louis. Mr. Baum's success has been achieved 
by energy, industry and perseverance, and his life is an example by which 
every young man may profit. 

JOHN W. FRANCIS. 

John W. Francis was born in Madison county, Ohio, on the 14th day of 
May, 1842. His father, Alexander B, Francis, was born in the same 
county and state, on the 28th day of January, 1817. His mother's name, 
before marriage, was Virginia A. Elsey. She was born in Virginia on 
the 9th of January, 1823, and was the eldest of a family of seven children. 
His parents were married on the 1st of August, 1841, and three years 
afterward in the spring of 1844, the year of the great overflow of the 
Missouri river, emigrated to the state of Missouri. They traveled mainly 
by steamboat in seeking their new home in the west. They landed first 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 581 

at Booneville, Missouri, but remained there only a short time, selecting, 
after a few weeks. Sugar Tree township, Carroll county, for their new 
home. His occupation here was farming, until the death of his mother, 
in April, 1854, when he lived for a short time in the family of Wilson 
Malone, and with his aunt Betsey Francis. His father marrying Mar- 
garet Colley, in 1855, he returned home and lived with his father until the 
death of his father's second wife. His father then sent him to live with 
John F. Dale, four miles northwest of Richmond, where he remained 
until his father married the third time, July 14, 1857, uniting his fortunes 
this time with Mary A. Proffitt. His father, about this time, purchased 
a small farm, seven miles north of Richmond, and lived on it until his 
death, which took place July 11, 1862. Before his father's death, a few 
months, he enlisted in the United States service, volunteering as a 
private in company K, 23d Missouri volunteers, for the term of three years 
from the 22d day of December, 1861. This regiment was then stationed 
at Grand River Bridge, one mile east of Utica, and shortly afterward 
went into winter quarters at Chillicothe, Missouri. On or about the 1st 
of March, 1862, his regiment was ordered to Benton Barracks, St. Louis, 
and after some thorough drilling, it was ordered to Pittsburg Landing, 
Tennessee. It left St. Louis by steamboat, on the first day of April, 1862, 
and succeeded in reaching its point of destination, Saturday, April 5, 1862, 
in time to participate in the great battle of Pittsburg Landing, on the 6th 
and 7th of April, 1862. His regiment was in General B. M. Prentiss' 
brigade, in the battle, and suffered terribly, having been greatly exposed 
in the hottest part of the engagement. His company (compan}' K) was 
fearfully depleted. Out of eighty men in this company that went into 
action, only fifteen answered at roll call at the close of the battle, the 
remainder being killed, wounded or taken prisoners. In fact, the entire 
regiment had met with such a heavy loss, that it was sent back to Alton 
Illinois, to recruit. The brave colonel of the regiment, Colonel Jacob 
T. Tindall, was killed on the first day of the battle, April 6, 1862. Mr. 
Francis received a wound in this battle, and was sent back to hospital in 
St. Louis, to receive surgical treatment. After recovering from his wound 
he rejoined his regiment, which had partly filled up its thinned ranks with 
new recruits, and in 1863 took up its line of march to McMinnville, Ten- 
nessee; thence to the front at Chattanooga, Tennessee, and took part in 
all the battles and skirmishes from there to Atlanta, Georgia. The prom- 
inent battles in which he was, were Mission Ridge, Resaca, Georgia; 
Ringgold, Georgia; Allatoona, Georgia; Kenesaw Mountains, Georgia; 
and in the siege of Atlanta. When his regiment arrived at Atlanta, it 
was assigned to the first brigade, third division, fourteenth army corps, 
army of the Cumberland. After the capture of Atlanta, he was in the 
memorable march after the Confederate General Hood and his army, 



582 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

when he went back to Franklin, Tennessee. On the Coosa river, near 
Rome, Georgia, General Sherman divided his army, and sent the fourth 
and twentieth corps to oppose General Hood and the remainder of the 
army concentrated at Kingston, Georgia, and severed communication 
with the world. He was one of the grand army that marched with Sher- 
man to the sea, and was one of the boys in blue, in that celebrated march, 
and took part in all the movements of the victorious columns that General 
Grant characterized as prompt, skillful and brilliant. He was discharged 
in 1865, at Hilton Head, South Carolina, and took passage on the ocean 
steamer Fulton, for New York City, thence by railroad to Ray county, 
Missouri. On reaching home he found his father and brother were both 
dead, and the other members of the family living at different places. He 
turned his attention to farming for a short time after he came home. In 
the spring of 1865, a regiment of Missouri militia was organized in Ray 
county, and he was elected captain of one of the companies, (company 
D), and duly commissioned by Thomas C. Fletcher, governor of Mis- 
souri, on the 5th day of May, 1865. In October, 1865, he went to Law- 
rence, Kansas, and hired to a freighting firm to drive a team of oxen 
across the plains to Fort Union, New Mexico, and was caught in a severe 
storm on the Cimarron, in New Mexico, and lost over three hundred head 
of oxen by freezing and starving to death. In the spring of the year 
following, he went on to Fort Union and Las Vegas, delivered over freight, 
and returned to Ray county in the summer of 1866. After the Rich- 
mond bank robbery, May 23, 1867, when John Shaw, mayor of Rich- 
mond, F. S. Griffin, deputy sheriff, and Benjamin G. Griffin, his father, 
were killed by the bank robbers, he was appointed deputy sheriff by Mr. 
A. K. Reyburn, who was then sheriff of Ray county. He acted as his 
deputy until his term of office expired. In November, 1868, he was 
elected sheriff and collector of Ray county, on the Republican ticket. 

On August 24, 1869, he married Amelia J. Reyburn, then seventeen 
years old, and eldest daughter of A. K. Reyburn, ex-sheriff of Ray 
county. The issue of the marriage has been two boys: Harry and 
Willie. The latter one, Willie, died January, 1874. In Novenaber, 1870, 
he was re-elected sheriff by a larger majority than any one on the ticket, 
running ahead of the party vote. He was also elected one term to the 
city council, and one term, marshal of the city of Richmond, from April, 
1870, to April, 1871. After the expiration of his term as sheriff and col- 
lector of Ray county, he went to Colorado and remained there about one 
year, then returned to Richmond, and shortly afterward moved to Hardin, 
Ray county, and was appointed by the board of trustees, marshal and 
collector, and served one term. He then moved back to Richmond. 
During his official career as sheriff, he discharged the duties of his office 
with marked ability. He pursued and captured many criminals and fugi- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 583 

tives from justice. Among the most noted ones were, James Devvers, 
whom he captured in Madison county, Kentucky, the reward being $1100. 
James Devvers was one of the bank robbers in Richmond, May 23, 1867. 
Another was William McDow, who killed Ben Houston near Knoxville, 
Missouri. He was caught at Lone Jack, Missouri, reward being $500. 
He also captured Abe Lee, who had killed his man in Mandeville, Car- 
roll county, Missouri. In April, 1877, he was appointed as postal clerk in 
the railway mail service by Postmaster General D. M. Key, a position which 
he now holds. He moved to the city of St. Louis at the time he was 
appointed, and still resides there. He was at one time a stockholder in 
the Ray County Savings Bank, and a director of the Ray County Agri- 
cultural Association. By his energy and close attention to business and 
the duties of his office, he acquired a large amount of property. He at 
one time owned the fine brick mansion east of Richmond, and four hun- 
dred acres of land near and adjoining the city. In the great financial 
crash of 1873, that involved so many men of capital and business talent, 
he lost the great bulk of the fortune he had amassed. His great energy 
and capacity for whatever he turns his attention to, are rapidly elevat- 
ing him to a high position in the prominent circles of business men of the 
country. His career, so far, is a fine example of what pluck and peseverance 
will do in overcoming all the unfavorable surroundings and obstacles of 
earlv life. 

HOLLAND VANDERPOOL. 

The early pioneers of our county are rapidly passing away; ere long 
the last of them will have been " gathered to their fathers. " Among the 
few who yet survive is Holland Vanderpool, a native of Campbell 
county. East Tennessee. He was born December, 24, 1806. His father, 
John Vanderpool, was the very first settler in Ray county. He came 
in the summer of the year 1815, and located on Crooked river, in the 
southeastern part of the county, and the early years of our subject's 
life were those of the pioneer. School advantages were meagre — in fact 
there were no schools — and Mr. Vanderpool's literary training is, in con- 
sequence, limited to such as he acquired at home, with no further assist- 
ance from others than the teaching him of the alphabet by his parents. 
August 28, 1828, Mr. Vanderpool was married to Miss Leah Linville, 
also a native of Tennessee. The result of this union was ten children, 
only four of whom are now living, as follows: Franklin, James K., 
George W. and Martha. Holland Vanderpool has spent almost his entire 
life in Ray county, and now that his head is blossoming for the grave, he 
is sustained and blessed by the reflection that he has " lived honorably, 
hurt nobody, and rendered every man his due. " For more than fort}^ 
years he has been a faithful, consistant member of the Old School Baptist 



584 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Church. A man of proverbial kindness, he has done much to reheve the 
sufferings of others — ministering to the distressed, healing the sick and dis- 
pensing charity to those truly in need, whenever and wherever he could. 
Mr. Vanderpool took no part in the civil war! He remained at home, 
pursuing his life-long vocation of farming. He has made it the ruling 
principle of his life " to do unto others as he would be done by, " and has 
therefore the respect of all who know him. A worthy citizen, a warm- 
hearted, obliging gentleman. We are happy to pay this tribute to a 
character deserving a more extended notice than the plan of this work 
will allow. 

ALEXANDER OLIPHANT. 

Alexander Oliphant was born at Marlfield, near Kelso, county of Rox- 
borough, in Scotland, in 1806, and died from the effects of injuries received 
from a fall in Leavenworth, Kansas, September 22, 1878. He married 
Mrs. Martha Nisbet, widow of John Nisbet, December 7, A. D. 1837, in 
the county of Armagh, in Ireland. His wife survives him. He had two 
children, Mary G. Oliphant, now Maitland, wife of Alexander Maitland, 
and Ralph Oliphant, both of whom survive him. Johanna H. N. Nisbet 
was a daugher of Mrs. Martha Oliphant by her first husband, who mar- 
ried James W. Black, of Richmond, Missouri. She died October 3, A. 
D. 1860. In 1838, Mr. OHphant left Scotland for the purpose of making 
his future home in the United States. In the same year he settled on his 
farm, seven miles north of Richmond, in Ray county, in the state of Mis- 
souri, where he remained until the day of his death. Mr. Oliphant hav- 
ing become a citizen of this country, always took a lively interest in its 
prosperity. In all the issues peculiar to a new country constantly spring- 
ing up, he displayed a clear judgment and great thought in forming his 
conclusions. As a farmer he was active, enterprising and successful. 
His farm was a model of enterprise. Always ready to encounter the risk 
of the adoption of modern appliances and methods, he kept pace with the 
great progress in agricultural pursuits. In the raising ot fruit and culture 
of the grapes, he displayed great art, and brought to bear a knowledge of 
botany that only intense observ^ation and stud}^ can supply, and in what- 
ever direction he turned his attention in the raising of staple productions, 
the introduction of improved quality of cereals, the raising of stock or cul- 
ture of fruit of every character, he was not satisfied to tread the trodden path, 
but sought from observation and science, and treatises upon the subject that 
knowledge which would enable him to keep fully up with the greatest 
advance of science. His dwelling, surrounded by plants and flowers, 
indigenous and exotic, displa3^ed his culture and taste and rendered his 
home a bower of beautv which a Shenstone or a Rogers might have 
envied. Amidst all his busv and active pursuits he still retained his love 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 585 

of the muses. Every department of knowledge received his attention. 
Mathematics never palled upon his taste, and in their varied applications, 
he took intense interest. Surveyor of the county in which he resided for 
a number of years, and subsequently undertaking large contracts of survey- 
ing under the government of the United States in the territory of Kansas, 
he made himself thoroughly master of the most complicated instruments and 
S5'^stem of surveying used in surveying large tracts of country. He made 
a specialty of chemistry, ornithology and pyrotechny. He had a rare and 
valuable collection of birds of the various species peculiar to the west, and 
studied with care their habits and peculiarities. A devoted lover of chem- 
istry, he spent a portion of his time in its experiments and applications; 
and pyrotechny furnished a means for some of its most striking illustra- 
tions as well as amusement for his leisure hours. Turning from severer 
pursuits, music would relax his overstrained faculties, and as the airs 
adapted to ballads and lyrics familiar to his youth welled from his favor- 
ite instrument, he would live over his life again and roam amidst the for- 
ests, and hills, and mountains and lakes of his native land. Mr. Oliphant 
graduated at Edinburgh College. He possessed a mind thoroughl}- dis- 
ciplined bv the most laborious and intense study. Possessing a fine natu- 
ral capacity, and aided by every facility for acquiring information, he 
explored a wide field of science and stored up a vast amount of knowl- 
edge. He was gifted vyith a memory strong, vigorous and grasping, 
which retained, even in his old age, a tenacity of retention truly wonderful. 
His conversation was a rich and varied feast. Mr. Oliphant was mem- 
ber of the Episcopalian Church, enjoying full membership until the day of 
his death. He was distinguished for his social qualities. His society was 
sought by all. All would leave his social reunions not only feeling they 
had been pleased and entertained, but instructed. He was a kind friend, 
a devoted husband and an affectionate father; and his family mourn him 
as one whose place can never be filled. 

PEYTON T. SMITH. 

Peyton T. Smith, a native of Missouri, was born in St. Charles county. 
May 3, 1820. His parents, James W. and Lucy H., about the year 1824, 
removed with their infant son, Peyton, to this county, locating about seven 
miles southwest of Richmond, on what is known as Rollins' Branch. 
Nearly two years later they again removed to the farm now owned and 
occupied by the subject of this sketch. Here, in later years, the elder 
Mr. Smith, assisted by his son, operated a tannery, in connection with the 
farm. Peyton T. Smith was married January 19, 1843, to Miss Lucy H. 
Bates, a native of Virginia. The marriage ceremony was performed 
near where they now reside, by the Rev. Zachariah Quesenberry. This 
37 



586 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

union was blessed by the birth of six children, five of whom still live. 
The other, born March 3, 1847, died in infancy. The names of the sur- 
viving children, with dates of birth, are as follows, viz: Cleopatra S., born 
May 19, 1844; James W., born May 7, 1848; Mary S., born April 2f, 
1850; Nancy F., born May 22, 1852. Although Mr. Smith has met with 
severe reverses in business, great destruction and loss of property by fire, 
at different times during life, his well known industry and close attention 
to business, and his indomitable pluck in battling against adversity, have 
won for him an enviable position among his neighbors. He owns a highly 
improved farm of 172 acres. One hundred and sixty acres of it, com- 
prising pasture lands, orchard and tillable fields, are in a high state of 
cultivation, well watered and stocked. Mr. Smith, despite the obstacles 
he has been obliged to combat, is to-day a successful business man, and 
as an evidence of the esteem in which he is held as a financier, he has 
been successively elected to the responsible position of director in the Ray 
County Savings Bank. 

GEORGE FRANK. 

Was born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, September 26, 1849. His 
father, John Frank, died there, and his mother subsequently married 
Phillip Burrell. They removed to Lawrence county, Ohio, afterward to 
Boyd county, Kentucky, and after vibrating between these two states for 
some time, they finally found a permanent residence in the latter county 
and state. The old people yet live there. George Frank left them at 
the age of seventeen, to go out into the world and fight the battle of life 
alone. After visiting different sections of Ohio and Virginia, in all of 
■which he lived awhile, at different times, he was married at Carborf- 
dale, Ohio, by the mayor of Athens, to Miss Dorothea Hayson, in Sep- 
tember, 1872. They became the parents of two children, named respect- 
ively Ella and Jennie. Mr. Frank and family immigrated in 1876 to 
Missouri, settling in Ray county. Two years later he went to Leaven- 
worth, Kansas, returning again here, after an absence of about fifteen 
months. He has followed the occupation of mining all his life, which 
accounts for the somewhat nomadic life he has led. He is a member of 
both the orders of Odd Fellows and Kniglits of Pythias. 

HENRY PAGE. 

Was born in April, 1826, in Howard county, Missouri. In the autumn 
of 1835 he came to Ray county, where he has ever since made his home. 
A year later, by the death of his father, he was compelled, at the early 
age of ten years, to commence to labor for the support of the family. 
He was thus denied the privileges that even those primitive times afforded 
for the acquirement of an education. When only twenty years old, he 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 587 

enlisted as a soldier, under General Sterling Price, and did good service 
in the war against Mexico. After his discharge, allured by the hope of 
finding a short road to wealth in the gold fields of California, he crossed 
the plains, in the year 1850, with a train of ox teams. After spending four 
years of privation and toil in the mining camps of the west, he returned 
home, bringing a goodly quantity of the precious metal with him. Mr. 
Page was married November 8, 1859, to Miss Emma Thompson, of Ray 
county. Six children were born to them, named as follows: Joseph T., 
Sallie A., Nellie, Margaret S., Henry, and Elizabeth. This gentleman, 
as the result of his habits of industry and economy, is the owner to-day 
of fourteen hundred acres of good, rich land. Besides being a successful 
farmer, he is also extensively engaged in stock-raising, usually feeding all 
the grain he produces at home. His farm, one of the finest and best in 
the county, is situated four miles north of Richmond. 

THOMAS B. HEWLETT. 

The subject of this sketch was born August 16, 1815, in Hanover 
county, Virginia. He is descended, on the paternal side, from Scotch 
ancestry; his mother's people were English. When he was but a year 
old, his parents removed with him to Washington county, Kentucky, 
where he grew up to manhood's estate. In the fall of 1836, he emigrated 
to Palmyra, Missouri, but, after remaining only a year, went back to 
Kentucky. Again, in 1842, he came to Missouri, and chose Ray county 
as the place for his future and permanent residence, settling, at first, seven 
miles north of Richmond, where he continued to reside until 1857, at 
which time he sold his farm and bought the one where he now lives. 
Here, he built Hewlett's saw mill, and in 1859, also a grist mill, which he 
operated, as miller, for eighteen years. In 1878, he sold his mill, and 
since that time, has devoted his attention altogether to farming. Mr. 
Hewlett was, in 1880, a successful candidate for judge of the county 
court of Ray county. This honorable position he has since filled, to the 
entire satisfaction of the people. Judge Hewlett was married, before he 
left Kentucky, in April, 1836, to Miss Nancy Flournoy, a native of that 
state; They had four children, two of whom, John P., born July 3, 1839, 
and Emily, born April 23, 1847, still survive. Mrs. Hewlett died August 
15, 1847, and he married again x\pril 4, 1852. The second Mrs. Hewlett 
is a native of Missouri. Her maiden name was Miss Rhoda A. Trigg. 
The fruit of the last union is four children, living: Thomas B., Jr., born 
January 18, 1853; Pocahontas, born May 5, 1854; Elizabeth, born August 
8, 1859; Alexander D., born March 30, 1861. Judge Hewlett's father, 
Terry Hewlett, was a Virginian, born about 1770, and died in 1820. He 
served valiantly under the i\merican flag in the war of 1812. The gen- 
tleman whose name heads this article is well and widely known, and 



5SS HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

highly respected and esteemed, as his official position testifies. He owns 
a fine, ferrilsi farm, comprising three hundred and ten acres of the best 
land in the county, abundantly stocked and equipped, and is well fixed to 
end his days in comfort, and at peace with all mankind. 

JOSEPH B. HINES. 

Joseph B. Hines, a native of Ray county, Missouri, was born Septem- 
ber 27, 1828. After finishing his education at the Richmond Academy, 
he began teaching school in which profession he continued until 1850' 
He was united in marriage to Miss Jemima E. Hutchinson, of Lafayette 
county, Missouri, in November, 1847. Two children, Mary I. and John, 
were born to Mrs. Hines. With them and their mother, Mr. Hines 
started to California in the height of the gold excitement of 1850. On 
their toilsome, tedious march across the plains, Mrs. Hines and both the 
children were seized with that dread disease, cholera, and the husband 
and father, powerless to aid them, and almost frantic with grief, watched 
them all die before him. Burying their remains, near Fort Laramie, Mr. 
Hines pursued his journey westward. He spent three years mining on 
the Pacific slope. In California, November 25, 1851, he was again mar- 
ried to Eleanor Sharp, by whom he has six children living: John S., 
William T., Joseph P., Olivia F., Gustavus A., and Viola S. Mr. Hines 
returned from the west in the spring of 1853, and engaged in farming, 
where he now resides, a beautiful place, well improved, four miles north- 
west of Richmond. At the breaking out of the civil war, he enlisted in 
company B, Major Cummins' regiment, C. S. A., where he served about 
three months as forage master. At the expiration of that time a reor- 
ganization was held at Springfield, and Mr. Hines entered the service, 
as commissary of the regiment, which position he held until after the bat- 
tle of Pea Ridge, in March, 1862, when he went to Carrollton, Arkansas, 
as recruiting officer for General Raines. Here he was given the altern- 
ative of imprisonment at Alton, or " protection papers." He chose the 
latter, and at once returned home. Shortly afterwards, he left again, 
going to Iowa, where he taught school for about a year. At the close of 
the term he came back home, and has ever since been a resident of Ray 
county, engaged in farming and teaching. For the last few years he has 
devoted a great deal of attention to the nursery business, having now, on 
his farm, a fine young nursery of ten thousand good trees, of the best 
varieties. Mr. H. has taught school, at intervals, ever since he was 
eighteen years old. He has just closed a term with great satisfaction to 
all the patrons. He is a prominent member of the Masonic order, and also 
became a member and took an active interest in the inauguration and 
organization of the order of Patrons of Husbandry. Mr. Hines has, 
indeed, had a varied and eventful career, and passed through many rough 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 589 

ordeals, but he appears to have come out of them all unscathed, and is 
to-day successful in business, and highl}^ respected by all who know him. 

JOHN V.JOHNSON. 

Was born February 14, 184^. He lived in Effington county, Illinois, 
until he attained his majority. Then seven years in DeWitt county, same 
state. In 1862 he came to Missouri and found a temporary home in Cald- 
well county. The same year he enlisted in the Union arm}^ for three 
months. After his return from the army he located in Ray county, Mis- 
souri, where he has since lived. He was married February 3d, 1876, to 
Miss Lydia A. Dey, a native of Ray connty. They have two children: 
Elihu and Lewis. Mr. Johnson's business is mining. 

WILLIAM D. PAINTER. 

A native of Todd county, Kentucky. Was born August 21, 1849, and 
came to Ray count}'-, Missouri, in 1879. Prior to 1872 he was engaged in 
farming, since then he has given his attention to coal mining. He has been 
married three times. First, in 1865, February 8, to Amanda James, of 
Bates county, Missouri. They had one child: Rebecca Ellen. Second, 
February 3, 1868, to Dialter Nelson, of Clay county, Missouri.' Third, 
July 6, 1871, to Martha E. Sullards, of Andrew county, Missouri. The 
last Mrs. Painter became the mother of four children, of whom but one, 
Mary Francis, is living. 

W. F. LANCASTER. 

William F. Lancaster was born in Mercer county, Kentucky, in August, 
1827, and was educated there. When he left school he was apprenticed 
for two years to a carpenter in Cincinnati, Ohio. Went with his parents, 
after finishing his apprenticeship, to Vja.n Buren county, Iowa, and lived 
there fifteen years, following carpentermg for a while, then saw-milling, 
and afterward farming. He came to Ray county, Missouri, in 1865, having 
purchased land here the year previous. His farm at that time was in a 
poor state of cultivation, had only an inferior log house upon it, and 
no other improvements worthy of mention. By his industry and prudent 
economy Mr. Lancaster is now surrounded by all the comforts and 
improvements enjoyed by any of his neighbors, a fine commodious resi- 
dence, a large, roomy and substantial barn, which is an object of admira- 
tion to all who see it, and an excellent orchard, w^hile the^entire place has 
an air of business thrift and enterprise. Mr. Lancaster was not himself 
engaged in either army during the rebellion, but had three brothers on the 
Union side. One of these died in prison, another at Memphis, and the 
third, surviving the war, returned home. Wm. F. Lancaster has been 



590 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTS. 

twice married. First, in 1S54, to Miss Jane Smith, of Iowa. The issue of 
this marriage was four children, two of whom, James Rolla and Vesta 
Iowa, yet live. His second \vife was Miss Jennie McDowel, of Ray 
county. By her he has two children: Charlie C, and Eddie E. Mr. 
Lancaster did the most of the work with his own hands in the construc- 
tion of the buildings upon his farm. He is a good carpenter, a practical, 
successful farmer, an estimable neighbor and a good citizen. 

DAVID W. KELL. 

The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was born in Madison 
county, Illinois, July 29, 1844. He was educated at Shurtleff College, in 
the city of Alton. His father was conducting a hardware store there, 
and when young Kell had finished his collegiate course he found employ- 
ment in that business. He was afterwards, in the year 1868, engaged in 
railroading, and later, found employment on a steamboat. He emigrated 
to California in 1865, and while there was occupied with farming. He 
returned home in 1867, and in 1869, visited Ray county, Missouri, and 
remained during the summer. After his return home he continued the 
cultivation of his farm. In 1874, he left Illinois, and established his home 
in Ray county, and here he has ever since resided. Mr. Kell was mar- 
ried to Miss Louise Clarke, of Ray county, Missouri, in the month of 
December, 1870. She proved a most excellent wife, and devoted mother. 
Three children were born to them: Edward C, Reuben L. and Ella M., 
who were early deprived, by death, of their mother's loving care. Mrs. 
Kell died in October, 1878. She was very popular, and highly esteemed 
for her amiable character. Her untimely death was deeply mourned by 
her many friends and relatives. Mr. Kell has a fine farm of two hundred 
acres, with a handsome and comfortable residence. He is a good citizen, 
and a rehable, honest, upright man. 

S. O. MASON. 

Samuel O. Mason was born on the 31st day of May, 1835, in Mason 
county, Kentucky. His parents immigrated to Missouri when he was 
very young, and settled for a time in Lafayette county. Here he received 
his education, and, after leaving school, devoted himself to farming. He 
enlisted from Lafayette county, with General Jo Shelby, and served for 
some time in the Confederate army. He was discharged at Baton Rouge, 
Louisiana. He returned to Missouri, and began farming in Ray county. 
Mr. Mason was married on the 28d day of September, 1856, to Miss 
Georgia Ann Delanev, a resident of Lexington, Lafayette county, Mis- 
souri, but born in Kentucky. Of this union eight children were born, six 
of whom, Robert, Ida, Flora, A., Byron, and Geor^^aa, still Uve. Two, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 591 

who were 3^ouncTer, died in infancy. Mr. Mason was called upon to suffer 
the loss of his excellent wife, and the children to mourn the absence of a 
loving, tender mother's care. Mrs. Mason died August 9, 1878, and the 
sunshine went out of that once happy home. Mr. Mason has traveled 
considerably over different states of the Union, but has seen no section ot 
the country he likes better than old Ray. He has a fine large farm, in 
excellent condition, a handsome residence, and a commodious and con- 
viently arranged barn. He deals extensively in live-stock, and is con- 
stantly grazing or feeding stock for market. He is to-day the possessor 
of a handsome competency, and has the pleasant reflection as he enjoys 
it, that it is all the result of his own industry. 

ROBERT W. MASON. 

This gentleman is a Missourian. He was born in Lafayette county, 
on the 12th day of June, 1857, and was educated there and in Ray county. 
His parents removed with him to the latter county in 1865, where he has 
ever since been engaged in his favorite occupation, farming. He was 
married on the 18th day of November, 1879, to Miss Lillie J. Slusher, 
daughter of a prominent farmer of Lafayette county, Missouri. R. W. 
Mason is the eldest son of Mr. Samuel O. Mason, a native of Kentucky. 
Mr. Mason owns an excellent farm of one hundred and seventy-five acres 
in Richmond township, in an unsurpassed condition in point of product- 
iveness, a fine, commodious residence, and other improvements and con- 
veniences of modern kind. He is an industrious, progressive, and suc- 
cessful young farmer, and is universally liked for his good-natured hos- 
pitality, so freely dispensed to friend or stranger. He counts his friends 
by the score. With the advantages he now possesses, and his well- 
established habits of industry and economy, Mr. Mason cannot fail of 
attaining great wealth long before he is an old man. 

J. R. HUNT. 

James R. Hunt was born three miles from the town of Richmond, Ray 
county, Missouri, on the 29th day of June, 1829. Richmond, was at that 
time, a straggling village. His parents were natives of the state of Ken- 
tucky, and came to Ray county among the pioneer settlers. In the 
acquirement of his education he received the advantages of such schools 
as were accessible to him at that early day. He has always been a farmer, 
that being his chosen vocation. He did not engage in the civil war. 
Spent some time in 1865 on the plains of the great west. He was mar- 
ried on the 6th day of June, 1852, to Miss- Anna E. Morris, daughter of 
Washington Morris, Esq., an old settler and prominent citizen of Ray 
county. The issue of their union was fourteen children ; ten of whom, 
Sallie, Isabelle, Francis Marion, Edward S., Cordia, George W., Kate, 



592 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Emma, Ella and Ollie, are now living, Mr. Hunt's mother, who lives 
with him, thouorh seventy-three years of age, retains a strong active mem- 
ory and is in excellect health. This estimable old lady remembers vividly 
many interesting anecdotes and incidents connected with pioneer life in 
the county. Mr. Hunt owns a valuable farm, well stocked and improved, 
and is in a highly prosperous condition. He is quite extensively engaged 
in breeding and handling fine sheep. He is a practical, successful farmer, 
an obliging neighbor, and a highly respected citizen in his community. 

GEORGE S. EWING. 

A native of Howard county, Missouri, and was born January 19, 1832. 
His parents removed to Ray county when he was very young, and here, 
together with some schooling in Kentucky, he received his education. 
He was occupied with farming until the beginning of the great civil war, 
M^hen he espoused the cause of the south and enlisted for the war under 
General Sterling Price. He was engaged at the battles of Corinth, 
Springfield, luka, Franklin, New Hope Church, and other lesser engage- 
ments. Was discharged at Jackson, Mississippi, in the spring of 1865, 
and returning to Ray county, Missouri, resumed his farming. Mr. 
Ewing was married in the month of June, 1852, to Miss Lydia A. Tisdale, 
of Ray county. They became the parents of five children, living: Wil- 
liam W., Robert S., Joseph, Jackson and Thomas. In religion, Mr. 
Ewing is a Baptist, a consistent and devoted Christian and a good man. 

REV. N. B. PEELER. 

This gentleman, whose life's history we now have the pleasure of 
presenting to his many friends and admirers, was born in Howard county, 
Missouri, on the 21st of April, A. D. 1832. He was educated at Bethany 
College, West Virginia, graduating in 1858. He was fortunate in receiv- 
ing instructions, counsel and admonition from that distinguished divine, 
Alexander Campbell, the founder of the Christian Church. In 1859, he 
went to Kentucky and spent eight years there, preaching and teaching 
school in the counties of Woodford, Fayette and Henry. Returning 
again to Howard county, Missouri, he continued the work of a minister 
and teacher for four years. He moved to Richmond, Ray county, in 
1871, and organized and taught the public school in that place for one 
year. From August, 1872, to December, 1873, he was pastor of the Chris- 
tian Church at CarroUton, Missouri; from that time until 1875 of the 
church at Richmond, Missouri; preaching, also, at different points in the 
county. Subsequently he removed to the farm upon which he now lives, 
and which he conducts in connection with his teaching and ministerial 
labors. Mr. Peeler was married on the 10th day of November, 1865, to 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 593 

Miss Mary A. Redd, of Fayette county, Kentucky. From this union 
seven children have been born to them: JuHan, Alfred R., Paul and 
Spence, twins, David H., Archibald O. and Annie. The Rev, Mr. 
Peeler's father was born in North Carolina, in 1794; immigrated to 
Howard county, Missouri, in 1818, and has lived there ever since, and 
although he has reached the ripe age of eighty-six years, he is remarka- 
bly strong and healthy. Mr. Peeler, senior, has been judge of the county 
court and was at one time a member of the general assembly of the state 
of Missouri. His occupation is farming. He is a descendant of the Ger- 
mans who settled in Pennsylvania at an early day, and has always enjoyed 
the respect and esteem of his fellow men. Rev. Peeler is now pastor of 
the Hickory Grove Christian Church and also of the congregation at 
Russellville. He is a popular and successful minister, a good teacher, a 
prominent citizen, and is greatly beloved by his people. He has done a 
good work for the denomination he represents in Ray county. 

W. R. BALLINGER. 

Wm. R. Ballinger is a Kentuckian. He was born in Garrard county, 
Kentucky, in the year 1816. He obtained his education in the common 
schools. He was early inspired with a liking for the life of a farmer, and 
has always pursued that calling. In 1836 he went to Illinois, and for a 
length of time followed farming and stock-raising in that state. He 
would, perhaps, still be living there, were it not for the failure of his 
health. He came to Ray county, Missouri, in the fall of 1871, and lived 
for three years on a farm, near Richmond. He afterward removed to 
the place, where he now resides. Mr. Ballinger's parents were Virgin- 
ians, who removed to Kentucky with the tide of early immigration to 
that state. Wm. R. Ballinger was married in the spring of 1853, to Miss 
A. E. Bibb, of Illinois. The issue of this marriage is eight children: 
Mary L., Paulina, Mattie, Jennie, Henry, Benjamin, Allen, and William. 
He owns a fine farm of 360 acres, nearly all of which is under cultivation; 
has a good, substantial dwelling, and other improvements usually found 
on a well-kept farm. He is extensively engaged in raising fine stock. 
Mr. Ballinger is a prominent citizen, and universally respected, and held in 
high regard as a man by his neighbors . 

S. C. DAVIS. 
Was born in Ray county, Missouri, November 26, 1S36. His parents 
were from the state of Tennessee, and came here with the first settlers of 
Ray county. They had three sons, two of whom were killed during the 
civil war. Mr. Davis was educated in the schools of his native county, 
and after leaving school engaged in the avocation of farming. He was 
married in the month of February, 1856, to Miss Sophronia A. Schooler, 



594 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

of Ray county. Six children have been born to them, whose names fol- 
low: Isabella A., Edward R., Martha A., Benora F., Maggie A., and 
James F. Mr. Davis has traveled considerably through the great west. 
Spent some time at the Mormon city of Salt Lake, Utah. He owns a 
farm of one hundred acres of good, rich land, a comfortable residence, 
and necessary out buildings for the shelter of stock and grain. He 
engages largely in the cattle trade, and fattens cattle for market upon his 
farm. He is a practical business man and highly prosperous. He is a 
worthy member of the order of Patrons of Husbandry, Crooked River 
Grange, number 1,005, and a good, substantial citizen of Richmond 
township. 

FRANK REMELINS. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Germany, having been born in 
Bavaria, one of the German states, in the month of October, 1836. He 
received his education in the justly celebrated schools of his native land. 
He was trained to the calling of a furrier and previous to his departure 
from Europe, was engaged in dressing furs and in other departments of 
the business. Left Germany in 1853, for America, and landed at New 
York, remaining there for about four years, working at carpentering. 
He left New York about the year 1858, and travelled through all the 
northern, most of the western and southern states, finally settling in Mis- 
souri, near the town of Springfield, in Greene county. Here he lived and 
worked at carpentering, in its different branches, until 1861, when he 
enlisted in the home guards, under Colonel Phelps. Afterwards, his time 
having expired in the home guard service, he enlisted in the fourteenth 
regiment of state militia, commanded by Colonel Richardson. He was at 
the battle of Springfield, Missouri, and in several other skirmishes. 
Receiving his discharge at Warrensburg, in the spring of 1865, he 
came to Lexington, Missouri, and resumed work at his trade, carpentering 
and millwrighting. He removed to Ray county in 1869, and has since 
lived here. Mr. Remelins was married in the year 1858, to Miss Augusta 
Bube, also a native of Germany. They became the parents of five chil- 
dren: Louis, Ike Eugene, Frank, Emma and Paulina. He owns five 
hundred and twenty acres of Ray county's best land, well improved and 
stocked with the best varieties of domestic animals, a handsome, comfort- 
able residence, a good barn and other out buildings, and is a successful, 
wealthy farmer and a substantial citizen of his adopted county. 

S. C. EDGAR. 

This gentleman is a native of Kentucky, born in Hart county, Decem- 
ber 12, 1845. His parents moved to Grayson county, Kentucky, when 
he was but three years of age, and there he received his education, and 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 595 

began the work of a farmer. From Grayson county he removed to 
Hardin county, in the same state, where he lived until 1869, in September 
of which year, he removed to Ray county, Missouri. Here he has ever 
since had his home. During the war between the states, he was in the 
Union army, under General Johnson, but was not engaged in any impor- 
tant fights. Mr, Edgar was married on the 10th day of January, 1877, 
to Miss Florence Maberry, a native of Ray county. They have one 
child, living: Carl C. He owns a fine, productive farm of 120 acres, in 
a good section of the county, adjacent to schools and churches. Mr. 
Edgar is a kind, obliging neighbor, and an industrious, practical farmer, 
and is well thought of by his fellow citizens of Richmond township. 

A. D. HARBISON. 

The gentleman whose name heads this article, was born in Shelbyville, 
Shelby county, Ky., on the 11th of October, 1849. When he was but nine 
years old his father removed to a farm in Ray county, Missouri, and here 
our subject was reared and educated, and here he has always pursued 
the business of farming. Mr. Harbison was married in the year 1874, to 
Miss Susie Goldbar, of Ray county, Missouri. Two children have been 
born of this union : Myrtie Alice and Minnie Eliza. Mr. Harbison owns 
one hundred acres of Ray's best soil, with a good, comfortable residence, 
and the whole place betokens industry, thrift and enterprise. He is one of 
the best citizens of Richmond township. 

JAMES P. HAYNES. 

J. P. Haynes is a prominent farmer of Richmond township and now 
(April, 1881,) holds the office of public administrator of Ray county. He 
was born August 20, 1816, in Murray county, Tennessee. His parents 
were natives of North Carolina. When he was yet quite young, his father 
moved from Murray to Bedford county, Tennessee, but remaining there 
only for a time, immigrated to Ray county, Missouri, settling in the town- 
ship in which our subject has ever since lived. Mr. Haynes' education 
was finished in the schools of Ray county. He was reared upon a farm, 
and farming has always been his chief occupation, though he taught 
school for some time in his early manhood. His father died in 1862 at the 
age of seventy-five; his mother lived until 1880, when she died, at the ripe 
old age of eighty-nine years. Mr. Haynes is of a quiet, peaceable dispo- 
sition, and has never taken any part in war-like movements, except for a 
short time, against the Mormons, in this county. He was married Novem- 
ber 1, 1841, to Miss Jane Schooler, a native of Tennessee. They were 
married in Ray county. The issue of this marriage is six children, living. 
Their names are as follows: Joseph H., George R., James H., Rosabelle 



596 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

J., Mary E. M., and John A. Mr. Haynes was elected justice of the peace 
in 1854, and held that office for eleven years, and as an evidence of the 
popularity and respect in which he is held by the people of the county, he 
was, in 1872, elected by a handsome majority, on the democratic ticket, 
to the responsible office of public administrator. This office he has ever 
since held to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. He also is, and 
has been for years, director of the schools of his neighborhood. Mr. 
Haynes is the owner of three hundred acres of as good land as aay 
in the county, in an excellent state of cultivation, with a good comfortable 
residence, and other necessary improvements. He is engaged, to a con- 
siderable extent, in breeding and raising fine stock; his blooded Cotswold 
sheep, especially, are the admiration of all. He is a worthy member of 
Myrtle Lodge No. 338, A. F. & A. M., and also of Crooked River Grange 
No. 1005, P. of H. In rehgion, Mr. Haynes is a consistent member of the 
Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He is one of the most substantial 
farmers and best citizens of Ray county. 

W. S. PETERS. 

William S. Peters was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, June 7, 1819. 
In 1821, his parents removed to Kentucky, and lived in that state until the 
year 1855. From Kentucky the subject of this sketch came to Boone 
county, Missouri, landing at Rocheport on the Missouri river, March 26, 
1855, and after living in that county for a time, moved to Malta Bend, in 
Saline county, where he purchased a fine farm and was largely engaged 
in the stock dealing business with J. W. Layne. From Saline county he 
moved to Carroll county in the year 1877, and two years afterwards to 
this county, where he has since lived. He owns a good farm, well 
improved and thoroughly cultivated, but devotes his own attention chiefly 
to buying and shipping stock, in which business he has had as much 
experience, perhaps as any man in the county. Mr. Peters was married 
in Garrard county, Kentucky, January 13, 1840, to Miss Miriam Herring, 
whose parents were natives of Virginia. Three children were born of 
this marriage: James H., (now engaged in stock business at St. Louis), 
Sarah E., (died in June, 1879), Seymour H., (engaged on his father's farm 
four miles east of Richmond). Mr. Peters is a successful trader and 
a practical business man, a kind, obliging neighbor, a valuable member of 
the community and a prominent and highly respected citizen. 

A. R. CHENAULT. 

A. R. Chenault was born in Iredell county, North Carolina, June 5, 
1835, and grew up in his native state. He was educated at Taylorsville 
College, North Carolina, and at Wm. Jewell College, Liberty, Clay county, 
Missouri. He taught school for a time in North Carolina, and then (1858) 



• HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 597 

came to Missouri, stopping first in Pettis county, and teachino- in Buffalo 
Academy. He next went to Cla}^ county, Missouri, and was during a 
number of years principal of a high school at Missouri City, after which 
he came to this county, and presided lor three years over the college at 
Richmond. He is a ripe scholar, and was a popular and efficient teacher. 
At the close of his engagement in the college at Richmond, he retired 
from the profession of teaching, and purchased a fine farm near the R. 
& L. Junction, which he has since occupied and conducted. This place 
comprises eight hundred acres of very valuable land. It is handsomely 
improved and in a fine state of cultivation. Its excellent condition evinces 
that Mr. Chenault is as successful in farming as teaching. During the 
civil war he was in the Confederate army, under General Sterling Price, 
for a short time, but was compelled to leave the army on account of severe 
sickness, from which he almost lost his life. He participated in the bat- 
tles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek, and other minor engagements. Mr. 
Chenault was married in 1866, to Miss Ella Estes, of Ray county. They 
are the parents of six children: Cora, Lula, Ida, William, Charles, and 
Bessie. Mr. Chenault is a useful member of the community and a prom- 
inent and highly respected citizen of the county. 

THOMAS J. OGG. 

Thomas J. Ogg is a Kentuckian. He was born in Madison county, 
Kentucky, on the 15th day of June, 1837, where he lived until he was 
grown, and then came to Ray county, Missouri. He settled on a farm 
about two miles southeast of Albany and resided there until 1864. He 
was fortunate enough to escape embroilment in the troubles ot the war 
and remained quietly at home engaged in the management of his business. 
In the year 1864 he removed to the farm upon which he now lives, 
(section 19, township 52, range 28.) Part of this place he owns individu- 
ally, and about one hundred and sixty acres in partnership with his brother, 
Wm. A. Ogg. He is also the owner of a good grist and saw-mill. Mr. 
Ogg was married in the year 1862, to Miss L. E. Cox, of Ray county. 
The issue of this marriage was two sons, both of whom are now living. 
About ten years after their marriage, Mrs. Ogg died, and Mr. Ogg was 
married again, in 1875, to Miss Lucy A. Owen, daughter of Henry E. 
Owen, Esq., of Ray county. Of this union two children were born, one 
only, Henry, is now living. Mr. Owen has been a member of the Chris- 
tian Church for about fifteen years. His first wife was also a member of 
that church. The present Mrs. Ogg is a member of the Baptist Church. 
Mr. Ogg is also a member of the Masonic lodge at Richmond. He is a 
fixture here and intends remaining in Ray ^county the remainder of his 
life. He has been very successful, both with his farming and milling, and 
is a very useful and valuable adjunct to the community in which he lives. 



598 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

N. B. OGG. 

Napoleon B, Ogg was born in Madison county, Kentucky, in the year 
1840. He received his education and grew up there, working on his 
father's farm. His father is still living there, and is now quite old. N. 
B. Ogg came to Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1868, and in the month 
of January, 1872, was married to Miss Lou Emma Burns, daughter of A. 
Burns, Esq., formerly a resident of Ray county, now deceased. Four 
sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Ogg, all of whom are now living. 
Their names in order of birth are as follows: Cyde, Charles B., Montie 
Lee, and Bertie. On first coming to this county Mr. Ogg engaged in the 
mercantile business at Ogg's Mill, west of Richmond, and subsequently 
at the town of Morton. He was four years in this business, and during 
that time he was constantly occupied in buying and selling cattle and hogs. 
The business of a stock trader is Mr. Ogg's chief occupation at present, 
though he also conducts a farm near Richmond. Mrs. Ogg is a worthy 
member of the M. E. Church South, at Todd's Chapel. Although Mr. 
Ogg has not been a resident of Ray county for many years, he is well 
identified with those who are deeply interested in her welfare and most 
active in the development of her resources and the promotion of public 
enterprises. 

WILLIAM WILSON. 

This gentleman was one of the company who sunk the first shaft for 
coal in Ray county. Wm. Wilson was born in Lawarkshire county, 
Scotland, in the year 1845. He has always been a miner. In the year 
1865, he came to America, and spent a short time, after his arrival in this 
country, in the state of Pennsylvania, then coming west, he lived for a 
time in different states, until 1869, when he finally settled in Ray county, 
Missouri, and received naturalization papers from the circuit court here. 
Soon after locating in this county, Mr. Wilson began mining for coal, and, 
as has been stated, inaugurated the business by sinking the first shaft in 
is what now known as mine number six, on the railroad, one mile south 
of Richmond. This enterprise was highly successful, and the great coal 
beds of Ray county were opened to the world. There was a ready mar- 
ket at a good price, for all the coal that Mr. Wilson could get out, and he 
continued the business until now he is the possessor of a handsome income 
from mines and real estate. He is the owner of a beautiful place of 
seventy-three acres, in the western suburbs of Richmond, where he has 
of late, turned his attention to the raising of the best varieties of poultry. 
He has a patent incubator with which to hatch his fowls, and is prepared 
with every modern convenience and device to assist in raising them. If 
this venture proves a success, as no doubt it will under the management 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 599 

of Mr. Wilson, he intends to increase his facilities and enlarge the busi- 
ness. He now has the finest chickens of the white Brahma, Leghorn 
and Plymouth Rock varieties, and the Toulouse geese. He is now asso- 
ciated with Mr. Peter "Wilson in the mining business, under the firm 
name of Wilson & Wilson. They have just sunk a new shaft on cm- 
subject's land, near the track of the St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, 
St. Louis and Pacific Railway. William Wilson was married at Rich- 
mond, in the month of March, 1873, to Miss Mary Blair, daughter of 
Mr. Robert Blair, formerly of that place, now dead. Five children were 
born of this union, and four of them are living at this time (April 1881). 
Mr. Wilson is a practical, energetic business man, and has now, by his 
own enterprise and industry, the property and good name which he now 
enjoys. 

A. J. KINCAID. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Ray county, Missouri, and 
was born on the 19th day of September, 1837. He acquired his educa- 
tion in the common schools of this county, and spent the time, until his 
marriage, working upon his father's farm. A. J. Kincaid was married in 
the year 1862, to Miss Mary Renfi-o, daughter of John Renfro, Esq. 
They became the parents of seven children, all of whom are now living 
at home with their parents. Mrs. Kincaid and the eldest son are mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Knoxville. Mr. Kincaid is 
not a member of any church or secret order. He owns a good farm of 
200 acres, in sections thirty-one and thirty-six, township fifty-four, range 
twenty-eight, and is a very successful farmer. He is also extensively 
engaged in buying and selling cattle and hogs. His business is very pros- 
perous, and he is highly regarded and respected by all his neighbors. 

JOHN LARKEY. 

Was born in Easton, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, on the 25th 
day of December, 1807. At the age of fifteen years, he was apprenticed 
to a tobacconist for a term of four years. At the expiration of his appren- 
ticeship, young Larkey obtained employment in a tobacco factory at 
Pittsburg. From Pittsburg he went to Cincinnati, and worked ^t his 
trade in that city for about nine months. Then he moved to Washington 
county, Kentucky, and worked there at the same business. From Wash- 
ington county he went to Louisville, and, establishing a cigar factory, 
entered business for himself. After living in the city of Louisville for 
about two years, he went to St. Louis, Missouri, and conducted the cigar 
business there for about three years. In the year 1836, Mr. Larkey came 
to Ray county, and, settling at the town of Camden, on the river, engaged 
in the cigar business until 1843, when he removed to a farm he had pur- 



600 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

chased, in the river bottom, five miles above Camden. He had just suc- 
ceeded in getting comfortably settled, when the great rise in the river, 
known as the "flood of 1844," came, and his crops and fences were car- 
ried away and destroyed. His loss was considerable, and, during the 
three years succeeding the flood, he rented his farm, and then sold it, and 
bought a place near Albany, upon which he resided for several years. 
Afterward he sold this place, also, and bought the one upon which he at 
present resides, five miles west of Richmond. John Larkey was married 
in Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1837, to Miss Lydia Stout, daughter 
of Joseph Stout, Esq. The issue of this marriage was six children, three 
of each sex, all now living, and all but the youngest son are married. 
Following are their names, in order of birth, viz: Charles H., September 
25, 1838; Maria Louisa, July 7, 1840; Edward, November 20, 1843; 
Lydia Ann, July 31, 1846; Amanda, January 1, 1848; John, October 20, 
1851. Mr. Larkey is an old settler of the county, having been here for 
forty-five years. He is doing well in business, and is a good citizen of 
his adopted county. 

RICHARD S. ELLIOTT. 

Richard S. Elliott was born in the state of Virginia, in 1811. He went 
from his native state to Tennessee, soon after he was grown. He was 
married at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 1829, to Miss Margaret C. Usel- 
ton, of that city. For the space of two years after he was married, Mr. 
Elliott was engaged in farming, and then he came from Tennessee to 
Ray county, Missouri, and entered a farm of forty acres. To this place 
he added by subsequent purchases until his farm now numbers some two 
hundred and five acres in the home tract (section 16, township 52, range 
28). At the time of his death he owned, in all, about seven hundred acres 
in Ray county. To Mr. and Mrs. Elliott nine children were born, only 
six of whom are now living. Their names are as follows: Melinda 
Jane, wife of P. L. Carter; Palestine, wife of J. G. Ashley; Arthur B., 
Fannie, wife of John C. Burgess; Garner, and Landon F. All are mar- 
ried but the last named, who lives upon the old homestead, with his 
mother, and conducts the farm. Richard S. Elliott died on the 24th day 
of October, 1873. He was highly esteemed by all his neighbors and 
acquaintances. He was a successful and prosperous farmer, and a lead- 
ing citizen of his section of the county. 

JOHN GIBSON. 

This gentleman is one of the pioneers in the development of the coal 
mines of Ra}' county. His father, Robert Gibson, a Scotchman, was a 
miner in his native country. John Gibson was born in Ayrshire, Scot- 
land, December 24, 1843, and lived there until he was twent\'-one years of 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 601 

age. He was engaged in mining there, from his twelfth 3'ear. At his 
majority he immigrated to the new world, landing at the city of New 
York, after a live weeks' passage in a, sail vessel, on the 10th day of Jan- 
uary, 1865. He proceeded to Alleghany county, West Virginia, and, 
after working in the coal mines there for about four months, came on as 
far west as Lasalle, Illinois, and spent about one year in mining there. 
He then went to Ohio and worked a year, returning, at its expiration, to 
the mines of Illinois, at Braidwood. After remaining in Illinois for some 
time, he came in 1869, to Camden, Ray county, Missouri. Here he 
formed a partnership with Mr. William Wilson, a countryman of his, 
whom he had formerly known in Ohio, and together they commenced 
mining for coal on the lands of Joseph S. Hughes, Esq., about one mile 
south of Richmond. Before they succeeded in reaching coal Mr. Hughes 
entered into partnership with them, and the firm was styled J. S. Hughes 
& Company. This enterprise proved highly successful and remunerative, 
and a large business has been built up, and numerous rich mines since 
developed. Mr. Gibson was married at Richmond, Missouri, in the year 
1872, to Miss Elizabeth Fortune, daughter of Judge W. D. Fortune, of 
Ray county. They became the parents of five children, three boys and 
two girls, all now Hving. Mr. Gibson resides in the western suburbs of 
Richmond. He also owns a farm of one hundred and twenty-seven 
acres, a mile and a half south of that town, where he intends, at some 
future time, sinking a shaft for coal. He is still interested with Messrs. 
J. S. Hughes & Co., in several richly yielding mines, and is in a highly 
prosperous condition. He is an active, enterprising and public spirited 
man, and his services have been very valuable in the development of the 
coal interests of Ray county. 

JOSEPH PICKERING. 

Joseph Pickering is a native of England. He was born in Blackwell, 
Yorkshire, on the 22d day of March, 1831. His father, Richard Picker- 
ing was a boiler maker by trade, and soon after the birth of our subject 
he removed to Shildon, on the Stockton & Darling railroad, and began 
work in the machine shops of the railroad company. Here Joseph 
learned the trade of a machinist. His apprenticeship commenced when 
he was fourteen years of age, and he finished it in four years. He con- 
tinued working in the city of Shildon until .the year 1849, when he came 
to America. In this country he worked, first, for Tompkins & Son, of 
Towander, Pennsylvania. He then went to New York and subsequently 
worked at his trade, in several different cities and states until the month of 
May, 1870, when he came to Richmond, Missouri, and purchased one 
hundred acres of land just outside the western limits of the town. Upon 
38 



002 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

this farm he established his home and has since hved. He established the 
Richmond foundry in the spring of 1871, and the following June was 
manufacturing castings, etc. At first he used only horse power but, 
at the end of four years, put in a fifteen horse power engine, which, of 
course, serves the purpose much better. His principal business is repair- 
ing and in this respect, especially, his enterprise in establishing this 
foundry, supplied a long felt want. Joseph Pickering was married, soon 
after coming to America, in Pennsylvania, to Miss Eliza Hartzal. The 
issue of this union was nine children, seven of whom are yet living and all 
at home with their parents, but one. Mr. Pickering conducts his farm in 
connection with the foundry business, both are prospering well under his 
management. His eldest son, Wilham, is now associated wnth him in 
business under the firm name of Pickering & Son. 

ORVILLE H. SEARCY. 

Orville H. Searcy, one of the first school teachers of Ray county, was 
born in Nashville, Tennessee, February 26, 1800. His father, Colonel 
Robert Searcy, was an officer of 1812, and figured prominently in the 
battle of New Orleans. He, also, served with distinction in the war with 
the Creek Indians in 1818. He was one of the Tennessee regiment with 
whom the iron hearted "Old Hickory" (Jackson) invaded the Indian 
country. Our subject attended the schools of Nashville, until he was 
fifteen years of age, and then entered Princeton College, New Jersey. 
From this celebrated institution of learning he graduated four years later 
with honor. Returning to Nashville he remained at home until his mar- 
riage which occured soon after his graduation. He was married on the 25th 
of February, 1821, to Miss Mary Ann Patton, daughter of Thomas Patton, 
Esq., and sister of Rev. Daniel Patton who became so well known, after- 
wards, in Ray county. Mr. Searcy removed soon after his marriage to 
Bedford (now Coffey) county, Tennessee, and engaged in teaching school. 
This occupation he followed for several years and then began merchan- 
dising, with which business he was occupied until he came to Missouri, in 
1830. He settled on a farm one mile and a half east of Richmond, Ray 
countv, and lived there for about four years. This farm he then exchanged 
for one nearer Richmond and removing to it, lived there until his death. Mr. 
and Mrs. Searcy became the parents of thirteen children; their names in 
order of birth as follow, viz: Elizabeth Jane, born February 27, 1822; 
Robert Thomas, born January 11, 1824; Archie Patton, born September 
20, 1825; John Joseph, born July 30, 1827; Elvira JuHet, born May 3, 
1830; Susan Dederick, born April 5, 1832; Mary Ann, born December 
27, 1833; Martha Ann, born November 16, 1835; Nathaniel Davis, born 
April 14, 1838; William Patton, born February 14, 1840; Orville Hen- 
derson, born February 20, 1842; Lucinda Clay, born June 21, 1846; Sarah 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 603 

Emeline, born October 27, 1849. Eight of them are still living and, also, 
married with one exception. Orville H., Jr., is, at present (April, 1881) 
unmarried. Our subject was elected in 1856, to the office of surveyor of 
Ray county, and was discharging its duties very efficiently and accepta- 
bly at the time of his death. He and Mr. A. C. Redman conducted a 
high school at Richmond before the founding of Richmond College. Mr. 
Searcy was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and was 
an elder in the Richmond congregation from the time it was first organ- 
ized until his death. He departed this life December 2, 1858, at the age 
of fifty-eight years, loved and honored by his family and respected by all 
who knew him. 

WILLIAM MAGILL 

has been a resident of Ray county for almost half a century, having settled 
here with his father, in the spring of 1832. He was born in Lincoln 
county, Kentucky, on the 3d of January, 1816. His grandfather on the 
paternal side came from Virginia to Kentucky at an early day, and raised 
a family of children, one of whom was the father of our subject. Both his 
father and grandfather bore the same name as himself, (William). His 
grandfather on the maternal side, Henry Baughman, was of German 
descent, though the earliest history we have of him was, that he removed 
from Greenbrier county, Virginin, to Kentucky, in the year 3785, and 
settled at Baughman's Fort on Dick's river. On his return to Virginia to 
bring his mother to Kentucky, he was killed by the Indians. The father 
of the subject of this article was married in 1803, to Miss Mary Baugh- 
man, at the old place settled by Henry Baughman, in Lincoln county, 
Kentucky. They reared a family of six children, five sons and a daughter 
whose names follow: OH via, wife of Archibald Hodges; Henderson, 
Baughman, Samuel P., Lorenzo H. and William. They had six other 
children who died in infancy. Mr. Magill, (father of our subject), 
removed with his family from Kentucky to Missouri, in the spring of 
1832, and settled in Ray county upon a farm, in sections seventeen and 
twenty, township fifty-two, range twenty-eight. Our subject was married 
on the 12th day of September, 1844, to Miss Matilda Hamilton, daughter 
of Thomas Hamilton, at one time judge of the Ray county court. The 
marriage ceremony was performed by Rev. John Walker, of the " Kelly- 
ite" denomination. Mr. Magill continued to reside with his father, after 
his marriage, until the death of the latter in 1847. The father, at his 
death willed the homestead farm to William. The farm consisted at that 
time of three hundred and twenty acres, and Mr. Magill soon after added 
eighty acres to it making four hundred acres in all. It now, April, 1881, 
consists of but two hundred and seventy-four acres, part having been sold. 
Mrs. Magill died in the year 1855, and Mr. Magill was afterwards mar- 



604 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ried to Miss Mary C. Haynes, daughter of Joseph P. Haynes, Esq., of 
Ray county. The fruit of the first union was six children, named as fol- 
lows: Baughman, Margaret R., wife of B. F. Baber; Mary Matilda, 
wife of John L. Harrison; Thomas, William H. and John S. The last 
named died in infancy, the others are still living. By his second wife he 
had five children: Sarah E., Lousia C. (died at the age of seven years), 
Joseph Clay, (died at the age of eighteen), Olivia J., wife of Charles Dale, 
and Frances E. Mr. Magill and wife are members of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian Church, as are also four of their children. Three other 
children are members of the M. E. Church South. Mr. Magill is also a 
member of the Masonic Lodge No. 57, at Richmond. He has a produc- 
tive farm, a neat comfortable home, and is a good business man and a 
useful citizen. 

JAMES T. CUMMINS. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of the state of Indiana. He was 
born on the 2d day of November, 1829, in Vigo count}', that state. His 
father, James Cummins, senior, had removed from Kentucky to Indiana 
at an early day. He was the father of a family of five boys and two girls, 
of whom our subject was the fourth in order of birth, and the third son. 
He was reared and lived in Vigo county until the commencement of the 
civil war, when he enlisted under the stars and stripes, and fought for four 
years for the perpetuation of the Union. After Lee's surrender he re- 
turned home, to Indiana, but, remaining only for a few months, came to 
Ray county, Missouri. He first settled at Fredericksburg, in the year 
1865, and was engaged for two years wath Gray & Isley, selling goods. 
He then went to Elkhorn and clerked for Wm. R. Harlan, until 1871, and 
then removing to Richmond, sold goods for Mr. Hubbell, for another 
year. He was married in 1872 to Mrs. Rhoda A. Lamar, widow of 
James D. Lamar, and daughter of William Proffitt. Two children were 
born as the issue of this union, both girls. Mrs. Cummins has one son by 
her former marriage. Mr. Cummins belongs to the farmers' organization 
of *' United Taxpayers. " Soon after his marriage Mr. Cummins began 
farming, and he has, ever since been engaged in that calling. He is a 
practical farmer and takes great interest in every thing pertaining to ag- 
riculture. He is a worthy and prominent citizen of his community, and is 
much esteemed and respected by his neighbors. 

HOUSTON A. EVANS. 

Was born in Jefferson county. East Tennessee, on the 29th day of 
October, 1842. When he was nine years of age, his parents removed to 
Crittenden county, Kentucky, but, remaining there only about a year, 
came to Ray county, Missouri, and located at the town of Camden. Our 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 605 

subject has lived in this county ever since, except during the time he was 
with the Union army during the civil war. Houston A. Evans was mar- 
ried, November 26, 1865, in Ray countv, to Miss Lucinda Cook. She 
was born near Columbia, Tennessee. The result of this union was seven 
children: Ira, born September 14, 1866; Elmer, born September 28, 
1867; Claude, born June 6, 1869; Houston, born January 3, 1871; Estel, 
born February 12, 1873; Genevieve, born in 1875; died June 12, 1877; 
Ursaline, born in 1878. Mr. Evans enlisted in company B, 44th regiment, 
Missouri infantry. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Franklin, Ten- 
nessee, and confined for live months in the Confederate prison at Ander- 
sonville. He received his discharge from the army in June, 1865. He 
returned to Rav county, and has engaged in farming here ever since. He 
has filled the office of justice of the peace at Camden for two years. Mr. 
Evans is a member of the M. E. Church, and also of the Masonic order, 
and a Good Templar. He possesses about five acres of real estate in the 
town of Camden. He is a successful business man and a worthy and 
valuable citizen of his adopted country. 

ALFREIJ) A. BROWN. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Harrison county, Indiana, on 
the 10th of May, 1831. When he was about four or five years of age 
his parents removed to Crawford county, Indiana, where he resided until 
the year 1856, when he went to Scotland county, Missouri, and remained 
there about fifteen months, and then came to Camden, in Ray county, 
Missouri. Mr. Brown was married on the 21st day of October, 1861, to 
Miss Amanda M. Canada, a native of the state of Virginia. They 
became the parents of two children: Susan C, born in the month of 
July, 1862, and William A., born in July, 1872. He enlisted in the month 
of September, 1862, in company D, 35th Missouri infantry, and was acci- 
dentally shot and wounded in the right arm, by the guard firing upon 
him, by mistake, at the battle of Helena, Arkansas. In the army he dis- 
charged the duties of a non-commissioned officer, and was discharged at 
the close of the war, in July, 1865, at St. Louis, Missouri. He learned 
the trade of a cooper early in life, in Indiana, and worked at that business 
some four or five years, and then clerked for a time in a store. He has 
been engaged in mercantile business almost all the time since his majority, 
but has only been in business at Camden for little more than one year. 
He 1% a consistent member of the M. E. Church South. He is a suc- 
cessful merchant, and a valuable citizen of the town of Camden, in Ray 
countv. 



606 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

BENJAMIN F. CANADA. 

Was born in Campbell county, Virginia, on the 21st day of June, 1838. 
At the age of two years he was brought by his parents to Boone county, 
Missouri, and soon after they again removed, to Daviess county, Mis- 
souri, and after living there two years, came to Camden, Ray county, Mis- 
souri, in the year 1844, and here our subject has ever since resided. He 
is now merchandizing in the town of Camden, and has been in that 
business there for about a year. Mr. Canada was married on the 23d day 
of December, 1867, to Miss Mary A. Endsley, a native of Ray county, 
Missouri. The issue of this marriage was three children: Cora L., 
born February 25, 1866; Allie M., born in 1871, and Katie, born in 1878 
Mr. Canada has, at different times in life, held official positions, both in his 
town and township, and is, at present (April, 1881,) mayor of the city of 
Camden. He is a prominent and influential citizen, and is a highly 
respected member of the community in which he lives. 

WILLIAM G. KING. 

This gentleman was born in Ray county, Missouri, January 28, 1837, 
and has lived here all his life. He grew up on a farm three miles west of 
the town of Richmond, and has lived upon the place he now owns for 
more than twenty years. He was married on the 3d day of August, 1862, 
to Miss Lliza Cox, of Lafayette county, Missouri, Rev. Dr. Lane, of that 
county, officiating at the marriage. Mr. and Mrs. King became the 
parents of one child, Leila, born in June, 1864. Mr. King was in the 
militia service (Union) in this state during the war of the rebellion. He 
owns a good farm of one hundred and sixty acres in section fifteen, town- 
ship fifty-one, range twenty-eight. This place is in an excellent state of 
cultivation, and also comprises some very fine grass lands. Mr. King has 
been a farmer for the greater part of his life, and takes deep interest in 
everything pertaining to the business. In the spring of 1881 he removed 
with his family to Camden and intends making that his home in the future. 
In addition to his farming interests he deals in live stock, and is agent at 
Camden for the Kansas City Packet Company's line of steamboats. He 
is a successful business man, a worthy, reliable agent, and a good citizen. 

THOMAS MAGILL. 

Is a native of the county of Ray, and has resided here all his life. He 
was reared on his father's farm, and in his youth alternated between 
going to the neighborhood school in the winter and working on the farm 
in summer. Thomas Magill was born on the 19th day of September, 
1849, in Ray county, Missouri. He has been a life long farmer. His 
estate consists of some two hundred and sixty acres of land, all under good 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 607 

fence, but abovit fifty acres of woodland. His place is situated but two 
and one-half miles from the city of Richmond, and is very convenient to 
both school and church. Mr. Magill was married September 1, 1874, to 
Miss E. P. Turner, a native of Sumner county, Tennessee. They have 
two children, Belle and Bessie. Our subject is a worthy member of the 
Cumberland and his wife of the O. S. Presbyterian Church. 

CHRISTOPHER G. GASTON. 

Christopher G. Gaston was born in Greene county, Indiana, on the 9th 
day of June, 1841. The family is believed to have been of French origin, 
and banished from their native country to Ireland, whence they came to 
the United States, and settled in South Carolina. The father of our sub- 
ject, Samuel Gaston, removed from South Carolina to Indiana, and in 
1844, came from that state to Missouri and settled in Johnson county. 
He afterward removed to Lafayette county, and was killed near Greenton 
in 1862, by the famous guerrilla, Anderson. The maiden name of Mr. 
Gaston's mother was Jane H. Vankook, a native of Kentucky. In the 
pursuit of an education our subject not only received the benefits of the 
schools of the neighborhood, but also the advantages of instruction from 
an older brother. Mr. Gaston was living in Lafayette county when the 
civil war commenced, and he joined the enrolled militia of that county in 
1862. Two years afterward he was appointed by Col. Sweitzer enrolling 
captain for the county of Lafayette. After serving in this capacity for 
three months he resigned. Mr. Gaston was married in the year 1864, to 
Miss Nancy Ann Hutchison, daughter of James Hutchison, Esq., of 
Lafayette county, Eight children have been born of this union, five of 
whom, one girl and four boys, still live. In 1868 Mr. Gaston came to Ray 
county and engaged in farming, a short distance east of Camden, for 
about three years. Then he removed to Camden and entered the drug 
business. He received the appointment as postmaster of Camden, in 
1871, and has held the office ever since. He was elected justice of the 
peace for Camden township in 1869, serving in that capacity for four 
years. Mr. Gaston is a member of the Masonic Lodge, No. 57, at Rich- 
mond. He is an efficient, careful and accommodating postmaster, a suc- 
cessful business man, and is popular with all. 

H. E. HAMIL, M. D. 

Dr. Henry Edward Hamil was born in Gadsden county, Florida, on 
the 18th day of January, 1840. His father, Henry Hamil, Esq., was a 
native of Ireland, and had emigrated to the United States in 1838, and 
engaged, extensively, in raising cotton and other products of the state of 
Florida, upon his large plantation there. The family went back to 
Armagh county, Ireland, in the year 1853, and the son, Henry, entered 



608 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the celebrated University of Dublin, to complete the course in medicine 
and chemistry. After spending four years in close appHcation to his 
studies, he graduated from that institution in 1860, with the degree of 
Bachelor of Medicine. Immediately after his graduation, he received, 
from the Queen, the appointment as assistant surgeon in the Eighteenth 
Royal Irish regiment, which was soon after transferred to the East Indies. 
After spending ten months in Burmah, his regiment went to Bengal, and 
there he resigned his position and returned to England. In 1862 he came 
to the United States. Finding, when he reached New York, that an 
Irish regiment was forming for the defense of the Union, he joined it and 
served under the stars and stripes of his adopted country, until the close 
of the war. In 1865 he returned to New York, and resumed the prac- 
tice of his profession there. He has made one visit to Europe since he 
came to America. He came to Camden, Ray county, Missouri, in 1867, 
and has practiced his profession in Camden and vicinit}- since that time. 
He now (April, 1881) conducts a drug store in connection with his prac- 
tice. Dr. Hamil was married in 1879, at Camden, to Miss Mary Rich- 
ardson, daughter of Asa Richardson, Esq., formerly of that town, now 
deceased. Two sons, Edward and Henry, both now living, have been 
born to Dr. and Mrs. Hamil. Dr. Hamil has traveled as far and seen as 
much of the world as any other man, perhaps, in the county. He is a 
gentleman of thorough and finished education, and an able, experienced 
and successful physician. He is profoundly in sympathy with his 
oppressed and suffering countrymen in " Erin's green isle." Though 
born in America, he was, for the most part, reared and educated in Ire- 
land, and spent the best part of his youth there, and his heart still cHngs 
in fond remembrance to " Erin mavourneen, Erin, go bragh." 

ROBERT A. PRICHARD. 

The subject of this sketch is one of the leading business men of the 
town of Camden. He was born in Ray county, Missouri, near the city 
of Richmond, June 24, 1853. His father, William W. Prichard, was a 
farmer and he was reared to the same vocation. After finishing the 
course taught in the public schools, he spent several years at the Rich- 
mond College, and there finished his education. After leaving school he 
remained for about a year on the farm with his father, and then engaged 
as clerk, for a period, in the drug store of Dr. Taylor, at Richmond. He 
has, at various times since, been clerk in different business houses in that 
place. While with Drs. Taylor and Jacobs, he acquired a knowledge of 
the drug business, and, in 1873, opened at Camden, a drug store on his 
own account. He has made the business so successful as to require the 
aid of a clerk. Mr. Prichard was married in 1874, to Miss Alice V. 
Jones, daughter of Mr. Ammon Jones, now deceased. Mr. Prichard 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 609 

resides and continues to conduct his business in Camden. He is very 
popular with all his acquaintances and is dointr a thriving business. 

ASA BROCKMAN. 

Asa Brockman is an old settler of Ray county, and was born in Clark 
. county, Kentucky, in the month of April, 1826. While he was yet an 
infant, his father, Mr. Joseph E. Brockman, immigrated to Missouri, and 
after stopping about a year in Howard county, settled in Ray (section 22, 
township 51, range 28), and here has been the home of our subject ever 
since. Asa Brockman received his education in the district schools of this 
county, and remained at home working upon his father's farm until he 
was twenty-two years of age, and then, fired by the excitement of the dis- 
covery of gold, he, in 1849, went to California. He made the trip over- 
land with an ox team. He engaged in mining in California, and remained 
there about eighteen months, returning at the expiration of that time, to 
Ray county, by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New Orleans. On 
his return home he took charge of his father's place, and has since con- 
ducted and managed the farm. Mr. Brockman was married in the 
autumn of 1852, to Miss Sarah F. Hudgens, daughter of B. A. Hudgens, 
Esq., of Ray county. Ten children have been born as the result of this 
union; eight are now living: Joseph E., John C, H. M., Nancy Jane, 
wife of J. Rosell; Lou Isabel, wife of Joseph Brown; James A., Sarah 
A. and Asa B. Mr. Brockman lives on the old homestead of his father, 
a fine tract of 280 acres of valuable upland. He pays most attention to 
grain growing. Both himself and wife are members of the Christian 
Church, at South Point, near Albany. 

JAMES M. SUITS. 

James M. Suits was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, on the 1st 
day of May, 1845. Here he received his education, and lived until the 
year 1861, when he went to Richmond, Virginia, and engaged in coal 
and lead mining. Two years later he left the mines and enlisted in the 
Confederate army, under Major Bridgeford, who commanded the first 
Virginia battalion of infantry, known as the "Irish battalion." They had 
been United States regular troops before the war. After the close of the 
war Mr. Suits returned to the coal mines of Virginia, and remained about 
three years, and then leaving there, he worked, successively, for short 
periods, in West Virginia, Ohio, and Kansas. On the 14th day of Novem- 
ber, 1870, he came to Camden, Ray county, Missouri, and again resumed 
work at the coal business. He engaged with J. C. McGrew, and has 
been chief operator and manager for him ever since coming to Camden. 
James M. Suits was married in 1863, to Miss Eliza M, Chandler, of Black- 
burg, Virginia. Eight children have been born of this marriage, of whom 



610 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

six survive at this time: James Anderson, Minnie Lee, William, Francis, 
Earle, and Frederick. Mr. Suits is a member of Masonic Lodge, No. 
444, at Albany. He is a member of the town council of Camden, and an 
influential and valuable citizen. 

ANDREW J. JACKSON. 

This gentleman was born near the town of Camden, in Ray county, 
Missouri, and was educated in the schools there. He began the business 
of merchandising at the age of fifteen years, in his father's store. In 1875 he 
clerked for Messrs. Dorton & Pigg, at the neighboring town of Orrick. 
In the year 1876 he went to Texas and engaged for a time with a firm 
who were in the clothing business, at the town of Sherman. Subsequently 
he clerked in a grocery house in the same place. At the expiration of his 
engagement at Sherman, he returned to Camden, Ray county, Missouri, 
and entered, with his brother, a general merchandise business at that 
place. In 1878 he bought out the interest of his brother, Mr. Walter A. 
Jackson, in this store, and conducted it on his own account for about a 
year longer, when he formed a partnership with his father, and this firm, 
styled C. R. Jackson & Son, still continues to control a good local trade at 
Camden. Mr. Jackson is a rising young merchant, and, with his practical 
experience and long training, coupled with his sound judgment and busi- 
ness acumen, cannot fail of future abundant success. 

WILLIS MERIDETH. 

Willis Merideth is a native of Kentucky. He was born on the 10th 
day of March, 1844, in Edmondson county, that state. His father, Lewis 
Merideth, removed in 1857 from Kentucky to Missouri, and settled 
at Napoleon, in Lafayette county. Six years later, in 1863, he 
came to Ray county, and located about three miles above the town of 
Camden. Our subject received his education in the common schools in 
Kentucky, partly, finishing the course in Lafayette county after the 
removal of the family to Missouri. Mr. Merideth was married at Cam- 
den on the 17th day of March, 1865, to Miss S. Thomas, daughter of 
James M. Thomas, Esq., of Camden. Five children, three girls and two 
boys,' have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Merideth, three only of whom are 
now living: James Lewis, Allie, and Emma, aged respectively fourteen, 
twelve, and two years. Mr. Merideth is a prosperous and popular mer- 
chant, and a good citizen of the town of Camden. 

JAMES R. AKERS. 

Was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 24th day of December, 1829. 
His father, Joseph E. Akers, was a farmer, and owned and conducted a 
farm three and a half miles west of Camden. Upon this place James 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 611 

was born and reared. He was educated in the district schools of the 
neighborhood. His father died while he was yet a boy, and as soon as he 
was old enough to manage the farm, the care of the family devolved, in 
a large measure, upon him. He remained with his mother on the old 
homestead until he was twenty-two years old, and then, in 1852, went to 
California. There he was engaged as a teamster, at ninety dollars per 
month, for about a year, and then he began mining, until December, 1854, 
when he returned to Ray county, Missouri, and resumed the occupation 
of farming until 1866, and then began keeping store at Camden, and has 
ever since continued that business there. Mr. Akers was married on the 
9th day of December, 1857, to Miss Melinda M. Cooper, daughter of Mr. 
Loyd Cooper, a prominent resident of Ray county, but now deceased. 
The issue of this union was five sons and three daughters: John T., 
born October 7, 1858; George R., born February 28, 1860; Walter, born 
January 13, 1862; Melissa, born February 7,1865; Albert, born Decemr 
ber 25, 1866; Rebecca E., born November 18, 1868; Mary E., born 
November 14, 1870; Wilham, born November 19, 1873. Albert died 
September 2, 1867, and Rebecca on the 24th of February, 1870. The 
others are still living, and all of them at home with their parents. Mr. 
Akers is a member of Ada Lodge No. 444, A. F. & A. M., at Albany. 
Himself and son, John T., are conducting a prosperous grocery business 
at the town of Camden. 

GEORGE W. THOMAS. 

The subject of this article was born in Greenup county, Kentucky, on 
the 8th. day of April, 1845. His father, Mr. J. M. Thomas, removed to 
Missouri in 1857, and settled at Camden in Ray county. Here he grew up 
and received his education. He was married, in the year 1869, to Miss 
Alice V. Galle, daughter of Mr. Peter Galle, of Ray county. They 
became the parents of three children : Alfred Edgar, Murtie Belle, Lieu 
Ella and Jesse D. Lieu Ella and an infant are dead, the others still sur- 
vive. Mr. Thomas began the business of coal mining in the year 1869, 
and has ever since pursued that calling. During the late war he was a 
Union soldier, and participated in a number of the leading battles. Mr. 
Thomas has a comfortable home in Camden, and is doing well in business. 

CAPTAIN JOHN SACRY. 

John Sacry was born in Lafayette county, Kentucky, December 15, 
1825, and lived there until his sixteenth year, when he went, with his 
father, George Sacry, Esq., to Garrard county, Kentucky. After 
several other subsequent removals to different parts of the state of Ken- 
tucky, he came, in 1854, to Ray county, Missouri, and located at Camden. 
He has made his home in Ray county ever since. The fall after his 



612 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

coming to Camden, he took charge of his uncle's, Mr. James W. Sacrv's, 
farm, and conducted that for a time. Before leaving Kentucky he learned 
the carpenter's trade, and in 1856, he resumed work at his trade, and con 
tinned it for several years. Since that time he has been variously occu- 
pied in handling tobacco and live stock, and in farming. In the year 1846, 
Mr. Sacry, then in his twenty-first year, enlisted in the second regiment 
of Kentucky Infantry, for the war with Mexico. This regiment was com- 
manded by Colonel Wm. R. McKee, and Lieutenant Colonel Henry 
Clay, junior. William T. Willis was captain of the company in which 
our subject was enrolled. x\ll of these officers were killed at the battle of 
Buena Vista. Mr: Sacry was discharged, on account of physical disability, 
near Berita, and he at once returned to Kentucky. He also, served dur- 
ing the civil war, in the Union army with the rank of captain. Captain 
Sacry was married, on the 19th of December, 1856, to Miss Sarah E. 
Ballew, daughter of Joseph Ballew, who is now deceased. Five children 
have been born of this union, four of whom (two of each sex) are living 
at the present time: George Edwin, Mattie C, John A., and Pearl. 
Captain and Mrs. Sacry are both members of the Missionary Baptist 
Church. He is, also, a member of the order of I. O. O. F. Captain 
Sacry has been a resident of Camden for twenty-five years. 

THOMAS M. COOPER. 

Thomas M. Cooper was born in Jeflferson county, Tennessee, on the 
2d day of July, 1822. His parental ancestry were of Irish origin, his 
grandfather, Isaac Cooper, having immigrated from Ireland to North 
Carolina, at a very early day. His mother's people were of Welsh 
descent. The father of oursubject, Mr. Lloyd Cooper, removed from 
North Carolina to Tennessee in his early manhood, and there married 
and raised a family. Thomas M. Cooper was educated in his native 
state, and lived there until his twenty-fourth year, and then, m 1846, he 
came to Missouri and settled in Ray county with a Mr. Bird Smith, for 
whom he managed a farm during his fir^t year in the county. The next 
year he was engaged with Captain John Richardson, as overseer of his 
slaves and farm. The following year he took charge of a large number of 
negroes belonging to Mr. William Moore, who owned and cultivated a 
large plantation in the river bottom, between Lexington and Richmond. 
He remained in the employ of Mr. Moore for seven years, and then began 
farming on his own account, and continued in that business for the space 
of three years. He then moved to Camden, and in company with his 
cousin, Mr. Seth H. Moore, he erected a large warehouse, and began a 
general shipping and commission business. This was before the time of 
railroads, and Camden was at the zenith of her prosperity. In 1866, he 
started three other enterprises in connection with his commission business, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 613 

a dry goods store, pork packing- and handling tobacco. He substituted the 
business of dealing in live stock, in the year 1873, for pork packing, and 
purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty-six acres two miles east of 
Camden, which he has conducted in connection with his other business 
ever since. Mr. Cooper was first married in the year 1856, to Miss Ellen 
Campbell, of Lexington. She only lived about a year after her marriage, 
and he was again married in 1858, to Miss Elizabeth Willis, daughter of 
Wm, Willis, Esq., of Lexington. Six children have been born to them, 
but only three, Mary B., Thomas L. and Elizabeth P., now survive. Mr. 
Cooper has been a member of the M. E. Church South, since 1876. Mrs. 
Cooper belongs to the Missionary Baptist denomination. He is also a 
member of the order of A. F. & A. M. 

JAMES McEnroe. 

This young gentleman is one of the principal coal operators of Cam- 
den. He was born in CarroUton, Illinois, on the 14th day of June, 1852. 
His father, Franklin McEnroe, was accidentally killed when James was 
but three years old, and our subject received his early training and counsel 
from his mother. He was educated in the schools of CarroUton, and 
remained at home with his mother until he was twenty years of age, 
when he was engaged by the Chicago & Alton railroad company, as bag- 
gagemaster at CarroUton, While in this position he learned the art of 
telegraphy, and in 1870 was placed in charge of the station at Summit, 
on the C. & A. railway, and remained in charge of the duties there until 
1872. He was then night operator of telegraph, for a short time, for the 
St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern railway, at Centralia, Missouri. He 
was subsequently agent at Wentzville for four years; at High Hill, in a 
similar capacity, for a time, and finished his career in railroad business with 
a three and a half years' term of service at the Camden (Ray county,) 
station. Mr. McEnroe was married at Camden, in the month of June, 
1879, to Miss Ida Craven, daughter of John N. Craven, of that place. 
About a year after his marriage, Mr. McEnroe opened a very rich coal 
mine, which had been unsuccessfully worked by a party some fifteen 
years previous, upon the land of his father-in-law, Mr. Craven. His 
mining operations have been very successful, and he has built up an 
extensive and lucrative business in coal. Onl\ one child was born to Mr. 
and Mrs. McEnroe. It died in infancy, and its mother surviving it but a 
short time, died also, in the beginning of the present year (1881). Mr. 
McEnroe is a member of Cyrus Royal Arch Chapter No. 36, A. F. 
& A. M., at Richmond. Though young in years, he has already 
acquired, by his own unaided efforts, an enviable reputation and position 
among the enterprising and successful business men of Camden. 



^14 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

JOSEPH MILLER. 

Was bora in Clay county, Missouri, January 19, 1843. His father 
removed the year atter the birth of Joseph, with his family to Camden, 
Ray county, Missouri. His father was a cooper, and from him our sub- 
ject learned that trade. JosephWiller worked at the cooper's trade until 
1878, when he began coal mining. During the late civil war he was a 
soldier in the Union army . He was married, in 1 876, to Miss Laura E. 
Armstrong, daughter of Mr. Wesley Armstrong, of Moniteau county, 
Missouri. They became the parents of five children, two boys and three 
girls. Only three are now living: Mary A., Edith A. and William H. 
Mr. Miller has a neat, comfortable home, in Camden, and is, at present 
(April, 1881), engaged as weigh-master of mine No. 5, owned by J. C. 
McGrew, of Lexington. 

CAPTAIN ANDREW ELLIOTT. 

Andrew Elliott was born in Ray county, Missouri, near where he now 
lives, on the 8th day of September, 1822. He received his educational 
training in Ray county, and has always lived here. The family, from 
whom our subject is descended, was of Irish origin, his great grandfather 
having been a native of Ireland. Captain EUiott has been a farmer and 
stock raiser ever since he began business for himself. He enlisted in the 
service of the Union, and commanded company A, 3d regiment, Missouri 
state militia, in the civil war. John Elliott, father of the jsubject of this 
article, was collector of revenue for Ray county, for the year 1827. Capt. 
Elliott was married in the autumn of 1868, to Miss Martha Ann Ballew, 
daughter of Mr. Joseph Ballew, now deceased. One child, Catharine 
Susie, is the issue of this marriage. Captain Elliott sold his own farm, 
consisting- of 160 acres, and his interest in his father's 500 acre estate, to 
his brother in 1880, and intends retiring from active business cares during 
the remainder of his life. 

REV. WILLIAM T. BROWN. 

William T. Brown is a native of Ray county, Missouri, and was born 
on a farm owned by his father, Thomas A. Brown, situated about four 
miles northwest of the town of Camden. The date of his birth was 
October 7, 1847. He received his education in the schools of his native 
county, and has all his life made his home here. In the month af Janu- 
ary, 1865, at the age of eighteen years, he left home to avoid troubles 
growing out of the war, and went to Nebraska, and the summer follow- 
ing, to Colorado. He spent about nine months in the west, and then 
returned to his home in Ray county. Mr. Brown was married on the 
6th day of December, 1866, to Miss Sarah E. White, daughter of Wm. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 615 

A. White, Esq., of Ray county. Soon after he bouf:fht a farm (section 
six, township fifty-one, range twenty-eight,) and began the work of farm- 
ing. About the age of twent3^-two years, Mr. Brown began preaching, 
and in 1870, was ordained as a minister of the regular Baptist Church. 
He has preached, very successfully, in many of the counties of western 
Missouri, and also, in several other states. Mr. and Mrs. Brown became 
the parents of seven children, six now living, named as follows, viz.: 
Charlie Alvin, Melinda Ellis, Mary Frances, Lucy Jane, Jesse Dudley, 
and an infant daughter. Anna Eliza, the second in order of birth, died 
when six months old. Mr. Brown was elected, in November, 1880, on 
the democratic ticket, by a handsome majority of eleven hundred votes, 
to represent Ray county in the thirty-first general assembly. He now 
'{April, 1881,) has pastoral charge of four churches: New Hope, Crooked 
River, Fishing River and Mt. Zion, the latter is in Clay county. He is a 
popular, successful minister, and a prominent and influential citizen. 

x\DRIEL KING. 

The subject of this sketch was a Kentuckian. He was born in Gar- 
rard county, Kentuck}^ on the 21st of May, 1801. He grew up and was 
married there. Miss Jane Graves became his wife on the 21st day of 
September, 1824. A few years after his marriage he removed to Mis- 
souri, and, after stopping a- short time in Boone county, settled in Ray 
county, three miles southwest of Richmond (sections 11 and 12, township 
61, range 28). To the extent of land first entered, he afterwards added 
by purchase, until at the time of his death, he owned 320 acres of land 
there, besides other tracts in other parts of the county. Mr. and Mrs. 
King became the parents of eleven children, six of whom are now living: 
Lydia Ann, wife of Thomas Bryant, of Chillicothe; Angeline, wife of 
Frank Davis, of Daviess county; Mary, wife of George Williams, of Ray 
county; Brunette, wife of Peter Ford; William G. and Henry C. Mar- 
garet and Martha both died in infancy; Emma, wife of A. B. Elliott; 
Matilda, wife of Henry Jacobs, and Elizabeth, wife of Whit. Lyle, are all 
dead. Mr. Henry C. King, at present the representative of the family on 
the old homestead, has 240 acres of land, including the residence. He 
was married in the month of March, 1868, to Miss Jane Thompson, 
daughter of Mr. Joseph Thompson, of Ray county. The issue of this 
union was four children, two of each sex. Mr. Adriel King died on the 
12th day of July, 1869. He was widely and prominently known and 
greatly respected. 



616 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

JOHN L. HARRISON. 

Was born in Flemingsburg, Fleming county, Kentucky, on the 2"2d day 
of April, 1840. His father, Mr. James B. Harrison, removed, in Septem- 
ber following, to Missouri, and located, temporarily, in Callaway county. 
In the spring of 1841, he came to Ray county, and settled near the city of 
Richmond. The next year he bought one hundred and sixty acres of 
land, three miles west of Richmond, and removed to it with his family. 
On this farm our subject was reared. He finished his education with two 
years' study, at Richmond College, in December, 1859, and soon after 
went to Denver, Colorado. After spending about nine months in the 
Rocky mountains, he returned to his home in Ray county, but remaining 
but a short time. He enlisted, in the cause of the south, for the war, and 
was with the Confederate army until taken prisoner, on the Gasconade 
river, in 1862. He was held as prisoner of war, and transported from 
prison to prison until 1864, when he was pardoned, by President Lincoln* 
through the influence of ex-Governor Austin A. King. He never re-en- 
tered the service. After the war was over he engaged in the milling 
business, and then commenced farming, and has since pursued the latter 
calling. Mr. Harrison was married, January 16, 1867, to Miss Mary M. 
Magill, daughter of William Magill, Esq., of Ray county. One child, 
Minnie Lee, has been born of this marfiage. Both Mr. and Mrs. Har- 
rison are members of the M. E. Church South. He is also a Free Mason, 
with fellowship in Myrde Lodge No. 338, at Millville. "Mr. Harrison is 
an obliging and hospitable neighbor, a courteous gentleman, and a good 
citizen. 

ARTHUR B. ELLIOTT, 

Was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 17th day of September, 
1842, and was reared and educated here. His education he received prin- 
cipally at Richmond College. He is a son of Richard S. Elliott, deceased. 
His occupation has always been farming. He entered the Confederate 
army at the age of fifteen years, and fought throughout the four years of 
civil war. Mr. Elliott was married in the year 1865, to Miss Emma King, 
daughter of Adriel King, deceased. One child, named Henry Lee, was 
born to them. Mrs. Elliott lived only a short time after her marriage, 
dying in 1868. Mr. Elliott was subsequently married to Miss Mattie 
Lyle, daughter of Mr. Whit. Lyle, deceased. They became the parents 
of two children, named respectively, Robert and Emma. Mr. Elliott is a 
prosperous, well-to-do farmer, and a respected and valuable citizen of the 
county of Ray. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 617 

WILLIAM PINCKNEY. 

Was born in Durham county, England, on the 2d day of July, 1834, 
and was educated there. He lived in his native country until he had 
attained his majority. He then came to America, and has been engaged, 
either in coal or lead mining, ever since. Mr. Pinckney enlisted in the 
Union arm}- at Lexington, Missouri, and served throughout the war. He 
has never been married. He came to Camden, Ray county, Missouri, in 
the year 1881, and now holds the responsible position of superintendent 
of the coal mines belonging to J. C. McGrew, Esq. Mr. Pinckney is an 
experienced and practical miner, and is thoroughly honorable and trust- 
worthy, as his appointment to the position of superintendent bears testi- 
mony. 

JAMES C. ENDICOTT. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Clay county, Missouri, on the 
22d day of November, 1835, and lived there until January, 1855, when 
he came to Ray county, Missouri, and has lived here ever since. Mr. 
Endicott was married, the first time, on the 28th day of November, 1861, 
to Miss Margaret Remley, a native of Ray county. They became the 
parents of one child, Clara B. Mrs. Endicott died in the month of March, 
1877, and Mr. Endicott was married again, on the 29th of November, 
1877, to Miss Amy Barbers. The issue of this marriage was one child: 
Amanda M. Mr. Endicott is a member of the Masonic Lodge at Rich- 
mond. He owns a farm of two hundred acres of excellent land, one hun- 
dred and fifty acres in fine state of cultivation, and his busines is very 
prosperous. 

THOMAS McGINNIS. 

Thomas McGinnis was born September 26, 1827, in Anderson county, 
Kentucky. He received his education in the common schools of the 
neighborhood, and at Versailles, in Woodford county. He was married 
in November, 1847, before he was twenty-one years of age, to Miss 
Rebecca Boggess, of Anderson county, Kentucky. Soon after his mar- 
riage with Miss Boggess, he removed to Missouri, and settled in Mont- 
gomery county, but remained there only one year, till he came to Ray 
county, January, 1848, where he has ever since resided. After locating 
in Ray county, Mr. McGinnis engaged in teaching school, at the same 
time superintending a farm in the botton near Hardin. After three years 
he abandoned the school-room, and devoted himself exclusively to farm- 
ing and dealing in live-stock. His first wife died while he was engaged 
as teacher, and two years after her death he married Miss Laura I. Shaw, 
daughter of T. L. D. W. Shaw, now deceased. His second wife died in 
39 



618 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

May, 1865, and he subsequent!}^ married Mrs. Lucinda M. . Duncan, 
widow of Mr. John Duncan, and daughter of Bennett Stratton, formerly 
of Ray county. From these three marriages have sprung twenty-one 
children, live of whom were born to his first wife, five to the second, and 
eleven to the third, and out of this number only fourteen are living; one 
of them, Sarah F., is married. She is the wife of James E. Wood, Esq. 
Mr. McGinnis was justice of the peace of Crooked River township for 
six years, having been first elected in 1870. During this time he was at 
once justice of the peace, merchant, and farmer. His store (one of gen- 
eral merchandise) was in Hardin ; his farm near that village. He also at 
the same time dealt somewhat extensively in live-stock. In 1876 he was 
elected sherifl' of Ray county on the democratic ticket, by a large major- 
ity over his republican competitor. He filled this office with singular 
efficiency, and at the general election in November, 1878, the people, 
appreciating his ability as an officer, and admiring him for his many excel- 
lent traits of character as a private citizen, demanded that he again be 
their sheriff, and he was elected to a second term without opposition. 
Captain McGinnis received at this election the largest vote ever cast in 
the county. By virtue of a law of the state, he was prevented- from 
availing himself of the general desire of his fellow-citizens to again elect 
him to the office of sheriff. He was succeeded in office by his son, James 
T. McGinnis, and retired to his home, about three miles southwest of 
Richmond, where he now resides on his valuable and well-improved farm, 
in the enjoyment of the respect and esteem of all the people of Ray 
county, whom he has served faithfully in important positions of public 
trust. Of genial disposition, courteous in manners, obliging and agree- 
able to all, hospitable at his home, capable in office, always sincere, frank 
and honest, it is not wonderful that Thomas McGinnis is universally pop- 
ular. No man of decent address and demeanor is denied a seat at his 
table; he is a generous host, a warm-hearted friend, and in every sense 
of the word a true gentleman. Captain McGinnis is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, and also of the Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias, 
and has held responsible positions in each. 

HARVEY HAPPY. 

This gentleman was born in Lexington, Kentucky, on the 5th day of 
March, 1831, and there he was educated and continued to live until he 
was grown. His father, Mr. James Happy, was also a native of the state 
of Kentucky, and a farmer in Fayette county. Harvey Happy was mar- 
ried in Boone county, Kentucky, on the 22d day of March, 1850, to Miss 
Sarah Ann Rosell, daughter of George Rosell, of Boone county. One 
child, Isabella, was born of this union, and died September 20, 1852. 
Mrs. Happy died on the 8th day of January, 1854, and Mr. Happy was 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 619 

subsequently married to Miss Jane Rosell, sister of his first wife. The 
issue of this marriage was ten children, nine of whom still survive: 
Theodosia, wife of J. S. King; Walter, Lee Jackson, Harvey Ray, 
George Washington, Arthur Stephen, William Franklin, John Neil and 
Bud. The first child, Fillmore, by the second marriege, died at ,the age 
of six months. Mr. Happy came from Kentucky to Hardin, Ray county, 
Missouri, in 1852, and for a time after coming operated a saw mill and 
then merchandised for about four months at Hardin. Moved to the place 
he at present occupies (section twenty-one, township fifty-one, range 
twenty-eight) in 1868. This is a fine farm of two hundred acres of very 
productive land. Mr. Happy is a member of the "regular" Baptist 
Church and also of Ada Lodge, No. 444, A. F. & A. M., at Albany. 
He is a substantial, well-to-do farmer and a good citizen. 

JOHN P. WEIGLES. 

John P. Weigles is of German extraction. He was born in Centerville, 
Illinois, on the 20th day of May, 1855, and educated in the city of St. 
Louis, Missouri, whither his father moved in 1856. Here his father died 
and the family afterwards moved to Ray county, Missouri. Our subject 
has always been engaged in farming. He was married December 26, 
1879, to Miss Orlenia A. Loyd. Of this union one child, John Perry, has 
been born. Mr. Weigles lives upon the Loyd estate, to which his wife is 
one of five heirs, one and a half miles west of the town of Camden. A 
number of the heirs are minors and partition of the property can not, in 
consequence, be made for some time, and in the meantime, Mr. Weigles 
controls and manages the place. Mrs. Weigles is a worthy member of 
the Fishing River Regular Baptist Church. 

MARTIN V. KITE. 

Was born in Page county, Virginia, March 28, 1837. He attended 
school at a place called Honeyville. At the age of twent3^-three years he 
enlisted in the 23d Virginia regiment of Confederate volunteers, and 
served in the cause of the south throughout the entire war. In the year 
1869 he came to Missouri and located in Warren county, where he 
engaged in milling for about three years, then going to Lafayette county, 
he purchased a farm and pursued the business of stock-raising for four 
years. He sold his farm in Lafayette county in the year 1875, and com- 
ing to Ray county, purchased the Wolf farm, about two miles west of 
Camden, and has made his home here ever since. Mr. Kite was married 
while living in Warren county, Missouri, to Miss Jennie Kite, a distant 
cousin of his. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kite, five of 
whom are living: David, Donie Salina, Sylvester, Maggie Docia, and 



6:20 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Roberta. Their eldest child died in infancy. Mrs. Kite is a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church South, at Camden. Mr. Kite owns a 
valuable farm, well improved and stocked, and is in a flourishing condition. 
He is highly esteemed and respected by his neighbors, and is a valuable 
adjunct of the community in which he lives. 

ROBERT H. WOODROOF. 

Was born in Buckingham county, Virginia, on the 9th day of January, 
1825. In the same year his father, Wyatt T. Woodroof, moved to St. 
Louis county, and after staying there one year, to St. Charles county, 
Missouri. After living there for five years his father died, and the family 
removed to Warren county, Missouri, where our subject received his edu- 
cation and grew to manhood. He began farming on his own account, in 
the year 1852, and has always followed that calling. He came to Ray 
county in 1869, and buying a farm from Dr. Brashear, (section 20, town- 
ship 51, range 28,) settled upon it and has continued living there to the 
present time, (April, 1881). Mr. Woodruff was married on the 22d day 
of May, 1872, to Miss Sarah, daughter of Mr. George Lillard. They 
became the parents of two sons, one of whom, Robert L., is now living. 
Mr. Woodroof owns a valuable farm of three hundred and three acres of 
excellent land, well improved, with a good comfortable residence, out 
houses and barn and a tine orchard. He is a leading farmer and valuable 
citizen of Camden township. 

WILLIAM COX. 

This gentleman was born in Hanover county, Virginia, on the 22d day 
of December, 1820, but was raised in Claiborne county, East Tennessee, 
whither his father had removed when he was but six years old. Here he 
grew up on his father's farm. He was engaged with the American army 
in the war against Mexico. He came to Missouri in 1839 and settled on 
Crooked river, in Ray county, about six miles northwest of the town of 
Richmond. His home has been in this county ever since he came first, 
except some time spent in Carroll county, and about nine years he lived in 
the state of Nebraska. In 1861 William Cox joined the Confederate army 
under General Price, and was engaged during the entire war, part of the 
time with General Price and part under General Jackson. He was also 
a soldier in the Indian wars in Oregon in 1854 and 1855. Mr. Cox was 
married in Ray county, Missouri, to Miss Elizabeth Eaton, daughter of 
Nathan Eaton, Esq., of Tennessee. The issue of this marriage was thir- 
teen children. Only six of them, three of each sex, are now living. Mr. 
Cox is a member of the regular Baptist Church, and also of the Farmer's 
Club. He has just returned to Ray count}^ from Nebraska, after nine 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 621 

years so)Ourn there, and having purchased a farm in section eight, town- 
ship fifty-one, range twenty-eight, intends making his home in this county 
henceforth during his life. 

STANTON R. LILLARD. 

Stanton R. Lillard was born in Madison county, Virginia on the 8th 
day of May, 1834, and grew up and was educated there. He came to 
Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1856, and was engaged for a year, after 
his arrival here, in teaming. He was then employed by Thomas Duvall 
as overseer for the negro workman on his farm. In this capacity he 
remained for another year, and then went back to Virginia, but staying 
there only during one winter, he came again to Ray county. Mr. Lillard 
was married on the 10th day of December, 1862, to Miss EHza J.i 
daughter of Christopher Allison, Esq., of Ray county. He bought a farm 
the same year in sections seven and eight, township fifty-one, range 
twenty-eight, and has lived upon it ever since. He afterwards increased 
the extent of his first purchase, and now owns three hundred and fifty- 
seven acres of fine land in Ray county. He is also engaged, to some 
extent, in breeding and dealing in fine stock. Twelve children have been 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Lillard, eight of whom are living, named as follows 
John F., born October 11, 1866; Christopher C, born October 10, 1867 
Hattie Jane, born January 17, 1870; Elizabeth C, born March 30, 1874 
James W., born September 18, 1875; Ludy May, born September 23, 1877 
Robert Lee and Mary Francis, twins, born February 11, 1881; George 
W., William R., and two unnamed infants, are dead. Mr. Lillard was 
slightly wounded by the terrible cyclone which passed through Richmond 
June 1, 1878. He is a member of the order of Patrons of Husbandry and 
also of a later organization called the Farmer's Club. Mr. Lillard is a 
practical, successful and prosperous farmer. He has made six visits to 
his native state since he first came away. In 1876 he made an extended 
tour through the east and attended the centennial exposition at the city of 
Philadelphia. 

WM. A. WHITE. 

William Alexander White was born in Amherst county, Virginia, in 
the month of May, 1820. He is of English-Irish descent. His father, 
Mr. Merritt M. White, removed to Ray county, Missouri, in the year 
1837, and settled upon a farm which he had entered, four miles north of 
Camden. His father died in 1861, and our subject subsequently bought 
the old homestead, but after a while he sold it and bought the place upon 
which he now resides, in sections four and nine, of township fifty-one, 
range twenty-eight. This farm consists of fhree hundred and thirty 
acres of very fertile and productive soil. Mr. White also owns another 



622 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

tract, of one hundred and forty-four acres, in the same township. He 
has been a life long farmer, most of the time in Ray county. Wm. A. 
White was married in the month of November, 1842, to Miss Ann Eliza 
Williams, daughter of Rev. James Williams, a prominent minister of the 
Baptist Church, now deceased. Eleven children have been born of this 
union: Henry Mc, born September 22, 1843; Mary P., born May 21, 
1845; George Merritt, born February 7, 1847; Sarah Elizabeth, born 
September 23, 1848; Martha Ellen, born June 13, 1850; Judith 
Rosanna, born March 7, 1852; William Andrew, born August 26, 1854; 
Eliza Anna, born April 5, 1857; John David, born February 25,1859; 
Rhoda Frances, born April 19, 1861; Lucy Jane, born August 30, 1863. 
William A. died September 3, 1856, and Rhoda F. died December 13, 
1872. The rest are living, and all married except John D. and Lucy J. 
As the offspring of these various marriages, Mr. White has some thirty 
or more grandchildren. Both Mr. and Mrs. White have been members 
of the regular Baptist Church for more than thirty years. In 1876 Mr. 
White made an extended tour of the eastern states, and even went into 
Canada. At different times, during this trip, he visited his old friends in 
Virginia, the United States centennial exposition, Niagara Falls, and other 
places of interest in the east. 

THOMAS A. BROWN. 

Thomas A. Brown was born in Rutherford county, Tennessee, on the 
28th day of April, 1815, His father, Thomas B. Brown, removed to Ray 
county, Missouri, when Thomas was but fifteen years old, and the home 
of the latter has been in this county ever since. In the year 1835, he 
entered a farm in section five, township fifty-one, range twenty-eight, and 
at once began to improve it. He increased the size of this place by sub- 
sequent purchases, until now it consists of some three hundred acres of 
rich and valuable land. He also owns a tract of fifty-five acres on Crooked 
river. Mr. Brown was married November 22, 1838, to Miss Patsy Crow- 
ley, the daughter of Jeremiah Crowley, Esq., of Ray county. They 
became the parents of fifteen children, only seven of whom are living at 
this time (April, 1881). Their names follow: William T., Sarah Ann, 
Jeremiah, John Franklin, Ellen Catharine, Henry, and Harden Alvin. The 
names of those dead are: Elizabeth, Mahala, James Calvin (killed at the 
siege of Vicksburg, during the civil war), Nancy Frances, Martha, 
Joseph Ashley, Thomas B., and an infant son. Mr. Brown took part in 
both the " Mormon war," and the " Heatherly war." Both himself and 
Mrs. Brown are members of the Regular Baptist Church, at New Hope. 
They joined the church more than thirty-five years ago. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 623 

ELIJAH STOUT. 

Tlie subject of this sketch was born in Culpepper count}-, Virginia, 
^ une 24, 1S02. When he was but three years of age, his father, Elijah 
Stout, Sr., removed to Shelby county, Kentucky, and there our subject 
was educated and grew up. At the age of thirty-four years he came to 
Missouri and located in Clay county, where he farmed until the year 
1848, and then came to Ray county, Missouri, and bought a farm one 
mile west of Richmond, known as the Shotwell place. After living upon 
this farm for seven years, he sold it, purchasing the one upon which he now 
lives, about five miles southwest of Richmond, He has been all his life 
engaged in farming. Mr. Stout was married in the year 1826, to Mrs. 
Nancy Cave, of Woodford county, Kentucky. She died in 1844, and he 
was again married, to Miss Ann Warder, of Richmond. She, too, died, 
in 1868, and he was married the third time. His last wife was Miss Liz- 
zie Priest, daughter of Elias Priest, Esq., of Ray county. Mr. Stout 
belongs to the Missionar}^ Baptist Church, at Albany. He is now well 
advanced in years. By his enterprise and industry he has earned a com- 
petency, and surrounded himself, now, in his declining years, with those 
material comforts which serve to lengthen out a green old age, and make 
the evening of life bright and happy. 

JOHN STEVINSON. 

John Stevinson is a native of Kentucky. He was born in Clark 
county, that state, on the 18th day of May, 1827. Here he received his 
education, and lived until he had attained his majority. He was married 
in Clark county, on the 24th of August, 1848, to Miss Mary Ann Stone, 
daughter of Dudley Stone, Esq., of that county. He purchased a farm 
and Conducted business upon it until the spring of 1855, when he sold his 
farm in Kentucky, and removed to Jackson county, Missouri, and located 
near Lee's Summit. Here he resided until the war troubles of 1863 
came. At this time General Thomas Ewing issued his famous "order 
number eleven," banishing the people from their homes, and our subject 
came to Ray county. After renting land for three years, Mr. Stevinson 
bought a farm in section six, township fifty-one, range twenty-eight, and 
section one, township fifty-one, range twenty-nine, and has lived there 
ever since. He has recovered from the losses sustained by the war, and 
is now in a very prosperous condition. He gives attention chiefly to 
grain raising, and the breeding of fine varieties of live stock. Nine 
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs, Stevinson, six of whom are 
living at the present time (April, 1881), named as follows: Mary Eliza- 
beth, Asa, Williamson, James, John, Sarah Mildred. Those dead are: 
Margaret Ann, Eliza Catherine, and an infant son. Mrs. Stevinson and 
the eldest daughter belong to the Christian Church. 



624 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

WILLIS WORLEY. 
This gentleman is a native of Jefferson county, Tennessee, and was*^ 
born on the 17th of January, 1817. His father, Mr. William Worley, Sr., 
was a large land owner, and an early settler in Tennessee. At the early 
age of sixteen years, our subject left home and went to Kentucky. 
During the succeeding fourteen years he led a very nomadic life as a 
stock drover to the southern markets. In 1849 he went to Illinois, and 
farmed for one season, and then returned to Kentucky. He was married 
on the 27th day of September, 1849, to Miss Eliza J. Ogg, daughter of 
Mr. William Ogg, of Madison county, Kentucky. This estimable lady 
was educated in Madison county, Kentucky, and during several years of 
her life, was engaged in teaching school there. She was a very efficient, 
successful and popular teacher. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Worley 
returned to Illinois, and lived there until 1854. In the autumn of that 
year he came to Missouri, and, after stopping one winter in Lafayette 
county, settled on a farm three miles northeast of Orrick, in Ray county. 
In the year 1867 he bought the Wm. Graham farm, adjoining his place, 
and now has two hundred and twenty acres of valuable land, all in one 
tract. He added greatly to the beauty and value of his place by erect- 
ing, in 1868, a large and commodious dwelling house. Mrs. Worley is a 
leading member of the Christian Church, at High Point. 

L. D. PRIEST. 

Luke D. Priest was born in Montgomery county, Kentucky, on the 
15th day of May, 1819, and there received his education. After two or 
three successive removals to diflerent parts of Kentucky, his father, Mr. 
Elias Priest, in 1835, came to Missouri. He spent the winter after his 
arrival in Saline county, and the next year came to Ray county and 
remained here until his death. Luke D. Priest was married in 1841, to 
Miss Sarah J. Goe, daughter of Mr. Noble Goe, of Ray county. After 
his marriage he farmed for two or three years near the present town of 
Haller, then selling his farm there, he purchased the one on which he now 
resides, five miles southwest of Richmond. With the exception of six 
years he lived near Todd's chapel, Mr. Priest has occupied his present 
place ever since he first bought it. He served eight years as justice of 
the peace in Richmond township. In the fall of 1864, he was elected by 
the democrats to the office of public administrator of Ray county. At 
the expiration of the term, two years, the law having undergone a change, 
he was appointed by the probate court to the office for another term. 
Thus he filled the office of public administrator for eight consecutive years 
and discharged the duties efficiently and to the entire satisfaction of his 
constituency. Since he retired from office, he has given his attention 
almost exclusively, with the exception «f one year he had a brick yard at 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 625 

Richmond, to farming. Mr. Priest and wife became the parents of twelve 
'children, eight of whom are now living: Margaret J., Sarah A., William 
D., Charles E., Catlett S., Luke M., Virginia A. and George M. Those 
dead are: Mary Elizabeth, Robert D., Armand and an infant son. Mr. 
Priest is a prosperous farmer, a good neighbor and a prominent, highly 
respected and influential citizen of Ray county, 

ELIJAH HAPPY. 

Was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, August 2, 1833. He received 
his education in the schools of his native county, and at the age of seven- 
teen years came with his father to Missouri, and located in Ray county. 
Ten years later he operated a saw mill for the space of about four years, 
and then, buying land a few miles southwest of Richmond, he began 
farming and has continued in that business ever since. Mr. Happy was 
married on the 21st day of April, 1853, to Miss Marcella E. Reed, 
daughter of Mr. Dav^id Reed, of Carroll county, Missouri. Eleven 
children were the issue of this union, six of whom are now living, named 
as follows: Harvey W., John C, James D., Augustus G., Eddie G. and 
Ursula Alice. Following are the names of those that are dead: Mary 
C, Fannie L., Virginia A., Elijah S. and George C. Mr, and Mrs. 
Happy, with three of their children, are members of the Missionary 
Baptist Church. Mr. Happy is, also, a member of the Richmond Lodge 
of A. F. & A. M. He owns a fine farm of two hundred acres, in a good 
state of cultivation; and is one of the most substantial farmers, and valua- 
ble citizens of his neighborhood. 

GEORGE M. AUSTIN. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Garrard county, Kentucky, 
August 1, 1829. He remained in his native county, occupied in farming, 
until the year 1856, when he emigrated to Missouri and stopped first for 
a few months in Cass county. In the month of February, 1857, he came 
to Ray county, and located on a farm, southeast of the city of Richmond, 
where he lived until 1865, and then removed to his present place, (section 
5, township 50, range 28). He owns one hundred acres of good land, one 
half of which is in cultivation, with a neat, comfortable residence and 
other buildings. Mr. Austin served in the local militia, for six months, in 
time of the late civil war. He was married in Cass county, Missouri, in 
the month of December, 1856, to Miss Martha S. Bright, a native of Lin- 
coln county, Kentucky. They became the parents of nine children, six of 
whom are now living: Jefferson, Mary E., Claudia, Katy, Lucy and 
Pearl. Mr. Austin and his wife are consistent members of the Christian 
Church. He is a well-to-do farmer, and an influential and public spirited 
citizen. 



626 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

JAMES VANDEVEER. 

James Vandeveer is a native of Ray county, Missouri. He was born, 
December 28, 1850, and has lived, all his life, in this county. His father, 
Louis Vandeveer, is a native of Kentucky, and settled in this county in 
the year 1839. Mr. Vandeveer has been engaged, since leaving school, 
at farming. He owns a fine farm of two hundred acres, half of which is 
in cultivation, and well improved and stocked. He is engaged, to a con- 
siderable extent, in raising good breeds of live-stock. He also deals in 
stock. Mr. Vandeveer was married in this county, February 27, 1873, to 
Miss Ann Offutt, a native, also, of Ray county, Missouri. They are the 
parents of five children, living: Perry, Cora, Esley, and Charles. Mr. 
Vandeveer is a rising and prosperous young farmer and stock-raiser, and a 
valuable member of the community. 

A. B. REMLEY. 

Arthur B. Remley was born in Ray county, Missouri, September 12, 
1866. He is the son of Adam and Pulaski H. Remley. His father was a 
native of Kentucky. His mother was born in Virginia, and is yet living 
in this county. Mr. Remley was married, in this county, April 18, 1880,, 
to Miss Rachel Jackson, a native of Ray county, Missouri. They became 
the parents of one child, Arthur R. Mrs. Remley died March 24, 1881, 
and her untimely death was deeply mourned by her large circle of rela- 
tives and friends. Mr. Remley is engaged in farming and stock-raising, 
and has also taught school with good success. He is an intelligent, active, 
enterprising young man, and enjoys the confidence and high regard of the 
community in which he lives. 

WILLIAM ARTMAN. 

William Artman was born in Ray county, Missouri, September 26, 1832. 
He attended the district schools of his father's neighborhood, and worked 
on the homestead farm until he attained his majority, and then went to 
Bates county, Missouri, where he was engaged in farming for ten years. 
At the expiration of that time, he removed to Moniteau county, Missouri, 
and after living there three years, returned to his native county and has 
resided here continuously ever since. In 1861, while living in Bates 
county, Mr. Artman enlisted in company C, 2d Confederate Missouri vol- 
unteers, and was in the battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek and others 
He was discharged in 1862, on account of physical disability for mili- 
itary service. Mr. Artman was married in this county, September 16, 
1875, to Miss Letitia Vandeveer, a native of Barton county, Missouri. 
They have two children: Angeline and Louis. Mr. Artman is a good,, 
successful farmer, and a respected and valuable citizen. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 627 



T. W. GORTON. 



Thaddeus W. Gorton was born in Steuben county, New York, April 30, 
1834. He received his education and grew to manhood in his native state, 
and then in the year 1858, he went to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and, after 
remaining there for a time, went to Atchison, Kansas, where he was 
engaged during the spac^ of four years, in the lumber business. From 
Kansas he went to Idaho territory, and spent about two years prospect- 
ing and exploring in the Rocky mountains, at the expiration of which 
time he returned to Kansas, and came from there to Ray county, Mis- 
souri, in the autumn of 1869, and has resided in this county ever since. 
He is now engaged in farming and operating a large saw mill. He 
owns 500 acres of excellent land, 200 acres in cultivation and the balance 
in pasture and wood lands. He has a good, comfortable residence, and 
his farm is well stocked and equipped. Mr. Gorton was married August 
19, 1868, to Miss Diana Black, a native of the state of Kentucky. They 
are the parents of one child : Charles L. Mr. Gorton devotes some con- 
siderable attention to stock raising, and his farm is well adapted to make 
that business very successful. He is a valuable member of the community 
an da good citizen. 

R. B. HALIGAN. 

Robert B. Haligan was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, March 11, 
1856. His parents, William G. and D. A. Haligan, were also natives of 
the state of Kentucky. They removed, when Robert was fourteen years 
of age, to Ray county, Missouri, and settled upon the same farm he now 
occupies. His father died in 1873, and his mother the year following. 
Mr. Haligan was married on the 14th day of June, 1874, in this county, 
to Miss Martha Farris, a native of Ray county. They have one child, 
Robert P. The subject of this sketch has been engaged in farming and 
stock-raising in this county ever since leaving school. He owns a third 
interest in his father's homestead, a tine farm of three hundred acres of 
valuable land, about two hundred acres in a fine state of cultivation and 
enclosed by good substantial fences. This farm is improved by a com- 
fortable and conveniently arranged dwelling house, a substantial and 
roomy barn, and other buildings. It is also supplied with an abundance 
of water for the accommodation of stock, and has a thrifty, bearing 
orchard. Mr. Haligan is a rising young farmer, and enjoys the confidence 
and esteem of all who know him. He is now serving as justice of the 
peace, to which office he was appointed by the county court in March, 
1881. 



628 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ANDREW J. RIFFE. 

The gentleman whose name heads this article is a native of Casey 
county, Kentucky. He is the son of John and Mary Riffe, and was born 
on the 6th day of April, 1828. His parents removed to Missouri and set- 
tled in Ray county when he was eleven years of age, and he was educated 
and grew up in this county. In the month of April, 1850, in company 
with five other young men from the same vicinity, he 'went, with the hope 
of bettering his fortunes, to the gold mines of the far west. After spend- 
ing six months in a tedious overland trip, suffering great hardships, and 
running the gauntlet of hostile bands of Indians, he and his companions 
arrived in California. Mr. Rifle remained in California and other parts 
of the west, until July, 1851, and then returned to his home in Ray county. 
He owns an excellent farm of two hundred and forty acres, about one 
hundred and sixty acres in cultivation, forty acres in pasture, and the 
remainder woodland. His farm is under good substantial fences, well 
watered and in a fine state of productiveness. It lies conveniently near 
good schools, churches and markets. Mr. Rifle was married February 
6, 1854, to Miss Angeline Dorton, a native of the state of Kentucky. 
They became the parents of eight children, only three of whom are now 
living: Charles, Lizzie and Archie. Mr. Rifle and his wife are active 
members of the Christian Church. He is a prosperous farmer and a val- 
uable and influential citizen. 

ETHBERT M. ENDSLEY. 

Ethbert M. Endsley was born in Ray county, Missouri, June 18, 1834. 
He is the son of John and Hannah Endsley. His father first came to this 
county about the year 1819. The subject of this sketch lived on his 
father's farm until the spring of 1852, when he went to California, and 
engaged there in mining and other pursuits during about five years, 
returning to this county in 1857. Having been occupied so long (nearly 
six months), in going to California overland, he chose the ocean route on 
the return trip, sailing from San Francisco to the Isthmus of Panama, and 
returning home from there by boat. In 1864, Mr. Endsley went to Salt 
Lake City, Utah, and thence to Montana Territory, where he engaged 
for about a year in freighting with teams, after which he came back 
again to this county, and has lived here ever since. Mr. Endsley owns a 
good stock farm of four hundred and eighty-three acres, about ninet}^ 
acres of tillable land, and the balance in pasture and woodlands. He is 
largely engaged in raising the best breeds of live stock, and pays particu- 
lar attention to Short-horn cattle. His farm is handsomely improved, and 
well arranged and conducted. It bears a thrifty and prosperous appear- 
ance. Mr. Endsley has been twice married. First, December 27, 1857, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 629 

in this county, to Miss Eliza M. Vance, a native of the state of North 
Carolina. They became the parents of nine children, seven of whom are 
now living, viz: Amanda, Alice B., Ethbert M. , John N., Everett, Fanny, 
Eliza M. Mrs. Endsley died in the month of June, 1873, and he was 
acrain married, September 15, 1875, to Mariah L. Owens, a native of Ray 
county, Missouri. Both Mr. Endsley and his wife are leading members of 
the Christian Church. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity, 
of the Grange and of the Farmers' Club. He is a highly esteemed citi- 
zen, and a valuable member of the community. 

ZAZA D. RALPH. 

Zaza D. Ralph is a native of Ray county, Missouri. He was born 
November 27, 1830. He received his education and grew up to manhood's 
estate in his native county. In 1864, he went to the great west and spent 
seven months on the plains, returning again to this county. He was mar- 
ried December 24, 1850, to Miss Martha A. Simpson, a native of Virginia, 
born February 1, 1836. They became the parents of seven children: 
Mary, born December 12, 1851; Jessie B., born July 20, 1854; Ella, born 
August 7, 1857; Lucy A., born November 10, 1860; Fanny A., born 
March 1, 1864; Zula D., born August 6, 1866; Laura L., born June 5, 
1869. Mr. Ralph owns a fine farm of six hundred and forty acres, six 
hundred acres enclosed b}^ good fences and about four hundred acres in 
cultivation. This farm is handsomely improved and well stocked with 
the best breeds of horses, mules, cattle, hogs and sheep. He pays partic- 
ular attention to raising fine cattle and has made that branch of his busi- 
ness very successful and profitable. He is also engaged in buying and 
selling live stock. Mr. ReJph and his wife with their eldest daughter are 
members of the Christian Church. He is also a member of the Masonic 
fraternity and of the Grange. Mr. Ralph is a prosperous farmer and 
stock dealer and influential citizen, and a man highly respected and 
esteemed in the community. 

RICHARD. W. BATES. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Ray count}'^, Missouri, Feb- 
ruary 14, 1847. His parents were William and Zerilda Bates. His 
father is a native of Virginia, he came from that state to Ray county, in 
the year 1835, and is yet living here in his sixty-seventh year. His 
mother (Zerilda) w^as born in the state of Kentucky. Our subject 
remained at home, with his parents, working on the farm in summer, and 
attending such schools as he could have access to, in the winter, until he 
attained his majority. Richard W. Bates was married in the month of 
January, 1871, by Rev. Mr. Newland, of the M. E. Church, to Miss 
Mary Miller. She lived only about eighteen months after marriage, and 



630 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

her early demise was much lamented by a large circle of friends and 
relatives. Mr. Bates was again married March 22, 1877, by Rev. J. M. 
Wheeler, of the Baptist Church, to Miss P. Gaut, daughter of Joshua R. 
and Winnie A. Gaut, natives of the state of North Carolina. She was 
born in Ray county, Missouri, March 18, 1846. One child has been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Bates, named, Sallie, date of birth, October 30, 1871. 
Mr. Bates owns one hundred and fifty-four acres of good land, one hun- 
dred and fifteen acres under cultivation, the rest growing timber of good 
quality. He is also engaged, to a considerable extent, in raising and feed- 
ing live stock. Mr. Bates is a practical, successful farmer, and a good 
citizen. 

REV. WILLIAM C. GARRETT. 

William C. Garrett was born in Pulaski county, Kentucky, April 23, 
1823, and continued to live there, with his parents, until he was fifteen 
years of age. The family then emigrated from Kentucky to Jackson 
county, Missouri, where they lived during one summer, and then removed 
to Buchanan county, Missouri. Mr. Garrett was married on the 20th day 
of February, 1840, by Reverend Benjamin Riley, of the Christian Church, 
to Miss Milly Kerns, who was born in Russell county, Kentucky, Janu- 
ary 13, 1821. Five children have been born to bless this union. Their 
names, with dates of birth, follow : James M., born May 25, 1841; John 
W., born May 2, 1843; Sarah J., born March 26, 1845; Mary A., born 
June 1, 1849; William F., born October 26, 1857. In the year 1845 our 
subject moved to Andrew county, Missouri, where he lived three years, 
and then went to DeKalb county, Missouri, and remained there until 1854, 
when he removed to Henry county, Missouri. From there he went to 
Jefferson county, Kansas, and thence, after a time, to Pottawattamie 
county, Kansas, where he lived until 1874, and then came to Ray county, 
Missouri, where he located permanently, and has since resided. Mr. 
Garrett has been an active minister of the Regular Baptist Church for 
more than thirty-eight years. In the discharge of his ministerial labors 
he has traveled thousands of miles, and often been subjected to great 
hardships. Often he was compelled to walk long distances — sometimes 
as far as sixty miles — to keep an appointment that had been made for him 
to preach. His life has been that of the pioneer preacher, and he has 
wrought well and faithfully in the vineyard where the Master assigned 
him work. He is a very successful preacher, and is universally respected 
and revered by the members of his flock. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 631 

DR. H. B. HAMILTON. 

Henry B. Hamilton was born in Lincoln county, Kentucky, July 18, 
1822. His parents, Thomas and Rachel Hamilton, were also natives of 
Kentucky, and immigrated from that state to Ray county, Missouri, when 
Henry was about ten years old. After completing the course of study 
taught in the schools of his adopted county, our subject returned to Ken- 
tucky and entered the medical department of Transylvania University, 
and graduated from that institution of learning in 1847. He returned to 
Ray county and commenced the practice of his chosen profession, and 
has continued it ever since with abundant success. Dr. Hamilton was 
married May 8, 1849, to Miss Elizabeth R. Craig, by Rev. John Walker 
of the Christian Union Church, in Ray county, Missouri. Mrs. Hamilton 
is the daughter of John and Susannah Craig. She was born December 
25, 1833. Her father was a native of the state of Pennsylvania, her 
mother of North Carolina. Dr. and Mrs. Hamilton became the parents 
of two children : Charles L., born October 22, 1858; Claude C, born 
April 17, 1866. Dr. Hamilton was engaged in merchandising in company 
with J. R. Green, at Hainesvill, in Clinton county, Missouri, from 1853 to 
1857. He then occupied and improved a tract of land which he had- 
entered in Caldwell county, Missouri. This farm he exchanged for a stock 
of goods and engaged in merchandising again for about a year, at ftingston, 
Caldwell county, and then came to Richmond and engaged in the same 
business for the space of one year. He then returned to his farm where he 
has ever since lived, occupied in attending to the duties of his large practice. 
His son Charles L., graduated from the St. Louis Medical College in the 
spring of 1880, and is now associated with his father in the practice of 

medicine. Both father and son belong to the allopathic school of medicine. 

w 

J. O. KILLGROVE. 

James O. Killgrove was born in Carroll county, Arkansas, June 6, 1846. 
His parents were John H. and Lucinda C. Killgrove, natives of North 
Carolina. Our subject continued to live at home with his parents, until 
the commencement of the civil war. He enlisted in company A, second 
Arkansas volunteer cavalry, which was assigned to service in Arkansas 
and Missouri, against the army of the Confederate General Price. He 
was discharged May 17, 1865, at St. Louis. His father had removed to 
he Perry county, Illinois, during his term of service in the army, and hither 
went, after being discharged, to join the family. After living in Illinois 
for three years, he went back to Arkansas, and was there married, in 
Johnson county, to Miss Mary A. Barnett, June 9, 1872, by Rev. Mr. 
Canada, of the M. E. Church. Mrs. Killgrove was born January 30, 
1847. She is the daughter of Josephus and Jane R. Barnett, natives of 



632 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the state of Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Killgrove became the parents of 
five children: Ellsworth L., born March 16, 1873; T. E., born January 
21, 1875; Winona A., born January 28, 1S77; Osborne E., born January 
28, 1879. Ellsworth died August 19, 1874. In 1873 he immigrated to 
the state of Texas, where he lived for more than two years, and then 
returned to Ray county, Missouri, and has since lived here. Mr. Kill- 
grove owns a neat, nicely improved farm, and is doing a thriving business. 
He is highly regarded by all of the community in which he lives, and is a 
valuable and influential citizen. 

ISSA H. NATION. 

Is the son of W. K. and Nancy Nation. He was born in Daviess county, 
Missouri, January 31, 1851. His father was a native of Kentucky, and 
his mother of Missouri. Our subject left home at the age of nineteen 
years, and going to Polk county, Missouri, engaged in herding stock 
there, for about eighteen months, and then returned to Daviess county. 
Mr. Nation was married February 11, 1877, to Miss Maria McGhee, the 
daughter of William and Orlatha McGhee. She was born May 30, 1853. 
The issue of this marriage has been three children, two of whom are 
now living: Lorenzo, born February 11, 1878; George R., born March 
14, 1881. The principal occupation of our subject has always been farm- I 
ing, though he has engaged at carpentering also, at different times during 
life. Both Mr. Nation and his wife are leading members of the Mission- 
ary Baptist Church at Rockfall. He is a thrifty, enterprising and suc- 
cessful farmer and good citizen. 

THOMAS S. VAUGHN. 

Is a native of Lincoln county, Kentucky, and was born April, 1822. 
His parents were Newman and Precia Vaughn, natives of the state of 
North Carolina. When Thomas was fifteen years of age, his parents 
moved to Bond county, Illinois, and resided there until 1846, when our 
subject returned to Kentucky, and remained there three years, and then 
went to California. From that state he traveled for about six years, going 
to the Sandwich Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, and to other places of 
interest. Returning once more to his native state, he remained there for 
a short time, and then removed to Illinois for a time. From Illinois he 
came to Ray county, Missouri, and located where he now lives, and pur- 
sued the avocation of cabinet- making for about fifteen years. Since that 
time he has been engaged in the business of farming. In the month of 
April, 1857, Mr. Vaughn was married to Miss Sarah A. McCullum, 
daughter of Williamson and Mary J. McCullum, natives of Tennessee. 
The marriage ceremony was performed by Reverend Samuel P. Johnson, 
of the Christian Church. The result of this union has been five children, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 633 

all but one of whom are living: * Laura, born February, 1858 (now the 
wife of W. J. Craig); Josie E., born August, 1872; Charlie T., born 
February, 1875; John R., born November, 1880. Both Mr. Vaughn and 
his wife are members of the Christian Church, and also of the Crab 
Orchard Grange, P. of H. Mr. Vaughn owns a fine fertile farm, well 
improved, and in a good state of cultivation. He is a valuable citizen 
and is held in universal respect and esteem by his neighbors. 

LILBURN C. HARRIS. 

This gentleman was born in East Tennessee on the 20th day of Novem- 
ber, 1830. When he was only two years old, his parepts, James and Jane 
Harris, also natives of Tennessee, immigrated with him to Howard county, 
Missouri, and after a short time spent there, to Ray county, where the 
family located permanently, on the farm where our subject now resides. 
His father died when Lilburn was but fourteen years old, and the care 
and support of the family devolved, in a large measure, upon him. The 
family consisted of eight persons, and young Lilburn's duties at home 
were too arduous to allow him much time for attending school, and his 
education was, in consequence, somewhat limited. At the age of twenty 
years, Mr. Harris was married, in February, 1850, to Miss Mary Clark, 
by John E. Wells, justice of the peace. After his marriage he was 
engaged at farming until the outbreaking of the civil war. In 1862 he 
was enrolled in the militia and served until 1864, when he enlisted in com- 
pany B, 44th Missouri regiment of volunteer infantry. He participated 
in the battles of Duck River, Springhills, Franklin, Nashville, Cedar 
Point, and Spanish Fort. He was discharged August 15, 1865, and imme- 
mediately returned home to his family. His wife died in August, 1866, 
leaving him with seven young children. He was again married, April 10, 
1867, by Judge McKissack, of Ray county, to Miss Salina J. Veach. She 
too, died, after becoming the mother of two children, June 29, 1869, and 
Mr. Harris was married the third time, November 20, 1880, to Miss; 
Margaret A. Clark, sister of his first wife. This ceremony was per- 
formed by William Brown, justice of the peace. The third Mrs. Harris 
was born March 30, 1832. She is the daughter of R. and Nancy Clark. 
Her father was a native of Kentucky, and her mother of North Carolina. 
Ten children have been born to Mr. Harris by his different marriages, 
seven of whom are now living and three dead. Their names with dates 
of birth are as follows: Sarah E., born July 6, 1851; Elijah J., born 
November 4, 1852; Margaret, born February 21, 1856; Marcus L., born 
July 7, 1861; Nancy E., born August 14, 1864;^Benuretta, born December 
30, 1867; Willemetta, born May 30, 1869; Hannajj A., born January 13, 
1858, died January 19, 1872; JuHa F., born September 30, 1854, died. May, 
40 



634 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

1873; Georgia A., born May 5, 1859, died July 19, 1872. Mrs. Harris is 
a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. James Harris, father of our 
subject, was born January 17, 1804, and died September 25, 1844. His 
mother (Jane), was born August 4, 1810, and died in the month of Feb- 
ruary, 1878. 

JUDGE WILLIAM McKISSACK. 

William McKissack was born in Cocke county, Tennessee, September 
1, 1812. His parents removed when he was only seven years old to Mis- 
souri, and, locating first in Saline county, lived there for three years, and 
then came to Ray county, and settled upon the same place where Judge 
McKissack now lives. Our subject was educated in the schools of this 
county, and remained at home with his parents until nineteen years of 
age, and then commenced farming on his own account. In the month of 
December, 1832, William McKissack was married to Miss Rachel Odell, 
by Elder Turnadge, of Ray county. Mrs. McKissack is the daughter of 
Isaac and Nancy Odell, natives of Tennessee. She was born in the 
month of December, 1815, in the state of Indiana, whither her parents 
had removed. Ten children have been born to Judge and Mrs. McKis- 
sack, only four of whom are now living. John enlisted in company B, 
44th Missouri volunteers, and died at New Orleans April 11, 1865, and 
was buried there. Simon enlisted in the 3d regiment of Missouri cav- 
alry, in which he was orderly sergeant, and was killed June 8, 1862, at 
the battle of Springfield. His remains were brought home and interred 
in the Odell cemetery. Sarah, who married George P. Clevinger, is now 
deceased. Isaac is also dead. James enlisted in company B, 44th regi- 
ment Missouri volunteer infantry, and was killed in the engagement at 
Franklin, Tennessee, and buried on the battle-field. Martha married 
James Woods, and is now living near her father's home. WilHam is mar- 
ried, and lives in Vernon county, Missouri. Mary Ann married John 
Connerford, and now lives in Kansas. Moses is unmarried, and still at 
home with his parents. Two children, unnamed, died in infancy. Wil- 
liam McKissack was judge of the county court of this county for ten 
years. He has also served as justice of the peace for a number of years. 
He and Mrs. McKissack are leading members of the Missionary Baptist 
Church. Judge McKissack is one of the oldest, most highly respected, 
prominent and influential citizens of Ray county. 

J. D. ROWLAND. 

Jesse D. Rowland is the son of D. and Rachel Rowland, and was born 
in the territory of Indiana, September 6, 1816. While an infant his 
parents removed with him to Missouri, and located in Saline county, 
where they Hved for three years, and then came to Ray county and set- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 635 

tied on a farm (section three, township fifty-two, range twenty-nine), where 
our subject resided until his marriage. He was married March 1, 1839, 
to Miss Mar}^ P. Lyman, by Hiram Warner, of the Christian Church. 
Mrs. Rowland is the daughter of Asa and Sarah Lyman, natives of the 
state of New Hampshire, who immigrated to Missouri in the year 1840. 
She was born February 7, 1818. The issue of this union was twelve 
children, three of whom are now dead. Their names and dates of birth 
follow, viz: Lyman H., born October 2, 1841; Rhoda, born M«rch 3, 
1843; George R., born January 16, 1845; Willard J., born December 18, 
1846; Clarissa J., born January 24, 1849; Mary E., born November 25, 
1851; Jesse D., born October 2, 1852; Rachel, born October 17, 1854; 
Asa D., born July 7, 1860; Maria L., born April 10, 1840, and died in 
1869; Milly M., born May 12, 1857, died May, 1876; Thomas E., born 
April 28, 1859, died August 23, 1860. Mr. and Mrs. Rowland united 
with the old school Baptist Church in the year 1838 and he is, also, a 
member of the Albany Grange, P. of H. Mr. Rowland has been a life- 
long farmer and now owns an excellent farm, well improved and stocked 
with good breeds of live stock. His business is very prosperous and he 
enjoys the confidence and respect of all who know him. 

FRANKLIN J. ROSS. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Casey county, Kentucky, May 
17, 1831. His parents were Matthias and Adaline Ross. His father was 
born in Duchess county. New York, and his mother in Lincoln county, 
Kentucky. In the year 1833, his parents removed to Illinois, and after 
living in that state for ten years, to Ray county, Missouri, and settled near 
where the village of Albany now stands. Our subject remained at home 
and engaged in working on the farm until he was eighteen years of age, 
and then went out into the world to fight the battle of life for himself. 
He began at first laboring for wages upon the farms of his neighbors and 
continued working in this way until 1850, when he went to California and 
engaged there in mining for about eighteen months with fair success. 
He returned home by water via the Panama route. Franklin J. Ross 
was married March 20, 1855, to Miss Hannah Riffe. Two daughters 
were born of this union. Mrs. Ross died June 4, 1864, and Mr. Ross was 
again married October 9, 1866, to Miss Amanda Brosher. They became 
the parents of one daughter; and, after living about five years after her 
marriage the second Mrs. Ross, also died January 27, 1872. Our subject 
was married the third time, June 1, 1874, to Miss Alice Roselle. Mr. 
Ross was principally engaged in farming until 1870, when he began mer- 
chandising at the town of Orrick and has since continued in that business, 
very successfully, at the same place. He has three daughters. Mary J., 
was married to Mr. William Richie and is now living in Utah Territory. 



636 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V. 

Laura died March 16, 1881. The youngest, Amanda, born March 16, 
18T1, is living at home with her parents. Mr. Ross is a popular, pros- 
perous business man and a valuable citizen. 

HENRY C. PERDUE. 

Henry C. Perdue was born in Buckingham county, Virginia, October 
12, 1836, and is the son of Josiah and Virginia Perdue, natives of the 
same state. The family emigrated to Missouri in the year 1845, and set- 
tled on a farm in Ray county. His father died in 1859, and our subject, 
in consequence, received only limited advantages for acquiring an educa- 
tion. Mr. Perdue was married on the 1st day of June, 1861, to Miss 
Mary E. Ballard, daughter of W. H. and Jane Ballard, natives of Albe- 
marle county, Virginia. Five children, now living, were born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Perdue. Their names, with dates of birth, are the following: 
Henry D., born March 3, 1863; Minnie, born February 27, 1865; Mary 
E., born December 12, 1868; Emmett, born August 3,1873; Melvin,born 
July 28, 1877. Mrs. Perdue died April 26, 1879. She was a very esti- 
mable lady, greatly beloved by her friends, and her death was deeply 
mourned by her bereaved husband and family. Prior to the year 1861, 
Mr. Perdue was engaged almost exclusively in farming. At the com- 
mencement of the war between the states, he joined his fortunes with the 
cause of the south, and enlisted in company A, commanded by Captain 
(afterward Lieutenant-Colonel) Reeves. He participated in the battles of 
Carthage and Wilson's Creek, besides other skirmishes. At the last 
named fight he received a wound, which disabled him, and he was absent, 
in consequence, from the command until Christmas, following the date of 
the battle. He was discharged at Springfield, Missouri, in January, 1862, 
and returned home to this county, where he was soon after taken by the 
Federal authorities, and thrown into prison at Lexington, from which he 
was subsequently paroled. Mr. Perdue is now engaged in business in 
company with Mr. M. S. Laforgee, at Orrick, in this county, under the 
firm name of Perdue & Laforgee, druggists. 

M. S. LEFORGEE. 

Milton S. Leforgee was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, October 
2, 1840. His parents were Nathan and Mary Leforgee, natives of the 
state of Kentucky. He received his education in his native county, and 
remained there at home with his parents, until outbreaking of the civil 
war. Then he joined the Confederate army, and fought bravely through- 
out the entire war, in defense of the cause he honestly believed to be just, 
and in the interest of the sunny land he loved so well. In company C, 
second (Kentucky) battalion ot mounted rifles, he participated in the fol- 
lowing battles: Louisa, (Kentucky) Chicamauga, McMinville, Anderson's 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 637 

Cross Roads, Cove Gap, King's Salt Works, Cleveland, (Tennessee,) 
Charleston, (Tennessee) Mt. Sterling, (Kentucky) Smithville, besides 
numerous skirmishes. He was discharged May 3, 1865, and at once 
returned to his home in Kentucky. He emigrated to Missouri, in 1869, 
and settled in Ray county. He is now engaged in partnership with Mr. 
H. C. Perdue, in the drug Ipusiness, at the town of Orrick. Messrs. 
Perdue and Leforgee, are thrifty, enterprising, popular and successful 
business men. 

D. A. RHODES. 

Dennis A. Rhodes was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, June 13, 
1847. His parents were William P. and Henrietta S. Rhodes. His father 
was born in Montgomery county, Maryland, and his mother in Accomac 
county, Virginia. In the year 1857, when our subject was ten years of 
age, the family removed to Hagerstown, Maryland. Here, Dennis was 
educated at the Academy in that place, an excellent institution. After 
living at Hagerstown for ten years, he emigrated to Ray county, Missouri, 
and settled at Orrick. He engaged as clerk with J. G. Brown, a mer- 
chant of that place, and continued m the duties of that position for two 
years and a half, and then went to Richmond, Virginia, and spent three 
months with his brother, who was doing business in that city. At the 
■end of that time his brother sold his property in the city of Richmond and 
came with our subject to Orrick (this county), where they*, in partnership, 
opened a general merchandise store, and conducted it together, for one 
year. Then, his brother removed to Camden, Ray county, and Dennis 
Rhodes continued the business alone. He was married, September 3, 
1877, to Miss Isabella Roth wick, daughter of William and Matilda Roth- 
wick. She was born in Center county, Pennsylvania, in March, 1853. 
They are the parents of two children: Mareb A., born, March 8, 1879; 
Matilda R., born, May 20, 1880. In addition to his general merchandise 
business, Mr. Rhodes is also conducting a large hardware store. He 
carries stock to the amount of $7,000.00, and also owns the lots upon 
which his stores are situated. He has a comfortable and conveniently 
appointed home, and is in a very prosperous condition. He is a leading 
member of Albany lodge. No. 444, A. F, & A. M. 

GEORGE W. MITCHELL. 

The young gentleman whose name heads this sketch was born in Mason 
county, Kentucky, November 16, 1852. His parents were George W. 
and Minerva Mitchell, also natives of the state of Kentucky. The family 
emigrated to Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1859, and located on a 
farm in the vicinity of the town of Orrick. In the acquisition of an educa- 
tion, our subject was at^brded only such advantages as the common schools 



638 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

of the neighborhood possessed. After leaving school young Mitchell 
engaged in various avocations until two years ago, when he entered the 
hardware and agricultural implement trade at Orrick, in which business he 
has been engaged with good success ever since. He is an accommodat- 
ing, popular and rising merchant, and although young in years, is pos- 
sessed of good, practical judgment, and a degree of business acumen sel- 
dom seen in men of more mature years. He can not fail of abundant suc- 
cess in the future. 

ELIJAH B. BAILEY. 

Elijah B. Bailey was born in Casey county, Kentucky, September 27, 
1829. He is the son of Samuel and Rebecca Bailey. His father was 
born in Lincoln county, Kentucky ; his mother, in Nelson county, Virginia. 
Mr. Bailey received his education, and grew up in his native state. He 
learned the trade of a saddler and harness-maker, in the town of Danville, 
Kentuck}^, and in the year 1853, emigrated to Missouri, and, finally, 
located at Orrick, in Ray county, and has ever since lived there. Mr. 
Bailey was first married, August 12, 1855, to Miss Miriam T. Stanley, the 
daughter of Larkin and Elizabeth Stanley, natives of the state of North 
Carolina. Mrs. Bailey died in January, 1861, and Mr. Bailey was again 
married, in September, of that year, to Mrs. Betty S. Ross, daughter of 
Thomas and Nancy Anderson, natives of Tennessee. The second Mrs. 
Bailey lived twelve years after her marriage, dying December 18, 1873. 
Mr. Bailey was married the third time, September 17, 1874, to Mrs. Eliza- 
beth Good, daughter of William and Sallie Roberts, natives of Adair 
county, Kentucky. Mr. Bailey has seven children living, and two dead. 
Their names, with dates of births and deaths, follow: George L., born 
June 18, 1860; Edmond S., born December 22, 1862; William T., born 
February 6, 1865; Kate L., born February 10, 1868; Beltie B., born 
March 25, 1871; Lucetta G., born December 9, 1873; Dora, born Sep- 
tember 4, 1876; Benjamin F., died in 1876, and Jennie in 1879. In the 
year 1869 Mr. Bailey made a visit to Kentucky, and spent two years in 
that state. He is now engaged in the saddle and harness manufacturing 
business at Orrick. He commands a large patronage, and is an excellent 
workman. 

W. R. ERWIN. 

William R. Erwin was born in Oneida county. New York, on the 5th 
day of February, 1847. At the early age of fourteen years, he enlisted in 
company K, 146th New York regiment of Zouave volunteers, as a pri- 
vate, and was engaged in the battles of Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, 
second Bull Run, Culpepper C. H., Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spottsyl- 
vania C. H., Fort Wagoner, Cold Harbor, Fort Fisher, and numerous 



miSTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 639 

skirmishes. He was discharged in the month of June, 1865, at Raleigh, 
North Carolina, and returned to his home in the state of New York, 
Soon after, he went to Montana Territory, and engaged as clerk in a 
store there, for two years. He then went to the state of Texas, and, after 
staying there for a short time, to Colorado. From there he came to 
Kansas City, Missouri, in the year 1870, and the same year he went to 
Indian Territory, where he remained for two years, and then, returning 
to Missouri, located at the town of Orrick, in this county, where he has 
since resided. Mr. Erwin was married, in the month of February, 1877, 
to Miss Sarah E. Sheppard, daughter of David and Mariah Sheppard, 
natives of the state of Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Erwin have one child, 
Lawrence, born April 14, 1879. Mr. Erwin is now dealing in groceries 
and provisions, at Orrick, and commands a good patronage. 

N. B. PIGG. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Ray county, Missouri, and was 
born January 12, 1847. His parents were W. J. and Julia A. Pigg. His 
father was born in the state of Kentucky. N. B. Pigg was educated 
in the schools of this county, and lived with his parents, working on the 
farm until he was twenty-five years of age. He was married, December 
25, 1874, to Miss Mary Embree, daughter of Benjamin and S. E. Embree, 
natives of the state of Kentucky. She was born July 4, 1854. From 1870 
to 1873, Mr. Pigg clerked in the dry goods store of E. T. Dardon. His 
father then bought an interest in the store, and our subject was employed 
to conduct it one year longer. At the expiration of that time he returned 
to the farm, and was engaged in farming during about six years. He 
then engaged in the general merchandise and agricultural trade at Orrick, 
and is still successfully conducting that business. Mr. and Mrs. Pigg 
have one child Alice, born November 17, 1875. Mr. Pigg is a member of 
Ada Lodge, No. 444, A. F. and A. M. He is a staunch business man, and 
a highly respected and valuable citizen of the town of Orrick. ' 

WILLIAM A. WELLS. 

This gentlemen was born in Ray county, Missouri, July 24, 1843. He 
is the son of John and Sarah Wells, His father was born in North Car- 
olina and his mother in Tennessee. Our subject attended the schools of 
this county in his youth, and worked on his father's farm until he was 
twenty-eight years of age, and then clerked in a store for four years, at the 
end of which time he opened a family grocery store on his own account, 
and conducted it for three years. He then returned to farming for about 
a year, and then served as constable, to which office he had been elected, 
for two years. He then returned to mechandising, at Orrick, and is yet 
so engaged. Mr. Wells was married January 16, 1873, to Miss Cor- 



640 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

nelia B. Sheppard, daughter of D. B. and Minerva Sheppard, natives of 
the state of Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Wells have adopted Anna, daugh- 
ter of Andrew J. and Lorena Wells. 

ELLA S. DORTON. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Knox county, Kentucky, April 
6, 1837. Her parents were James B. and Sallie B. Dorton. Her father 
was a native of Virginia, and her mother of the state of Kentucky. The 
family came to this county when our subject was twelve years of age, and 
settled upon a farm, (section twenty-three, township fifty-one, range 
twenty-nine), where Orrick is now situated. Schools were few and far 
apart in those days, and such as were accessible to Miss Dorton, did not 
come up to the standard of excellence since established in the county, but 
she made the most of her advantages, and her naturally strong arid vigorous 
mind, supplied by close and diligent application, the inefficienc}- of teach- 
ers, and the want of better books and more modern " aids to education." 
Having exhausted the course in the schools of her father's neighborhood, 
and carefully studied such books as came within her reach, she began to 
teach, in the district schools, for the laudable purpose of securing means 
sufficient to defray the expenses of higher education. She taught school 
for two years in the district where she now resides, and then entered the 
Catholic school of the Sacred Heart, an excellent institution, at St. 
Joseph, Missouri. After she had attended this school for two years, her 
further education was interrupted and permanently broken off, by the 
death of her father, which occurred April 30, 1863. She left the school 
of the Sacred Heart, and entered upon the honorable profession of teach- 
ing as her life work, and she has ever since battled nobly in the cause of 
popular education. She has met with very flattering success in the 
school room, and her services are much sought after. Miss Dorton 
inherited, and now owns a portion of her father's homestead. 

R. H. McWHORTER. 

Richard H. McWhorter is a native of Adair county, Kentucky, and 
was born September 7, 1844. He received his education and remained at 
home on a farm until eighteen years of age, and then enlisted in company 
C, 13th regiment of Kentucky cavalry, commanded by Col. J. W. Weth- 
erfold, army of the Cumberland. He participated in the battles of King's 
saltworks, Virginia; Perry ville, Kentucky, and Lebanon, Tennessee, 
besides many skirmishes. He was discharged January 10, 1865, at Camp 
Nelson, Kentucky, and went home to Adair county and engaged in farm- 
ing for about five years. He then went, for a time, to Collin county^ 
Texas, whence he came to Ray county, Missouri. Mr. McWhorter was 
married August 13, 1871, to Miss Laura Brasher, daughter of A. D. and 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 641 

Elizabeth Brasher. She was born in Ray county, Missouri, January 27, 
1851. The issue of this union was two children: Elizabeth S., born 
December 2, 1873; Charles A., born March 9, 1875. Our subject is the 
son of R. W. and Elizabeth McWhorter, natives of the state of Kentucky. 
He is a member of Ada Lodge No. 444, A. F. & A. M. 

D.B. SHEPARD. 

David B. Shepard was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, March 13, 
1832. He is the son of Robert and Lydia Shepard, also natives of the 
state of Kentucky. He lived in his native state until the year 1865, and 
then immigrated to Marion county, Indiana. After remaining there for 
about three years he came to Ra}' county, Missouri, and has ever since 
resided here. Mr. Shepard was married December 9, 1853, to Miss 
Minerva Todd, daughter of John and Mary Todd. Her father was a 
native of Ireland, and her mother of the state of Kentucky. Mrs. Shep- 
hard was born in 1834, in Kentucky. Our subject was reared on a farm 
and continued in the business of farming until 1860, when he began keep- 
ing hotel, etc. At the commencement of the civil war he enlisted in com- 
pany C, second Kentucky mounted rifles, and engaged in the battles of 
Louisa, Kentucky, Cove Gap, Chicamauga, McMinville, and Anderson's 
Cross Roads, where he was captured and imprisoned at Camp Morton, 
for nineteen months. He was finally released from prison and returned to 
his family. He lost all his property by the war. Mr. and Mrs. Shepard 
have four children living, one dead: Lydia, Cordelia B., Mary F., Sallie. 
and Martha dead. Mr. Shepard was mayor of the town or Orrick for 
three years, and is at present a member of the city council of that town. 

M. G. TAYLOR. 

M. G. Taylor is a native of Ray county, Missouri, born September 28, 
1838. He is the son of Daniel and Hannah Taylor. His father was born 
in the month of September, 1802, in Halifax county, Virginia. His mother 
was born in Missouri. Our subject was reared on a farm and continued 
living and working at home until he was twenty-four years of age and 
then went to learn the business of milling in the Albany mills. Mr. Tay- 
lor was married March 18, 1873, to Miss Mary Brasher, daughter of A. 
D. and Elizabeth Brasher. She was born in the year 1842, in Ray county, 
Missouri. The issue of this marriage was the following children: Ollie, 
born January 12, 1864; Alice, born April 11, 1866; Lucy, born December 
1, 1869; Lena, born February 9, 1873; Edna, born February—, 1876; 
Maud, born December 11, 1874, died in February, 1875; Herbert, born 
May 25, 1878. Mr. Taylor is a member of Ada Lodge, No. 444, A. F. 
& A. M., and also a member of the Christian Church. He is, also, in 



642 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

addition to his, milling business, conducting a general merchandise and 
hardware store, at Albany. His business is in a highly prosperous con- 
dition and Mr. Taylor is universally popular with his large circle of friends, 
respected and esteemed by the community at large. 

T. A. ROTHROCK. 

Thomas A. Rothrock was born in the city of New York, July 2, 1855. 
His parents were Alexander and Ellen Rothrock. His father was a 
native of New York and his mother of the state of Pennsylvania. The 
family immigrated from New York to Ray county, Missouri, when 
Thomas was only five years old. He was educated in this county, and 
after leaving school, engaged in clerking for different stores for a number 
of years. Mr. Rothrock was married November 22, 1874, to Miss 
Florence Wall, daughter of Van and Margaret Wall. Her father was 
born in Ray county and her mother in Boone county, Missouri. She was 
born July 22, 1857, in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Rothrock have three 
children: Bessie, born April 9, 1875; Clardie, born November 18, 1876; 
Ernest, born April 26, 1880. Alexander Rothrock, father of our subject, 
was born November 12, 1815, and died February 3, 1881, at Albany. 
Thomas A. Rothrock is conducting a drug and grocery store at Albany.. 
He commands a good trade and is doing well. 

EDWARD T. DORTON. 

Is a native of Russell county, Virginia, and was born on the 3d day of 
August, 1830. His parents were Joseph and Martha Dorton, natives of 
Virginia. His father was born July 19, 1795; died July 20, 1870. His 
mother was born April 15, 1807, and died February 12, 1871. Our sub- 
ject finished his education at Emery and tlenry College, and then began 
teaching school. In the year 1852 he came to Missouri, first living four 
years in Calloway county, and then settling permanentl}' in Ray county. 
June 17, 1861, Mr. Dorton enlisted in company A, 15th Arkansas volun- 
teer infantry, and participated in the battles of Pea Ridge and Wilson's 
Creek. At the latter fight he was captured by the enemy, and taken to 
Camp Douglass at Chicago; was afterward exchanged at Jackson, Miss- 
issippi. He was again taken prisoner at Walnut Grove, Arkansas, but 
was fortunate in escaping from his captors. He was paroled, April 12, 
1865, at Pea Ridge, and went to Illinois, where he remained about ten 
months, and then came back to Ray county, where he has lived ever 
since. Mr. Dorton was married April 16, 1867, to Miss Pauline Dorton, 
daughter of James B. and Sallie Dorton. She was born May 15, 1849, in 
Knox county, Kentucky. The issue of this marriage has been one child: 
Clementina, born November 8, 1868. Soon after his marriage Mr. Dor- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 643 

ton opened a general merchandise store at Albany, and continued the 
business there for one year, and then moved to Sibley, Jackson county, 
and, after keeping store in that place for about twelve months, removed 
to Orrick, Ray county, and has ever since conducted the business v^ith 
good success and prosperity there. Mr. Dorton is a member of Ada 
Lodge, No. 844, A. F. i& A. M., at Albany. 

WILLIAM N. KIRKHAM. 

Was born in Montgomery county, Missouri, November 1, 1847. He is 
the son of David and Ann Kirkham, natives of the state of Virginia. His 
father was born in the month of February, 1820, and died May 8, 1873 
Our subject was engaged at work for his father, who was a manufacturer 
of tobacco, until he attained his majority. Mr. Kirkham was married 
December 22, 1869, to Miss Susan A. Gooch, daughter of Alexander and 
Nancy Gooch, natives of the state of Kentucky. She was born October 
2, 1852. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkham are the parents of three children living, 
and two dead. Their names and dates of birth are as follows: Emma, 
born January 5, 1875; Archie, born January 18, 1877; Maggie, born 
January 9, 1879; Charles A., born December 29, 1870, died March 31, 
1872, and one other, an infant, died in 1873. After his marriage, Mr. 
Kirkham resided, for a time, on a farm north of the town of Albany, then 
removed to one in section 31, township 28, range 51, and in the year 1880, 
came to his present location, section 36, township 51, range 29. Here he 
owns 150 acres of very rich and productive land, well improved and cul- 
tivated, with a neat, comfortable residence and good orchard. Mr. Kirk- 
ham is a thriftv, industrious and successful farmer and stock raiser, and a 
valuable adjunct to the community in which he resides. 

S. H. DEGRAFFENREID. 

Stephen H. Degraffenreid was born in Jasper county, Missouri, April 
2, 1848. He is the son of Vincent and Lucretia Degraffenreid, natives 
of Pennsylvania. His parents died when he was but three years old, and 
he was reared by his grandmother. At the age of nineteen years he left 
home, and began battling alone for a livelihood. He worked at various 
occupations until the commencement of the civil war, and then enhsted, 
September, 1863, in company C, 2d Ohio cavalry, and was assigned to 
the department of the west. He participated in the battle at Sugar 
Creek, and a great number of skirmishes besides. He was discharged 
in October, 1865, at Leavenworth, Kansas, and went, for a short time to 
the territory of New Mexico. From there he went to Colorado, and to 
Kansas, returning thence to Ray county, Missouri, where he has since 
resided. Mr. Degraffenreid was married on the 17th day of March, 
1878, to Mrs. Angeline Tucker, daughter of Thomas and Margaret 



644 HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 

McMuUen, natives of Virginia, now deceased. He owns ninety-six 
acres of choice bottom land in an excellent state of cultivation, well 
improved, with neat, comfortable, and convenient buildings, good fences, 
orchard, etc. Mr. Degraffenreid is a member of Ada lodge. No. 444, at 
Albany. He is a successful farmer and a good citizen. 

ANDERSON D. LOYD. 

Anderson D. Lpyd is a native of Ray county, Missouri. He was born 
March 22, 1851. His parents were Henry and Nancy Loyd, natives of 
Tennessee. Our subject received the advantages of a common school 
education, and spent the time until he was grown, on the farm of his 
father. Mr. Loyd was married August 24, 1871, to Miss Milly Conyers, 
daughter of D. and Louisa Conyers. She was born December 15, 1849, 
in Ray county, Missouri. Her father was a native of Kentucky, and her 
mother of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Loyd have four children: Buford 
A., born February 3, 1873; Bertie, born March 21, 1874; Richard, born 
February 8, 1876; Emma J., born January 19, 1878. Mr. Loyd owns 
and occupies the old homestead that was settled by his father. The 
place comprises one hundred and fifty-five acres of land, which, for fer- 
tility and productiveness, is unexcelled, perhaps, by any in the county. 
Mr. Loyd is a prosperous and successful farmer, and a well respected 
and esteemed member of the community. 

ABRAHAM ALLEN. 

Abraham Allen was born in Ray county, Missouri, September 4, 1827. 
He is the son of Reuben and Rhoda Allen, natives of the state of Tennes- 
see. Our subject attended the subscription schools of his father's neigh- 
borhood, in the winter, and in the summer worked on the farm. In this 
way he was enabled to obtain a fair common school education. In the 
year 1849, he left his father's farm and went as a teamster in a govern- 
ment wagon train, to New Mexico, spending about ninety days on the 
route to Santa Fe. After spending more than two years in the employ of 
the government, he was discharged from the wagon train, and was soon 
after employed by Quartermaster Reynolds, for some months, at Santa 
Fe. He was, subsequently,, in the employ of Quartermaster Sibley, at 
Fort Union. Again an order was issued to discharge all citizen teamsters, 
and Mr. Allen went, for a short time, to the placer gold-diggings. Soon 
after, he enlisted in company H, 2d U. S. dragoons, commanded by 
Lieutenant Johnson, and was assigned to the ninth department of New 
Mexico, where he was frequently engaged in skirmishes with the Indians, 
and was several times slightly wounded. At the battle of the mines on 
Gila riv^er, he received a shot through the chin and mouth, which carried 



HISTORY OF KAY COUNTY. 645 

away a part of his ton<Tue, and passed out at the base of the ear. This 
wound disabled Mr. Allen, and he was kept under medical treatment 
until July, 1856, and then came home, after an absence of seven years. 
Mr. Allen was married, September 4, 1859, to Miss Martha Tucker, 
daughter of John W. and Nancy Tucker, natives of Virginia. She was 
born March 17, 1837, in Benton county, Missouri. The issue of this 
union has been four children, living: Elizabeth J., born December 13, 
1864; Jessie T., born August 27, 1867; John W., born June 29, 1870; 
Katie S., born November 9, 1872. Mr. Allen was elected to the office of 
township constable, in 1860, and very efficiently discharged the duties of that 
position. At the commencement of the war of the rebelhon, Mr. Allen 
raised a company of men, and served in the home guard from October 1, 
till Christmas, 1861. In February, 1862, he and his company were 
mustered into the Missouri state militia service, with headquarters at 
Richmond, Missouri. He participated in the battle of Springfield, Mis- 
souri, and commanded two companies there. After the war, Mr. Allen 
went to Texas, and lived there for two years, returning to Ray county, 
Missouri, in the month of August, 1868. In January he was appointed 
by the county court, to fill the unexpired term of Constable Burnett (who 
was accidentally killed, and has since been deputy constable under James 
Ralph. Mr. Allen has had a varied experience in life, and has always 
been an active, energetic man. 

JOHN H. FRAZER. 

John H. Frazer was born in Forsythe county. North Carolina, October 
20, 1827. His parents were Jacob and Elizabeth Frazer, natives of 
Forsythe county. North Carolina. Our subject remained at home occu- 
pied with duties on his father's farm until his marriage. He was married, 
July 26, 1847, to Miss Jelina Studdard, daughter of James W. and Nancy 
Studdard, also natives of Forsythe county. North Carolina. Mrs. Frazer 
was born, July 27, 1831. Mr. Frazer and wife have ten living children; 
their names, with dates of birth, are as follows: Romulus G., born in 
North Carolina, June 2, 1848, now married and living in Ray county; 
Eliza A. C, born September 24, 1850, married to J. C. Ross and living at 
Orrick, in this county; Fatha M., born April 26, 1852, married to David 
Messenger, and living in Louisville, Kentucky; Maria L., born Septem- 
ber 12, 1859, (married Thomas Brown, who died in 1880), now living in 
widowhood, at Orrick; Martin L., born January 19, 1856, married and 
living near his father's place; Joel B., born December 2, 1858, married 
and hving near his father; John P., born March 6, 1862, living in the 
southern part of Missouri; Francis B., born May 9, 1864, died August 16, 
1865; Hiram W., born July 30, 1866, died August 4, 1867; Stonewall, 
born June 12, 1868; Jelina E., born March 7, 1872; Jacob S., born March 



646 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

7, 1877. Mr. Frazer came to Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1849, and 
settled upon a farm in township 51, range 29. He lived here and con- 
tinued the business of farming, (except during the war) until 1873, when 
he removed to the town of Albany and engaged in gardening for market. 
At the beginning of the civil war, he enlisted in the Confederate army, 
company B., under Captain Parker, and participated in the battles of 
Sugar Creek, Pea Ridge, luka, Corinth, Grand Gulf and Farmington. 
He was discharged at Laurel Dale Springs, June 12, 1863, and reached 
home on the 19th of July following. 

W. R. BLYTHE. 

William R. Blythe was born on the 18th day of January, 1803. At the 
age of twenty years he came to Ray county, Missouri, and after staying 
here for a time, went back to Tennessee, where he had been reared. In 
the year 1826 he came again to Ray county, and entering a part of the 
homestead upon which he now resides, settled here permanently. He has 
since entered and bought other lands, and now possesses in all, about thirteen 
hundred acres of excellent land. His homestead is well improved with a 
handsome and convenient residence, good substantial barns, sheds and 
other buildings, well watered and enclosed by good fences and stocked 
with fine breeds of horses, cattle, hogs and sheep. Mr. Blythe was first 
married in 1830, to Miss DidamaFletcher, daughter of David and Rebecca 
Fletcher, of Indiana. She was born June 9, 1811. They became the par- 
ents of five children, only two of whom are now living: Thomas, born 
November 30, 1836; married and living upon the farm his father first 
entered; Rebecca J., born in March, 1832, married C. W. Stokes, and is 
living near her father. Mrs. Blythe died November 3, 1845, and January 
5, 1848, Mr. Blythe was married to Miss Leanah Rifife, daughter of John 
and Polly A. Rifle, natives of the state of Kentucky. Mrs. Blythe was 
born in Casey county, Kentucky, in February, 1823. The issue of this 
marriage was nine children: John L., born July 29, 1849; married and 
living on a farm, section fifteen, township fifty-one, range twenty-nine: 
James W., born September 1, 1850; killed by a runaway team, April 14, 
1880; infant, born in September and died in October, 1853; Elizabeth A., 
born October 10, 1854; married C. R. Kirkham, and is living on a farm, 
section fourteen, township fifty-one, range twenty-nine; Robert D., born 
June 2, 1857; Franklin R., born September 1, 1859, and died August 8, 
1860; Sarah E., born May 16, 1863; Martha H., born December 8, 1865; 
Laura, born April 25, 1869. Our subject was first lieutenant of Captain 
Clark's company in the Black Hawk war. Mr. Blythe represented Ray 
county in the general assembly from 1840 to 1842, and was state senator 
from 1842 to 1846. He discharged the duties of these high offices with 
credit and honor to himself, and to the full and entire satisfaction of his 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 647 

constituency. Mr. Blythe is a leading, very prosperous and highly 
respected farmer. He has worked himself up by his own efforts, from a 
poor, friendless boy, to a position of distinction among his fellowmen, and 
acquired sufficient wealth to end his days in comfort and ease, and to leave 
a handsome patrimony to his children. 

JOHN MASON. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Lincoln county, Kentucky, 
November 27, 1814. He received a classical education and remained in 
his native state attending to the management of his father's estate until the 
year 1836, when he immigrated to Missouri, where he engaged in business 
at various places successfully. First, at Middletown, Montgomery 
county, then at Louisville, Lincoln county. From Louisville he went 
to Clarksville, Pike county, and from there came to Ray county, 
where he only stopped a short time, and then returned to Kentucky, 
and remained there one year longer. He then returned to Ray 
county, and setting at the town of Albany, engaged extensively 
in merchandising, and also dealing in live stock. He was appointed 
notary public March 20, 1873, and has ever since held that 
office. Mr. Mason was admitted to the bar as an attorney at law, August 
26, 1865, and has been very successfull3' engaged in the practice of his 
profession in the courts of this and other counties, and also in the supreme 
court of the state. He was married July 24, 1845, to Miss Mary H. Davis, 
daughter of WilUam D., and Mary A. Davis, natives of Mississippi. She 
was born May 1, 1828. Her mother was a cousin of Jefferson Davis, 
president of the Southern Confederacy. Mr. and Mrs. Mason became the 
parents of eight children, five of whom are now living: Laura, born 
December 5, 1846, was twice married, first to William Nelson, who was 
killed by the accidental discharge of a gun, in 1867; second, to Frank 
Rhodes, in 1870. She died in 1874. John W., born January 23, 1848; 
Thomas, born March 24, 1850; Oscar, born October 13, 1852; George 
born May 16, 1855; died December 4, 1874; Belle, born February 4, 1858, 
died March 26, 1875; Mattie L., born October 15, 1864; Frank, born 
January 25, 1868. Mr. Mason was again married December 17, 1877, to 
Mrs. Letitia S. Williams, daughter of Doctor R., and Catharine Coffey, 
natives of Lincoln county, Kentucky. Mr. Mason is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity. 

ISAAC M. RIFFE. 

Isaac M. Riffe is the son of Jacob and Rutha Riffe, natives of the state 
of Kentucky. He was born in Ray count}^, Missouri, May 23, 1823. 
Our subject was reared upon a farm, and he learned his trade, carpenter- 
ing in the winter season, and worked on the farm during summer. Mr. 



648 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Riffe was married to Miss Martha Good, March 11, 1865, by Rev. Thomas 
Brown, of the Baptist Church. The issue of this union was five children, 
now living: Lulu, born March 5, 1868; Katie R., born January 6, 1870; 
William W., born December 30, 1871; Elizabeth, born May 20, 1875; 
Susie, born April 5, 1878. Mrs. Riffe died October 6, 1880, greatly 
lamented by her numerous friends. At the commencement of the civil 
war, Mr. Riffe enlisted in company A, 4th Missouri volunteer infantry, 
Confederate army, and was engaged in the battles of Carthage, Dry 
Wood, Wilson's Creek, Lexington, Pea Ridge, first and second Corinth, 
and numerous skirmishes. He was discharged in the month of April, 
1864, and returned home to Albany, Ray county, Missouri, where he has 
ever since resided. Mr. RifTe is an excellent carpenter, and has a wide 
patronage. 

J. J. HANNAH. 

Joseph J, Hannah was born in Clarke county, Ohio, August 11, 1826. 
He is the son of David and Jane Hannah. His father was a native of 
Virginia, and his mother of the state of Ohio. He received a common 
school education, and at the age of twenty-one years, left home and went 
to Illinois, where he remained for three years, engaged in farming. He 
then returned to Ohio. Mr. Hannah was married August 22, 1850, to 
Miss Mary Calley, daughter of Nicholas and Nancy Calley. She was 
born February 24, 1832. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Hannah moved 
to Champaign county, Illinois, and purchasing a farm, resided there for 
about fifteen years. Then in the year 1865, he emigrated to Ray 
county, Missouri, and settled upon the beautiful place he now owns, over- 
looking the Missouri river, (section thirteen, township fifty-one, range 
twenty-nine.) This farm contains three hundred and thirty acres of very 
rich and productive land, well fenced and improved, and stocked with 
the best varieties of horses, cattle, hogs and sheep. Mr. and Mrs. Han- 
nah became the parents of ten children, all but two of whom are now 
living: James S., born August 9, 1851, died August 26, 1851; Nancy J., 
born July 12, 1853, married J. T. Conyers, and is now living in this 
county; Sarah M., born May 27,1856; Charlotte, born May 12,1858, 
married J. W. Rector, and lives in Caldwell county, Missouri; William 
A., born April 11, 1860, now in Colorado; John W., born February 10, 
1862, died November 1, 1862; Livona Isabella, born April 5, 1863, mar- 
ried Charles McGaugh, now living in this county: Joseph C, born May 
19, 1867; Lily, born October 18, 1869; Riley N., born June 18, 1870. 
Mr. Hannah is a prosperous, well to do farmer, and a valuable citizen of 
the county. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 649 



THORNTON ANDERSON. 

Thornton Anderson was born in the city of Louisville in the state of 
Kentucky, March 10, 1851. He is the son of William and Amanda 
Anderson, natives of Vicksville, Virginia. The family emigrated to 
Missouri when our subject was nine years of age, and located first in 
Callaway county, where they lived four years, then went to Jackson 
county, and from there to Lafayette county, Missouri, whence they came, 
in the year 1874, to Ra}' county, and located upon the farm (section eigh- 
teen, township fifty-one, range twenty-eight,) where our subject now 
resides, Mr. Anderson was married April 7, 1878, to Miss Belle Craig, 
by the Rev. William Leake, of the Baptist Church. Mrs. Anderson 
was born April 8, 1850, in Danville, Kentucky. She is the daughter of 
William and Sarah Craig, natives, also, of the state of Kentucky. Mr. 
and Mrs. Anderson have two children: William H., born April 16, 1879, 
and Nellie Gertrude, born February 24, 1881. Mr, Anderson is a well 
to do farmer and a good citizen. 

WILLIAM RIMMER. 

William Rimmer was born in East Tennessee, March 17, 1848. He is 
the son of Jesse and Winnie Rimmer, also natives of East Tennessee. 
The family emigrated to Missouri when William was but three years old, 
and after stopping for one year in Warren county, came to Ray county 
and settled here permanently. Our subject received a common schoo 
education, and worked at home on the farm until his marriage. He was 
married December 30, 1868, to Miss Martha E. White, daughter of 
William and Eliza White. Her father was a native of Virginia, and her 
mother, of Clay county, Missouri. She was born June 13, 1853, in this 
county. Mr. and Mrs. Rimmer became the parents of six children: 
George A., born October 18, 1871: Franklin L., born May 1, 1875; Dallas, 
born July 21, 1877; Ira N., born September 1, 1879; Harvey, born Octo- 
ber 28, 1869, died November 18, 1869; Julian, born December 6, 1872, 
died February 21, 1876. Mr. Rimmer is a member of the Farmers' Club, 
and has a neat, well improved and well cultivated farm of eighty acres of 
rich land. He is a good citizen. 

S. W. COLLIER. 

S. W. Collier was born in Oswego county. New York, on the 18th day 
of July, 1827. His parents were Stephen and Hannah Collier, natives of 
New York. Our subject received only limited educational advantages, 
and at the age of eighteen years began working on his own account. He 
engaged upon railroads and other public works in various states, and also 
41 



650 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

in Canada. Mr. Collier was married in the year 1845, to Miss Ellen 
Patton, in Canada. The next year afterwards he returned to the state of 
New York, and after remaining there for about five years, he went to 
Pennsylvania and resided there until 1856. From Pennsylvania, Mr. 
CoUier emigrated to St. Louis, Missouri, and after living there until the 
autumn of 1863, removed with his family to Knox county, Illinois. He 
enlisted in the Union army and was chief of transportation in a quarter- 
master's department with the commission of captain. He served in this 
position during four years. At the close of the war he returned to his 
home, and soon after, having been employed on a railroad in Iowa, went 
thither with his family. He has ever since been engaged in railroad busi- 
ness either in Iowa or Missouri. He is now engaged superintending a 
party of men who are making railroad ties. He is located at Vibbard. 
Mr. and Mrs. Collier have one daughter, Helen M., born November 19, 
1848. She is a school teacher. 

J. S. ASBURY. 

James S. Asbur}^ was born in Ray county, Missouri, November 21, 
1847. His parents, Stephen and Nettie Asbury, emigrated to Missouri in 
the year 1843, first locating in the southern part of the state until 1847, 
and then coming to Ray county. Our subject attended the common 
schools of this county, and remained at home until he was sixteen years of 
age. He then went to Leavenworth, Kansas, and obtaining work, 
remained there during eighteen months. While in the cit}' of Leaven- 
worth, he attended night school, and thus finished his education. He 
clerked in a dry goods store at Plattsburg, Missouri, after leaving Leaven- 
worth, and also at Dover in Lafayette county. He opened a store on his 
own account at Hainesville, Missouri, in the year 1869, and remained 
there for two years. He then kept store for eleven 3^ears at Lawson, in 
this county. At present, April, 1881, Mr. Asbury is conducting a large 
dry goods and grocery store at the town of Vibbard. He is also post- 
master at that place. He was married April 8, 1875, to Miss Lottie C. 
Barrett, daughter of Rev W. C. and Nancy Barrett, natives of Williams- 
port, Virginia. The marriage ceremony was performed by the bride's 
father, who is a minister of the Baptist Church. Mrs. Asbury was born 
in Virginia, September 9, 1850. They have two children Hving: Louis J., 
born January 15, 1877; Herbert, born April 2, 1880. Mr. Asbury is a 
successful, popular merchant, and an accommodating and efficient post- 
master. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 651 



ADAM HAUSER. 



Adam Hauser was born in Ray count}-, Missouri, May 13, 1849. He 
is the son of Thomas and Susan Hauser. His father was born in Surry 
county, North Carolina, November 18, 1809, and died April 21, 1881. 
His mother was born in the state of Indiana, September 20, 1822, and is 
yet living. Our subject after finishing the course of study in the district 
schools, attended William Jewell College, at Liberty, Missouri, and at the 
age of seventeen years, entered upon the duties of a teacher in the schools 
of his native county. Mr. Hauser was married December 15, 1870, to 
Miss Margaret M. Odell, daughter of Henry and Anna Odell. Her father 
was a native of South Carolina, and her mother of Indiana. She was 
born in Ray county, July 18, 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Hauser have three 
children: Kate L., born November 1, 1871; Cleopatra A., born Novem- 
ber 3, 1874; Virgil M., born February 27, 1878. Mr. Hauser owns 
seventy-four acres of land in township fifty-two, range twenty-nine, and 
also two houses and lots in the town of Vibbard. He is assessor of the 
town and also a member of its council. He and his wife are members of 
the Christian Union religious denomination. He is a popular and suc- 
cessful teacher and a valuable and leading citizen. 

REV. ALLEN SISK. 

Allen Sisk was born in Cocke county, Tennessee, December 9, 1833. 
He is the son of Lawson and Sarah Sisk. His father was born in Cul- 
pepper county, Virginia, his mother in Cocke county, Tennessee. She is 
dead. His father is yet living in Tennessee at the advanced age of eighty 
years. His grandfather, Bartlett Sisk, was a soldier in the war for 
American Independence. Our subject came to Ray county in 1853, and 
has since resided here. He was married May 13, 1856, to Miss Nancy 
A. Smart, daughter of Samuel and Mary J. Smart, natives of Cocke 
county, Tennessee. She was born in Ray county December 2, 1839. 
Mr. and Mrs. Sisk have six children living: Mary E., born June 21, 
1857; John, born October 18, 1861; Dorothea A., born Januar}^ 29, 1864; 
Sarah E., born July 21, 1866; James H., born July 21, 1873; William C, 
born August 19, 1867. Mr. Sisk united with the regular Baptist Church 
in the month of August, 1860, and soon after commenced the study of the 
ministry. He was ordained in the year 1866, and has since been diligently 
working in the Lord's vineyard, and his labors have been blessed with 
great success. He is a devout Christian and much beloved by his con- 
gregations. 



652 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

J. R. JONES 

John R. Jones was born in Harrison county, Kentucky, July 10, 1842. 
He is the son of Richard S. and Verlinda Jones, natives of Kentucky. 
He was educated in his native state, and j^rew to manhood on the farm 
of his father. At the a^e of nineteen years, in the fall of 1861, he 
enlisted in company D, 23d Kentucky regiment of Union volunteer 
infantry, army of the Cumberland, and participated in the following 
named battles of the civil war: Mission Ridge, Chickamauga, Franklin 
and Nashville, besides numerous skirmishes. He was discharged in Jan- 
uary, 1865, and returned to his home in Kentucky. He came to Ray 
county, in the month of August, 1872. March 6, 1873, Mr. Jones was 
married to Miss Margaret F. Shelton, daughter of L. L. and Cath- 
erine Shelton. Her father was born in Kentucky, and her mother in 
Missouri. Four children have been born to Mr, and Mrs. Jones, only 
two of whom are now living: Viola C, born June 18, 1877; Verlinda 
S., born March 6, 1881. Mr. Jones is a thrifty, enterprising farmer and 
stock-dealer, a leading citizen, and a much respected member of the 
community in which he lives. 

JOHN E. WEBER. 

John E. Weber was born in Louisa county, Iowa, August 1, 1857. His 
parents are Henry and Mary Weber. His father is a native of Ger- 
many, and his mother of the state of Ohio. John attended the district 
schools of his native state, and obtained a fair English education, and as 
soon as old enough he began to learn the blacksmithing trade in his 
father's shop. He continued working for his father until he was twenty- 
two years of age, and then left home, and began blacksmithing on his 
own account, in the town of Svv^anwick, then at Lawson, and is now 
doing a good business at Vibbard, this county. In the year 1858 his 
parents removed from Iowa to Kentucky, and after living there during 
twelve years, they emigrated to Missouri, and located, for two years, at 
the city of St. Joseph. From there they came to Ray county, and settled 
at the town of Elkhorn. Our subject is a good blacksmith, and very 
industrious. He is popular and receives a large patronage. 

JOHN J. McGAUGH. 

Was born in St. Charles county, Missouri, October 6, 1846. His 
parents were Thomas H. and Sarah E. McGaugh. His father was a 
native of Tennessee and his mother of the state of Virginia. At the age 
of sixteen years our subject enlisted and served about eighteen months ; he 
was in the affray, when the noted desperado, Bill Anderson, was killed, 
near Albany, this county, in the year 1864. January 20, 1867, Mr. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 653 

McGaugh was married to Miss Nancy C. Coffer, daughter of William and 
Miranda Coffer, natives of North Carolina. Mrs. McGaugh was born in 
the year 1849, in North Carolina. Three children, now living, have been 
the result of this union: Ida M., born October 26, 1867; Lottie Lee, born 
April, 1873; Homer H., born April, 1877. Mr. McGaugh is now 
engaged very successfully in business, at the town of Orrick. 

LEWIS H. WOOD. 

Lewis H. Wood is a native of Albemarle county, Virginia, and was 
born December 25, 1832. He is the son of Henry and Rutha Wood, also 
natives of the state of Virginia. At the age of eighteen years, our sub- 
ject went to California, and remained there during five years, engaged in 
mining. He then returne'd to his home in Virginia, but remaining there 
only a short time, emigrated to Missouri. He first stopped for about a 
year in Jackson county, and then came to Ray county, in 1857, and has 
ever since made his home here, though he has often been in Kansas and 
other states while working at his trade, which is that of a plasterer. Mr. 
Wood was married May 10, 1859, to Miss E. L. Rothrick, daughter of 
Alexander and Ellen Rothrick, natives of the state of New York. Mr. 
and Mrs. Wood have six children: Mamie, born March 7, 1860; William 
L., born April 9, 1862; Lilly P., born June 2,1871; Andrew B., born 
April 15, 18—, Effie born May 14, 1876, Emmett, born January 16, 1881; 
Mr. Wood is an excellent plasterer and his services are much in demand. 

RIAL CREASON. 

Rial Creason was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 3d day 
of March, 1835. His parents were Willaim and Mary Creason. His 
father was a native of Kentucky, and his mother of the state of Tennessee. 
The family emigrated to this county at an early day, and were compelled, 
by fear of Indians, to^live in a block house on first coming. Our subject was 
married on the 31st day of August, 1854, to Miss Mary D. Hall, by Rev- 
erend T. N. O'Brien, of the Baptist Church. Mrs. Creason was born in 
Ray county, March 29, 1839. Her parents were T. and Zilpha Hall, 
natives of North Carolina, who came to this county about the year 1833. 
Mr. and Mrs. Creason became the parents of thirteen children, all but four 
of whom are now living: Martha E., born February 28, 1827; Cyrus W., 
born May 15, 1858; Thomas W., born February 3, 1863; Sarah F., born 
January 3, 1865; Meda, born February 10, 1866; Wiley B., born Septem- 
ber 15, 1869; Robert E., born June 11, 1871; Daisy, born June 15, 1875; 
Lena, born December 27, 1877; Emma, born April 3, 1860, and died in 
the fall of 1862; Susie, born April 5, 1865, and died in 1866; Furney, born in 
1867, and died in 1868; Rosa, born May 16, 1872, and died in October, 
1874. Mr. Creason has served seven years as justice of the peace, and is 



654 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

at present occupying that office. He owns about six hundred acres of 
Ray county's best bottom land, and is a successful and prosperous farmer 
and a good citizen. He is treasurer of Albany Grange, No. 520, P. of H., 
and a leading member of Ada Lodge, No. 444, A. F. & A. M., at Albany. 

OSCAR MASON. 

Oscar Mason was born in Ray county, Missouri, October 13, 1852. 
He is the son of John and Mary H. Mason. His father was born in Ken- 
tucky, and his mother in Mississippi. His opportunities for education 
were very limited, on account of the war, but he made the best use he 
could of such time as he spent at school, and has a fair common school 
education. He began farming for himself at th.e age of seventeen years 
and continued in that business in this county for about three years, and 
then went to Texas, where he engaged in herding cattle for two years 
and then returned to this county. He then engaged as clerk for one year 
in the dry goods store of Dorton & Pigg, since which time he has been 
engaged at Orrick, in business for himself. 

DANIEL H. TUCKER, Sen. 

Daniel H. Tucker, Sen., was born in Marion count}^ Kentucky, Octo- 
ber 21, 1816. His parents removed to Ray county, Missouri, in the spring 
of 1835, and our subject has ever since lived here. He was married, 
November 10, 1836, to Miss Milly Ellioth, daughter of John and Susanna 
Ellioth, natives of North Carolina. She was born November 21, 1820, in 
Ray county. They have eleven children living: Mary E., James L., 
Martha, Sarena, Benjamin F., Milly, Andrew E., Daniel H., Eliza, Sallie, 
William. Susannah, Kitty A. and John E. are dead. Ten of these are 
now married, and nine of them living near their father. (Mary E. lives in 
Cedar county, Missouri). Mr. Tucker owns two hundred acres of excel- 
lent land in Fishing River bottom and is a well-to-do farmer, and a 
respected member of the community. He belongs to Ada Lodge, No. 
444, A. F. & A. M., at Albany. 

JOHN BOGART. 

John Bogart is a native of Ray county, Missouri, and was born on 
the 24th day of April, 1825. His father, Alexander Bogart, was a native 
of Tennessee, and his mother, Mary, was born in Indiana. They emi- 
grated to this county in the year 1819, and settled near where our sub- 
ject now resides. John Bogart was married September 7, 1845, to Miss 
Elizabeth A. Hogue, daughter of James and Elizabeth Hogue, natives 
of South Carolina, who came to this county about the year 1838. Mrs. 
Bogart was born in South Carolina, November 10, 1827. The issue of this 



* HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 655 

marriage was ten children, six of whom are yet Hving: Alexander, born 
October 6,1846; Elizabeth, born August 20, 1849; Janette, born June 
6, 1853; James VV., born November 21, 1855; Sarah C, born March 15, 
1858; John R., born January 15, 1868; Mary Jane, born September 2, 
1848, died October 4, 1848; Nancy, born November 7, 1851, died July 
27, 1852; Mary E., born April 12, 1863, died May 8, 1864. Mr. Bogart 
served as justice of the peace for ten years. He is a prosperous farmer 
and a good citizen. 

JAMES L. TUCKER. 

James L. Tucker was born in Ray county, Missouri, April 17, 1843. 
His parents were Daniel H. and Milly Tucker, natives of the state of 
North Carolina. At the commencement of the civil war, Mr. Tucker 
enlisted in the home guard militia, and served for about six months, when 
he joined company B, 3d Missouri cavalry, under Captain A. Allen, and 
served for three years. He participated in the battles of Springfield, 
Monia, Cane Hill, and Neosho. At the close of the war he returned to 
Ray county, and went from here to Dakota territory as a teamster; was 
gone about a year. Soon after his return here from Dakota he was mar- 
ried May 29, 1866, to Miss Sarah S. Wholf, daughter of John Wholf, a 
native of Ohio. She was born in Ray county, Missouri, September 22, 
1843. In the year 1870, Mr. Tucker located on the southeast quarter of 
section six, town fifty-one, range twenty-nine, where he has since resided. 
He owns eighty acres of excellent, well-improved land, and is prospering 
well. Mr. and Mrs. Tucker have four children living, and three dead: 
Hannah, born August 7,1868; Milly, born October 30, 1869; Michael 
W., born September 7, 1874; Fannie L., born October 28, 1880; Kitty 
A., born April 30, 1871; died Sepember 15, 1872; Daniel H., born Decem- 
ber 14, 1872; died October 10, 1873; Mary E., born October 2, 1876; 
died October 29, 1879. Mr. Tucker is a good citizen, and highly esteemed 
by his neighbors. 

JAMES BUIST. 

James Buist was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, April 21, 1835. His parents, 
David and Robino Buist, were also natives of Scotland. His parents both 
died when James was quite young, and he lived in the family of his uncle 
until he was eighteen years of age, when he began to earn his own liveli- 
hood. When nineteen years old our subject emigrated to America, land- 
ing at New York on the 15th day of May, 1857. He went to Philadelphia 
and remained there until 1860, and then came to Missouri, locating first in 
Clay county, for a short time, and then coming to Ray where he has since 
had his home. Frem 1862, to 1863, Mr. Buist was a teamster in govern- 
ment employ, connected with a supply train. He was married May 16, 



656 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY 

1865, to Miss Margaret E. Smith, daughter of Philip and Jane Smith. 
Her father was born in the north of Ireland, and her mother in Missouri. 
She was born in Platte county Missouri, June 26, 1849. Three children 
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Buist: David, born in December, 1867; Wil- 
liam, born December 13, 1869; Mary, born November 4, 1873. Mrs. 
Buist died February 16, 1877, and Mr. Buist was married again, June 7, 
1878, to Mrs. Mary E. Harris. They became the parents of one child, 
Annie, born in May, 1879. Mr. Buist lived unhappily with his second 
wife, and they are now separated by divorcti. He is a well-to-do farmer, 
and a valuable citizen. 

S. A. PAXTON, M. D. 

Dr. S. A. Paxton was born April 24, 1847, in Lincoln county, Kentucky. 
His parents were William and Matilda J. Paxton. His father was born in 
1808, and his mother in 1818. When our subject was quite young, his 
parents removed to Missouri, stopping, for a time, in Pike county, and then 
went to Montgomery county, and, in the year 1868, came to Ray county. 
Remaining here but a short time, they went to Colorado, thence to Texas, 
and various other localities, finally returning here to settle permanently. 
Dr. Paxton graduated from the McDowell Medical College, at St. Louis, 
in February, 1877, and has since been engaged, very successfully, in the 
practice of his profession. He is now located at the town of Orrick, and 
is a popular rising young physician, and a leading citizen of the town. 

SAMUEL TARWATER. 

Samuel Tarwater was born in Tennessee in the year 1806. His parents 
removed to Ray county, Missouri, in the autumn of 1816, and settled 
among the Pottawattamie Indians, who then dwelt in this county. They 
endured all the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life. Our 
subject remained at home with his parents until he was eighteen years of 
age and then began working for himself. He was married in the year 
1824, to Miss Polly Broadhurst, by Rev. W. Turnadge. They lived 
happily together for a quarter of a century, and then Mrs. Tarwater died, 
and in 1852, Mr. Tarwater was again married to Mrs. Elizabeth Orphet. 
After seventeen years of wedded life, she, too, died. Mr. Tarwater was 
married the third time in 1869, to Miss Sarah E. Mills. She lived only 
about two years after her marriage, and Mr. Tarwater was left alone by 
death the third time. His fourth marriage was with Mrs, Malinda E. 
Brown. She died two years after her marriage and our subject was for 
the fifth time married May 15, 1881, to Mrs. Mary A. Scott, the daughter 
of Thomas and Psyche Keeny. Her father was a native of North Caro- 
lina and her mother of Tennessee. Mrs. Tarwater was born March 20, 
1831, in this county. Mr. Tarwater is the father of nine children by his 



HISTORY OB' RAY COUNTY. 657 

first marriage, seven by the second and one by the third marriage. Of 
these, only three of his first wife's and three of his second wife's children 
and the one of the third wife are now living. Mr. Tarwater is one of the 
oldest and best citizens of Ray county. As early as the age of eighteen 
years he engaged in numerous skirmishes with roving bands of hostile 
Indians, who, not infrequently raided the settlements for purposes of theft 
or murder. He was also engaged in the Heatherly and the Mormon wars. 
In a fight with Mormons on Crooked river, two of them attacked him at 
once with corn knives and nearly cut him to pieces. He received a terri- 
ble gash in the skull, through which the brain was plainly visible, was 
cut about the throat and one terrible blow across the face severed the jaw 
hone and destroyed all the upper teeth. From the effects of these wounds, 
Mr. Tarwater was compelled to keep his bed nearly six months and has 
never, entirely recovered, for the wound on his head affected his memory 
and the injury to his mouth caused an impediment in his speech. Samuel 
Tarwater, now venerable with nearly four score years, has been closely 
identified with and assisted in the progress of Ray county from an 
almost primeval wilderness to her present proud position of wealth and 
population in the front ranks of the sisterhood of counties that go to make 
up the grand old commonwealth of Missouri. 

CYRUS D. GANT. 

Cyrus D. Gant was born in Ray county, Missouri, September 10, 1839. 
He is the son of Joshua A. Gant, a native of North Carolina. At the age 
of twenty years, he began to work for himself, and was, September 17, 
1866, married to Miss Ella M. Hughes, daughter of John and Deborah 
Hughes, natives of Kentucky. They have six children: William, born 
September 2, 1867; James N., born November ,17, 1868; Leila, born 
March 1, 1874; Ora L., born January 10, 1876; Maud, born September 
3,1878; Ella, born March 13,1881. When the civil war commenced, 
Mr. Gaut enlisted in company C, Third Missouri Confederate cavalry 
and served with that regiment for six months, and was then transferred to 
the Third Missouri infantry, in which he served throughout the remain- 
der of the war. He participated in the battles of Lexington, Pea Ridge, 
first and second luka, Corinth, Vicksburg, Grand Gulf, Black River, 
Atlanta, Kenesaw and Franklin or Stone River. At the last named bat- 
tle he was wounded five times, and being left on the field, fell into the 
hands of the Union troops. He was kept at Franklin two months and 
was then sent to the hospital at Nashville, where he remained about the 
same length of time. He was released at Camp Chase in Ohio the same 
day that President Lincoln was assassinated. He walked to St. Louis, and 
there meeting a friend who kindly furnished him with the necessary 
means he was enabled to take passage on the steamboat up the river and 



658 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

thus reached home a^rain after an absense of more than three years. Mr. 
Gant is now engaged as a trader and dealer in Hve stock. He does a 
thriving, paying business, and is a valuable member of the community of 
Vibbard, where he resides. He is highly respected by his neighbors and 
friends, and is a leading and influential citizen. 

JAMES GREENE. 
James Greene was born in the state of Tennessee, April 15, 1811. His 
parents were David and Jorissa Greene, natives of White county, Ten- 
nessee. Our subject came to Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1832, and 
engaged in farming, which has been his life-long avocation. In the year 
1845, James Greene was married to Miss Mary Hough, daughter of 
Absolom Hough, a native of Germany. She was born November 20, 
1824. They have six children, living: Martin V., born October 2, 1842; 
David, born November 25, 1844; Nancy, born August 4, 1848; Samuel, 
born June 6, 1853; Martha, born March 11, 1858; James, born January 
8, 1869. Mr. Greene served eighteen months at the beginning of the late 
civil war, as a member of Colonel King's staff (Union army). At the 
expiration of that term of service, he re-enlisted in the 44th regiment of 
Missouri volunteer infantry, and served in the battles of Pea Ridge and 
Spanish Fort, as well as all other engagements in which his regiment parti- 
cipated. At the last named battle he was under lire for eleven days. At 
the close of the war he was discharged at St. Louis, and returned to his 
family in Ray county. Both Mr. Greene and his wife are members of 
the Christian Church. He is an industrious, thrifty, and successful farmer 
and a good citizen. 

H. D. HATFIELD. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Campbell county, Tennessee, in 
the year 1837, and was brought by his parents when four years old, to 
Knoxville, Ray county, Missouri. His father was a farmer, and our sub- 
ject was raised on a farm. Having completed the course of stud}'^ taught 
in the common schools, he began teaching at the age of nineteen years, 
and pursued that profession with good success during eight years. He 
then entered the drug and grocery business at Haller, and continued it, at 
that place, for about six years, and until his removal to R. & L. Junction. 
There he was occupied in the same line of business for about two years, 
and then selling out at the Junction, he removed to Lawson, this county, 
and built a large and commodious store house there, in which he conducts 
a very profitable trade in drugs and groceries. Mr. Hatfield was mar- 
ried at Lawson, in the month of June, 1878, to Miss Fannie Potter, of 
Gentry county, Missouri, by the Reverend Mr. Roote. They became the 
parents of two children, both of whom died in infancy. Mr. Hatfield is a 
rising, popular merchant and a public spirited man. 



1 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 659 

G. W. MONTGOMERY. 

G. W. Montjcromery was born in Gallatin county, Kentucky, July 31, 
1833, and received his education and grew up there. At the age of 
twenty-one years, he left home and went to California, where he staid 
about eighteen months, and then returned to his native county, and again 
attended school for one year. At the expiration of that time he came to 
Missouri, and, stopping first in Clinton county, taught school there for one 
year, and then came to Ray county. He taught school for a time after 
his arrival in this count}-, and then engaged in farming until the outbreaking 
of the civil war. In 1861 he enlisted in company F, Hughe's regiment of 
state guards, Slack's brigade, and served for three months, and then return- 
ed home. In the winter of 1861, he enlisted in company A, second Mis- 
souri regiment, Confederate States army, and remained in the service until 
March, 1862, and then went to Kentucky, w-here he remained until 1865, 
and then, returning to this county, engaged in farming until 1870, and then 
entered the hardware and lumber trade, which he continued until Feb- 
ruary, 1881, when he established his present business, that of furniture, 
undertakers' goods and agricultural implements, at the town of Lawson. 
Mr. Montgomery was married in the year 1858, to Miss Agnes Clevenger, 
who was born in Ray county in the year 1843. They became the parents 
of two children, Elizabeth, now Mrs. Brock, and Robert E. Mr.' Mont- 
gomery was married the second time, in 1872, to Flora Childs, who was 
born in the state of New York, in 1849. He is a member of the Bee-Hive 
Lodge, No. 393, A. F. & A. M., at Lawson, and is also a leading mem- 
ber of the M. E. Church South. 

F. BROCK. 

The gentleman whose name heads this article was born in Franklin 
county, Kentucky, December 26, 1820. He left Kentucky when seven 
years of age, with his parents, and coming to Missouri, locating first in 
Clay county, where he remained until 1854, and then came to Ray county 
and located upon his present farm, in section thirty, township twenty-nine, 
range fifty-four. He owns a fine farm of 278 acres, well improved and 
in an excellent state of cultivation. He is also engaged in raising stock, 
and has a fine herd of blooded cattle, and also a flock of well-bred sheep. 
Commenced dealing in lumber, at Lawson, in the autumn of 1871, and in 
1873 added a stock of hardware to his business, and has since continued 
both lines in addition to his farm. He owns a fine store-house at Law- 
son, and is doing a prosperous business. Mr. Brock was engaged in the 
local war against the Mormons, and was also in the state militia, under 
command of Colonel Doniphan. He was married March 17, 1853, in 
Clay county, Missouri, to Miss Diana Moore, by the Reverend Mr. Price, 



660 HISTORY OP^ RAV COUNTY. 

of the Baptist Church. Mrs. Brock was born in Franklin county, Ken- 
tucky, February 13, 1826, and her parents moved to this state soon after 
her birth. Mr. and Mrs. Brock have two children: W. H. and George 
E. Mr. Brock is a member of Bee-Hive Lodge No. 393, A. F. & A. M., 
and was one of the charter members when the lodge was organized, in 
1865. 

J. C. WEAKLEY. 

James C. Weakley was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, May 29, 
1844. His father, William S. Weakley, was a native of Pennsylvania, 
and was born March 1, 1816; died September 1, 1848. Our subject 
learned the trade of a tinner at the age of eighteen years, and has since 
devoted his attention to that avocation. During Morgan's raid through 
Ohio and Virginia, in 1863, he responded to the call for volunteers for 
one hundred days, and served through that campaign. March 1, 1863, 
he enlisted in company G, 145th regiment of Pennsylvania, and served 
until July 4, 1865, when he was discharged at Cincinnati. He was 
engaged at the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, 
North Ann River, Cold Harbor, Petersburg. At the last named battle 
he was so badly wounded as to disable him for service, and he was dis- 
charged, and returned home to Pennsylvania, where he remained until 
September, 1865, and then, coming to Missouri, engaged, during the suc- 
ceeding winter, at his trade in Hamilton, Caldwell county, Missouri, and 
then came to Knoxville, Ra}' county. From the latter place he removed 
to Lawson in 1870, and has since been doing a good business in stoves, 
tinware, etc., at that place. Mr. Weakley was married January 27, 1867, 
at Knoxville, this county, to Miss Mary E. Vinsant, a native of Tennessee, 
born October 17, 1846. They have six children: William R., John, 
James, Charles D., Esther, and Mary E. Both Mr. Weakley and his 
wife are members of the M. E. Church South. He has held the position 
of secretary of Bee-Hive Lodge No. 393, A. F. & A. M., for several 
years. 

ISAAC COOK. 

Isaac Cook was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, July 3, 1817, 
and learned the blacksmithing trade there, which business he has pur- 
sued ever since. Came to Missouri in 1844, and worked at his trade first 
for awhile in Clinton county, andjthen removed to Ray county; is now 
located at Lawson. During the late civil war he was first lieutenant of 
company B, 6th Missouri cavalry, commanded by Colonel E. C. Cather- 
wood. Mr. Cook was married in 1839, in North Carolina, to Miss Han- 
nah E. Woodburn. The}^ became the parents of ten children: Elizabeth 
A., Jane, John, Tabitha, Margaret, Susan, James, Henry, Frances, and an 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 661 

infant (dead). Mr. Cook's second marriage occurred May 17, 1865, 
when Mary E. Barrow, of Green county, became his wife. She bore 
him three children: Isaac S., Addie, and Charles F. Mrs. Cook died in 
the month of June, 1880. Mr. Cook is a member of the Christian Union 
Church. He is an excellent blacksmith, and has a large and lucrative busi- 
ness. He is a man of good character, and is a valuable addition to the 
town of Lawson. 

J. W. ASBURY. 

J. W. Asbury was born in Todd county, Kentucky, February 8, 1840. 
His parents removed to Missouri in 1843, and located, first in Dade 
county, where they lived for three 3'ears, and then came to Ray county. 
His father, who was a blacksmith, located in Richmond, and worked at 
his trade there, until 1852, and then removed to Camden, this county. 
From Camden he went to Lexington, Lafayette county, and after remain- 
ing there for a period, returned to this county. Our subject learned the 
trade of blacksmithing, and pursued that business until the beginning of 
the civil war. He enlisted, in 1861, in company A, 3d Missouri Regi- 
ment, Confederate army, and was engaged at Pea Ridge, Mansfield raid, 
Jenkins' Ferry, Lexington, and Independence. He was discharged at 
Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1865, and went to Nebraska, where he engaged 
for two years, at his trade. He then went to Wyoming territory, and to 
Colorado, w^orking successively at different places. At Cheyenne, Wyo- 
ming, he set up a shop of his own. He returned to Missouri in 1868, 
and began merchandising at the town of Hainesville,|and at the end of two 
years, came to Lawson, this county, where he and his brother, J. S. 
Asbury, opened a large business in dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes. 
They have conducted the business very successfully, at that place, ever 
smce. Our subject was married in 1872, at Plattsburg, Missouri, to Miss 
Tilly Barrett, of Clinton county, who was born at Parkersburg, Virginia, 
December 27, 1857. They have two children living. Mr. Asbury is a 
member of the Missionary Baptist Church, and also belongs to the 
Masonic fraternity. 

P. H. CATES. 

Was born in Jefferson county, east Tennessee, July 9, 1821, and at the 
age of twenty years left there and came to Ray county, Missouri, locat- 
ing near Richmond, where he lived for six years, and then bought land 
and settled in Caldwell county, and engaged in farming and stock dealing 
there, until 1879, when he returned to Ray county and located at Law- 
son, where he has since been engaged extensively and profitably in buying 
and shipping live stock. Mr. Cates still owns a fine farm of 240 acres in 
Caldwell county. He was married February 11, 1841, to Miss Edith 



662 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTS. 

Joiner, in Jefterson county, east Tennessee. Mrs. Gates was born in the 
month ot September, 1821, in Tennessee. The issue of this union was 
twelve children: Mary, Ellen, John, Samuel, Margaret, William, Mar- 
tha, Stephen, Melsina, George, Florence and Pleasant. Mrs. Gates died 
June 5, 1877, and Mr. Gates was again married in July, 1876, to Sallie 
Robinett. Mr. Gates is a deacon and an active and influential member of 
the Baptist Ghurch. He has served for several years as justice of the 
peace, and is a prominent and respected citizen. 

JAMES M. GROWLEY. 

James M. Growley was born in Fishing River township, Ray county, 
Missouri, April 26, 1857. He was educated in the district schools of this 
county, and wherj he had grown up engaged in farming, which is his 
present occupation. He was married at Lawson, in 1879, to Miss Bettie 
Whitsett, by Rev. Mr. Linn. Mrs. Growley was born in Ray county, in 
the year 1858. The issue of this marriage has been one child: William, 
born May 26, 1880. Mr. Growley is an enterprising, industrious and 
rising young farmer and a good citizen. 

G. W. JAMES, M. D. 

Was born in Union county, Illinois, October 6, 1837. Moved to Welling- 
ton, Lafayette county, Missouri, in 1853, and was educated there. After 
leaving school he began the study of medicine, and afterwards attended 
and graduated from Rush Medical Gollege, at Ghicago, Illinois. He has 
practiced very successfully in Lafayette, Gla}^ and Ray counties ; he is 
now located at Lawson, and associated in the practice of his profession 
with his brother. Dr. J. G. James. , They also own and conduct a drug 
store at Lawson. Dr. G. W. James was married December 11, 
1872, at Lawson, to Miss Susan Immell, of Pennsylvania. She was born 
in 1848. Three children have been born to Dr. and Mrs. James: Tem- 
perance Immell, William and Arthur. Both Dr. James and his estimable 
lady are members of the M. E. Ghurch South. He is a good physician 
and enjoys a lucrative practice. 

W. G. JAMES, M. D. 

Was born in Union county, Illinois, October 7, 1841. He attended 
medical college at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and afterwards graduated from 
the medical department of the Iowa State Universit}^ and began the 
practice of his profession in July, 1864, in Glay county, Missouri. In the 
year 1872, he located at Lawson, this county, and with his brother, also a 
physician, opened a drug store at that place, in connection with his prac- 
tice. Dr. W. G. James was married May 28, 1874, in Glinton county, 
Missouri, to Miss Alice Estill. She died the 15th of May, 1875, having 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 663 

lived less than one year after her marriage. Dr. James is a leading mem- 
ber of Bee-Hive Lodge, No. 393, at Lawson, and is also a member of the 
M. E. Church South, at that place. Dr. James is an able and popular 
physician, and James Bros, are doing a prosperous drug business. The^' 
are valuable citizens of the thriving little city of Lawson. 

C. N. PALMER, M. D. 

Dr. C. N. Palmer was born in Scott county, Kentucky, February 25, 
1831. His parents removed to Independence, Jackson county, Missouri, 
in 1836, and there our subject attended school. He subsequently gradu- 
ated from the State University at Columbia, in 1850, and began the study 
of medicine. He attended the St. Louis Medical College, graduating in 
1853, and the next winter attended a post-graduate course of lectures at 
Philadelphia. He located for the practice of his profession in Clay county, 
Missouri, in the spring *of 1854, and remained there until 1870, when he 
came to Lawson, in this county, and has since practiced there. Dr. Pal- 
mer was married in 1853, in Clay county, to Miss Susan Cook, who was 
born in Garrard county, Kentuck}-, in 1840. They became the parents of 
three children; Lutie C, Fanny A., Mary B. Mrs. Palmer died in 1869 
and the Doctor was again married in 1873, to Josephine Hollingworth. 
They have three children : Patracia, Charles H., and Grace. Dr. Pal- 
mer enlisted in the Confederate army in 1861, and served throughout the 
war.* He held the rank of lieutenant-colonel and participated in the battles 
of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, Seven Pines and the seven days fight at Rich- 
mond, Virginia, under General Robert E. Lee, besides numerous minor 
engagements. After the war was over he went to the west and traveled 
through the different states and territories to the Pacific ocean, returning 
after an absence of two and a half years, to Liberty, Clay county, Mis- 
souri, where he remained as above stated, practicing his profession, until 
his removal to Lawson. Dr. Palmer is an accomplished, experienced and 
successful physician, afid a prominent and influential citizen of Ray county. 
He is a member of the Christian Church, of the Masonic fraternity, and 
of the I. O. O. F. 

ROBERT M. HUNTER. 

Robert M. Hunter was born in Jessamine county, Kentucky, December 
3, 1841, and lived there until 1869, when he removed to Ray county, Mis- 
souri, and located upon his present farm. He has been a farmer and 
stock-raiser all his life. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of good 
land in a fine condition of cultivation, and well improved. He is also 
engaged in raising the best breeds of stock, among which are some thor- 
ough bred short-horn cattle. Mr. Hunter was married, October 3, 1871, 
in Ray county, Missouri, to Miss M. C. Rippy. They are the parents of 



664 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

two children: Cora A., born December 27, 1872; Nannie A., born 
December 31, 1874. In the summer of 1863, Mr. Hunter enlisted in 
company B, 8th regiment Kentucky cavalry, C. S. A., and served until 
he was captured, in the summer of 1864, near Salineville, Ohio, during 
Morgan's raid, and held a prisoner of war at Camp Chase, Ohio, where 
he was finalty discharged, and returned home to Kentucky. During the 
time he was in the army he engaged in the battles of Hartsville, Tennes- 
see; Nashville, Elizabethtown, Rolling Fork, Louisville, Richmond, Win- 
chester, Mt. Sterling, and Green River bridge, besides other less impor- 
tant ones. Mr. Hunter is a leading farmer, and a valuable and highly 
respected member of the community, and citizen of Ray county. 

BENJAMIN STURGIS. 

Benjamin Sturgis was born in Madison county, Ohio, October 14, 1830. 
At the age of ten years he came with his parents to Caldwell county, 
Missouri, and lived there until 1878, when he came to this county. He 
was reared upon a farm, and has been all his life engaged in the business 
of farming. Mr. Sturgis was married, first, in 1854, in Caldwell county, 

Missouri, to Miss Filley, by Rev. Mr. Kirkpatrick. The issue of this 

marriage was two children: George and Lucy Jane. His wife died in 
1856, and in 1858, Mr. Sturgis was again married by Rev. Mr. Williams, 
to Lucy Violet, of Clay county. They are the parents of seven children : 
William, Nero, Benjamin, Oliver, Clara, living, and Matthew and Phoebe, 
dead. The second Mrs. Sturgis died in 1876. Mr. Sturgis is a leading 
member of the Christian Union Church. 

GRIFFIN I. WINGER, 

Griffin I. Winger was born in Roanoke county, Virgina, May 1, 1849. 
His parents removed to Ray county, Missouri, when our subject was but 
three years old, and settled upon the same place where he now 
resides. He owns one hundred and forty-three acres of good farming 
lands, well improved and in a fine state of cultivation and productiveness. 
Mr. Winger was married in the month of March, 1870, to Miss Mary E. 
Ray, a native also of Roanoke count}^ Virginia. She was born May 21, 
1850. They have three children: Bertha A., born August 19, 1872; 
Marcus B., born April 13, 1874; James W., born August 11, 1880. Mr. 
Winger and his wife are members of the Missionary ^Baptist Church. 
The parents of our subject were natives of Virginia; his father died Janu- 
ary 8, 1859; his mother is living with him on the old homestead. Mr. 
Winger is a well-to-do farmer, and a respected citizen of Polk township. 




W¥ C R W LE Y. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 665 

WILLIAM CROWLEY. 

William Crowley was born in Powell Valley, Tennessee, October 81, 
1816. He is the son of Isham Crowley, also a native of Tennessee. 
Soon after the birth of William, his father removed to the state of Ala- 
bama, where the family lived for about thirteen years, and then in 1829, 
removed to Clay county, Missouri. Our subject remained about eleven 
years in Clay county, and then going to Clinton countj^, lived there dur- 
ing eight years. In the year 1849, he came to Ray county and has con- 
tinued a citizen and a farmer of this county ever since. He owns a valu- 
able farm (section seven, township fifty-four, range twenty-nine,) of two 
hundred and ten acres of very fertile farming land, well fenced, and in an 
excellent condition of cultivation, with fine, thrifty bearing orchards, and 
an abundance of pure water for the numerous herds of cattle, horses, 
sheep and hogs, with which the pastures are stocked. The farm is 
improved by a handsome, commodious and conveniently^ arranged dwell- 
ing house, a large and substantially built barn and granaries, sheds and 
other buildings for the protection of stock and the shelter of grain, feed, 
etc. Mr. Crawley is also engaged, to a considerable extent, in buying 
and selling live stock, and devotes particular attention to breeding and 
raising the best varieties. He is a thrifty, practical, experienced farmer, 
and the condition of his model farm bears testimony to his success, in 
that, his chosen branch of business. Mr. Crowley was married Novem- 
ber 19, 1840, b}' Rev. John Edwards, to Miss Margaret Miller, a native 
of Clay county, Missouri, born May 29, 1825. The issue of this mar- 
riage was ten children, all but one of whom are living: James I., born 
February 7, 1843; William T., born May 5, 1845; Susan F., born March 
8, 1848; John W., born January 6, 1850; Eugenia K., born April 2, 1852; 
David M., born August 21, 1854; George W., born April 8, 1858; Bar- 
num M., born September 4, 1860; U. S. Grant, born August 27, 1863; 
A. B. Lincoln, born September 18, 1865, (died in infancy.) Mr. Crowley 
has served during four successive terms, of four years each, as justice of 
the peace in his township, and was justice of the Ray county court dur- 
ing a term of four years. He discharged the duties of these positions of 
trust and honor with the same judgment and ability with which he has 
so successfully managed his individual business. His conduct in public 
as well as in private life, has always been highly honorable and just. 
He and his wife, with several of the children, are members of the Chris- 
tian Church. He is also a member of Grange No. 1129, P. of H. 



42 



(yQ6 HISTORY OF RAY COLHSTY. 

G. W. S. WILLIAMS. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Cooper county, Missouri, April 
5, 1841. When he was six years of age, his parents removed to St. 
Joseph, Missouri, and Hved there and in Buchanan county about five 
years and then went to Platte county where they resided until our subject 
was fourteen years of age, when they returned to Buchanan county. 
There he learned the carpentering trade and worked at it until 1880, 
when he came to Lawson, Ray county, where he is now located. Mr. 
Williams enlisted in company E, Cornell's regiment, C. S. A., under Gen- 
eral Sterling Price, in the month of September, 1861, and was engaged at 
■ the battles of Pea Ridge, Corinth, luka. Grand Gulf, Champion Hills and 
at the siege of Vicksburg, where he was captured by the Union army 
under command of General U. S. Grant, and held as a prisoner of war | 
until January 3, 1865. After his release he went to Indiana and thence to 1 
Buchanan county, Missouri. Mr. Williams was married in 1854, to Miss \ 
Maria Goodman, of Buchanan county, by Rev. James Roberts. They 
have three children : George, born December 10, 1861 ; James, born June 
— ,1866: Annie, born July 5, 1868. Mr. Williams and wife are both 
members of the Baptist Church at Lawson, and he is also a member of I 
the I. O. O. F, He is a good carpenter and builder, and his business is 
in a prosperous condition. 

ANDREW J. GREENAWALT. 

Andrew J. Greenawalt was born in Hardin county, Kentucky, June 15, 
1829. He remained in his native county until fourteen years of age, and 
then came to Missouri, and lived first, one year, in Clay county, and then 
went to DeKalb county and remained there until 1865, when he removed 
to Ray county and bought the same farm upon which he is living at pres- 
ent (April, 1881). Mr. Greenawalt was married in De Kalb county, 
November 28, 1850, to Miss Nancy Sloan, a native of Monroe county, 
Ohio, born August 9, 1833. Her parents came to Missouri in the year 
1841 . Mr. and Mrs. Greenawalt became the parents of seven children, 
five of whom are now living: Susan J., born July 18, 1853; John B., born 
August 3, 1865: James S., born September 6, 1860; Elijah P., born May 
26, 1866; WiUiam L., born October 2, 1868; Sarah E., born July 25, 
1858, and Christina, born March 2, 1871, are dead. Mr. Greenawalt 
enlisted May 13, 1861, in company F, Ninth Missouri infantry, C. S. A., 
commanded by Colonel Clark, of General Sterling Price's army. Mr. 
Greenawalt was in the battles of Lexington, Springfield and Pea Ridge 
where he was captured by the Union troops and taken to the military 
prison at Alton, Illinois, and kept there until September 8, 1862, when he 
was exchanged at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and went to Little Rock, 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 667 

Arkansas, and v/as with his command at Prairie Grove, Cypress Bayou, 
Old River Lake, Milliken's Bend, (Louisiana), Mansfield, Sabine Fork, 
and the surrender at Shreveport, Louisiana. June 24, 1865, reached his 
home again in De Kalb county, Missouri, after an absence of nearly four 
years, and subsequently, as above stated, came and settled permanently in 
Ray county. Mr. Greenawalt owns a very desirable farm of one hundred 
and twenty acres of fertile and productive land, which evinces by its neat 
and thrifty appearance the industry and good management of its owner. 
Mr. Greenawalt and his wife with three of the eldest children are mem- 
bers of the Christian Church. 

, MILTON PIERCEY. 

Milton Piercey was born near Greensborough, in Guilford county, 
North Carolina, October 25, 1822. From the age of eighteen to twenty 
years he served an apprenticeship at the carpentering trade, and then 
began working at that business, and continued it until 1844, when he 
immigrated to Ray county; Missouri, and settled on the farm he now 
owns and occupies. With the exception of two years, 1848-50, spent in 
Clinton and Caldwell counties, this state, he has lived here ever since he 
first came, engaged in farming and carpentering. He came here a poor 
youth, and has made all he has by his industry, economy, and good man- 
agement. He owns a valuable farm of three hundred acres, under good 
fences, well improved, and fully stocked and equipped. Mr. Piercev was 
first married, in this county, August 31, 1848, to Miss Permelia C. Tay- 
lor, daughter of John and Zenisha Taylor. Two children were born of 
this union, viz: Amos K., born December 27, 1850: Sarah E., born 
November 9, 1852. Mrs. Piercey died in November, 1852, and Mr. 
Piercey was again married July 25, 1854, to Zillah A. Taylor, who was 
born in Virginia, in 1832. They became the parents of five children, 
three of whom are now living, viz: Henry C, born February 25, 1856; 
George W., born March 7, 1858; Caroline S., born April 9, 1865. Mr, 
Piercy was married the third time, March 23, 1871, to Lottie J. Cum- 
mings, by Reverend William Dickson. She was born in Guilford 
county. North Carolina, May 22, 1831. The issue of this marriage was 
two children: Robert D., born June 4, 1872; Charley M., born March 21, 
1874; died August 15, 1874. Mr. Piercey and his wife are members of 
the Presbyterian Church, and he is also a member of the Masonic order, 
at Lawson. 

W. F. THOMAS. 

The subject of this article was born in Clay county, Missouri, Decem- 
ber 4, 1836, and at the age of eight years, removed with his parents to 
Platte county for about a year, and then to Andrew county, where the 



668 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

family lived during two years, and then our subject went to St. Joseph 
and commenced learning the saddler trade. After an apprenticeship of 
four and a half years, he went to Kansas and engaged at his trade for a 
time in Atchison, and then he went to California, and, during the succeed- 
ing eight years, traveled through the states and territories on the Pacific 
slope, working at mining, and prospecting as he went. He came to Kay 
county in 1869, and engaged, during two years, in farming, and then 
began working at his trade, at Lawson, and has since built up a very 
profitable business at that place. Mr. Thomas was married February 16, 
1875, in Andrew county, Missouri, to Miss Carrie Walker, by Reverend 
Mr. Cruikshanks. She was born in Andrew county, in May, 1853. They 
have one child, Ferdie, born February 13, 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas 
are members of the M. E. Church South, and he is a member of Bee- 
Hive Lodge, No. 393, A. F. & A. M., at Lawson. 

E. M. ROBINETT. 

The gentleman whose name heads this article, was born in Greene 
county, Illinois, October 9, 1844. When six years of age he removed with 
his parents to Macoupin county, Illinois, and lived there until twenty-five 
years old, when he came to Missouri and engaged in farming in Clay 
county, until 1878, and then came to Ray county. Mr. Robinett was mar- 
ried in Clay county, Missouri, December 6, 1870, to Miss Sue H. Claflin, 
by Reverend J. V. B. Flack. She was born in Macoupin county, Illinois, 
in the month of June, 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Robinett are the parents of 
five children, named as follows: Charles J., Mary E., John M., Dais}'- R., 
and Ada R. Mrs. Robinett is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. 
Robinett is an industrious and thrifty farmer, and a good citizen. 

W. A. MILLER. 

William A. Miller was born in Stokes county, North Carolina, July 26, 
1821, and remained there with his parents until he was sixteen years old, 
and then removed to Clay county, Missouri, and lived there until the 
spring of 1844, when he came to Ray count}^, and has lived here ever 
since, engaged in farming and stock-raising. He owns a fine farm of four 
hundred and fifty-one acres, of excellent tillable land, well improved and 
stocked with the best breeds of cattle, sheep and hogs. Mr. Miller pays 
careful attention to breeding and raising only the best kinds of live stock. 
He was married in Clay county, Missouri, January 4, 1844, to Miss Sallie 
McGee, by Rev. John Walker. She was born in Montgomery county, 
Kentucky, October 27, 1828. The issue of this marriage was ten chil- 
dren, all but three of whom are now living: Ann E., wife of Chas. Bates; 
Frederick D., Melvin M., Susan J., Ellen, Emma L., and Eugene. Mr. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 669 

Miller is a member of the Christian Church, of the Grange, and Masonic 
order. He is a leading stock-raiser and farmer, a good neighbor and a 
prominent and valuable citizen. 

RANDOLPH McDonald. 

Randolph McDonald was born in Adair county, Kentucky, October 7, 
1806, and received his education and attained to his majority there, work- 
ing on his father's farm. He was poor, and opportunities and advantages 
for young men were meager in the locality where he grew up, and at the 
age of twenty-eight years, he determined to leave Kentucky, and seek a 
home across the "Father of Waters," in the rich, productive lands of Mis- 
souri. He settled in Ray county, in the year 1835, and engaged in farm- 
ing and stock-raising. By his untiring energy, unfagging industry, strict 
economy, and good management he has secured for himself a competency. 
He has a fine, large farm of five hundred and sixty acres of prairie and 
woodland, handsomely improved, well irrigated, and stocked with good 
herds of horses, cattle, hogs, and sheep. Mr. McDonald was married, in 
the state of Kentucky, in 1828, to Miss Locky Oxford, by John Gilbert, a 
minister of the Baptist Church. Mrs. McDonald was born in the year 
1808, in North Carolina. The issue of this union was nine children, viz: 
Rosannah, born March 11,1832; Mary Ann, born November 23, 1833; 
Jeremiah, born October 16, 1835; Elizabeth, born August 28, 1837; Wil- 
liam G., born August 29, 1838; Eliza Jane, born April 26, 1841; Sarah 
E., born Februar}- 28, 1844; Jacob Randolph, born July 6, 1845; Locky 
Emeline, born December 26, 1846. Rosannah, Mary A., and Louisa are 
dead. Mrs. McDonald died in the month of December, 1871, and her 
death was deeply mourned by her family and large circle of friends and 
relatives. Mr. McDonald is a leading member of the Baptist Church. 
He has never aspired to an}- public office, preferring the quiet walks of 
private life, and devoting his attention to his farm, and to the support, 
careful training, and proper education of his family. Mr. McDonald is a 
practical, successful farmer and business man, a good citizen, a consistent 
Christian, an agreeable gentleman, and he enjoys the universal esteem and 
respect of the people of his community. 

A. P. MOSS. 

A. P. Moss was born near Versailles, in Woodford county, Kentucky, 
in the year 1803. Came to Ray county, Missouri, in 1845, and has since 
lived here. He was married in 1823, in his native county, to Miss Lucy 
Boston, by Rev. William Penny, of the Baptist Church. They became 
the parents of eight children. Mr. Moss is a devout member of the 
Christian Church, and also belongs to the I. O. O. F. He is an old and 
highly respected citizen of Ray county. 



670 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

M. R. FOWLER. 
M. R. Fowler was born in Randolph county, Missouri, May 4, 1834, 
He attended the schools of his father's neighborhood, and grew up on the 
farm. At the age of twenty-two years, he came to this county and has 
been a farmer and stock-raiser of Ray county ever since. He owns one 
thousand and eighty-two acres of valuable land, about one thousand acres 
of which is prairie land, and in an excellent state of cultivation, well 
watered, and enclosed by good and substantial fencing. He has a hand- 
some and conveniently appointed residence, and the farm is additionally 
improved by barns, granaries, sheds and other buildings, also a fine, 
thrifty bearing orchard. Mr. Fowler is extensively engaged in raising and 
feeding cattle and hogs for market. He was married in Ray county, to 
Miss Elvira Moss, daughter of A. P. Moss. She was born in Ray 
county, Missouri, February 6, 1851. They have six children. Their 
names with dates of birth following, viz: Archie P., born March 20, 1866; 
Thomas N., born August 28, 1867; Charles P., born January 15, 1870; 
Lucy R., born January 15, 1874; Carrie, born June 7, 1876; Fred. D., 
born March 18, 1878. Mr. Fowler is an active and leading member of 
the Christian Church, as is also his wife. He is a prominent farmer, and 
an influential and valuable citizen. 

SAMUEL J. CROWLEY. 
Samuel J. Crowley was born near Kearney, Clay county, Missouri, 
March 24, 1843. His father, Samuel Crowley, is a native of Campbell 
county, Tennessee, came to Clay county and settled there in 1820. Our 
subject lived in Clay countv until seventeen years of age, and then came 
to Ray county and was engaged in farming and stock-raising during ten 
years here, and then removed just across the line into his native county, 
where he now lives. He has a fine prairie farm of two hundred and forty 
acres, in a high state of cultivation, and handsomely improved. Mr. 
Crowley was married in Ray county, Missouri, February 11,1869, to Miss 
Louisa A. Misener. Mrs. Crowley was born in this county, February 3, 
1849. They are the parents of three children: Nancy B., born May 21, 
1872; Frank P., born March 24,1876; Misener L., born December 17, 
1880. Samuel Crowley, Sr., father of our subject, was born November 
14, 1786, in east Tennessee, died July 1, 1849. Our subject's mother, 
Nancy, was born May 13, 1805, died January 28, 1875. Mr. Crowley is 
a leading, prosperous and highly respected fiirmer. 

S. I. CATES. 

S. I. Cates was born in Caldwell county, Missouri, June 7, 1857. He 
was educated in his native county, and remained there until the year 1878, 
when he came to Ray county, and, establishing himself at the thriving 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 671 

town of Lisbonville, opened out a large stock of general merchandise. 
By courteous treatment, and fair, honorable dealing with all, he has built 
up a large and profitable trade. Mr. Gates was married at Lisbonville, 
this county. May 22, 1879, to Miss Carrie Lukey, by Reverend J. C. 
Penny, of the Baptist Church. Mrs. Cates was born in Clay county, 
Missouri, in the year 1863. They have one child, Elsie, born June 7, 
1880. Mr. Cates is an industrious, enterprising, and progressive young 
gentleman, and a good business man. 

J. H. JAMES, M. D. 

Doctor J. H.James was born in Union county, Illinois, August 26, 1843, 
and lived there until he attained the age of twenty-three years. He then 
removed to Wellington, Missouri, and, after remaining there only a few 
months, went to Kansas City, where he remained for a time, engaged in 
carpentering, which trade he had acquired in Illinois, at the age of sixteen 
years. From Kansas City, he went to Chicago and attended medical 
lectures at Rush College during the years l'869-'70. He then came to 
Lisbonville, Ray county, and engaged in the practice of medicine until 
1875, when he attended lectures again, at Missouri Medical College, St. 
Louis. He returned to Lisbonville, and has since built up a large and 
profitable practice there. ■ Doctor James was first married in Caldwell 
county, Missouri, April, 1873, to Miss Margaret Cates, by Reverend John 
Harmon. They had one child, who died in infancy. He was married the 
second time, December 2, 1877, to Miss Belle Langford, by Reverend 
Carter, at Lisbonville. Mrs. James was born in Caldwell county, Mis- 
souri, Mav 18, 1861. The issue of this marriage has been three children, 
all of whom died in infancy. Doctor James is a member of the M. E. 
Church South, and Mrs. James of the Missionarv Baptist Church. 

w. G. McDonald. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Rav county, Missouri, born 
August 29, 1838, and has lived in the same neighborhood in which he was 
born all his life, engaged in farming and stock-raising. Mr. McDonald 
owns a fine farm of four hundred acres, three hundred and forty acres of 
which are fertile, rolling prairie lands. This farm is well improved, and 
inclosed with strong fences. It is in an excellent state of cultivation, and 
is very productive.' Mr. McDonald is also extensively engaged in raising 
line breeds of live stock. He was married in Caldwell count}', Missouri, 
in 1859, to Miss Caroline Kelmel, by Reverend John Turnadge, a Baptist 
minister. They are the parents of four children: L. S., born March 21, 
1860; T. R., born August 21, 1862; W. W., born December 22, 1864; 
M. C, born November 1, 1866. Mr. McDonald is a leading member of 
Palo Lodge, No. 232, A. F. & A. M. 



672 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 



ROBERT G. MILLER. 



Robert Glenn Miller was born in Campbell county, East Tennessee, 
August 17, 1810. He came to Ray county and settled in Polk township, 
in 1830, where he lived during about fifteen years, and then moved to 
Caldwell county, Missouri. During the time he lived in the latter county 
he was elected and served as sherifT three terms, and was also a member 
of the county court. He also held at different times, several township 
offices. December 18, 1879, he returned to Ray county and located at the 
town of Vibbard, and is now (April, 1881,) engaged in conducting a hotel 
at that place. Mr. Miller was married in East Tennessee, March 1, 1829, 
to Miss Rebecca Skidmore, a native of Campbell county, East Tennessee 
born Jul}' 2, 1811. The issue of this marriage was ten children. 
Their names with dates of birth, follow, viz. : David, born November 22, 
1829; Catherine E., born September 19, 1832; Hannah, born November 
27, 1834: James, born March 9, 1836; Allen L. D., born March 26, 1838; 
Isabella ])., born February 14, 1840; Robert G., born April 4, 1842; Lydia 
J., born December 19, 1844; John T.,born March 19, 1847; Julia Ann, born 
April 10, 1849. Mrs. Miller died August 17th, 1851, and Mr. Miller mar- 
ried again May 9, 1852, to Eliza Ann Pollard, b}' Judge Hawkins Green. 
Six children were born of this union, viz.: David A., born April 3, 1853; 
Mary F., born September 20, 1854; Maria J., born March 14, 1858; Ann 
E., born February 26, 1859; Rebecca A., born May 11, 1860; Clotilde, 
born June 22, 1862. Mrs. Eliza A. Miller died January 20, 1880. The 
following named children are also deceased : Catherine E., died January 
17, 1835; David, died May 28, 1846; Allen L. D., died May 5, 1858; Mary 
F., July 6, 1877; John T., was killed November 30, 1864, at the battle of 
Franklin, Tennessee. He was a member of company C, 44th Missouri 
infantry, U. S. A. David A. has studied medicine, and intends soon going 
to a medical college. He was married May 18, 1881, to Miss Sallie Hill, 
by Elder C. S. Bolton. He is a young gentleman of great promise. 

T. R. GANT. 

Thomas R. Gant was born in Orange county, North Carolina, March 
31, 1836. His parents removed with him to Ray county, Missouri, when 
he was but two years of age, and he has spent most of the time since in 
this county. He was engaged in farming and stock-raising until about 
the 3'ear 1872, when he commenced merchandising, and has continued 
that business ever since. He is now located at the town of Vibbard, and 
with his brothers, is conducting a large store at that place under the title 
of T. R. Gant & Bros. They own the fine store building in which they 
do business, and are also proprietors of the telephone and hack line 
between Vibbard and Excelsior Springs. Messrs. T. R. Gant & Bros, are 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 673 

doing a thriving and profitable trade, their sales last year, in the aggregate 
amounting to $20,000.00. Mr. Gant was married at Richmond, this 
county, to Mrs. Ann E. Green, daughter of Jackson Hughes. She was 
born in Ray county, Missouri, April 16, 1839. They became the parents 
of five children: Ada F., born December 6, 1869; John N., born June 25, 
1871; Anna Lee, born April 4, 1873; Thomas E., born August 23, 1876; 
Anna P., born October 6, 1879. Anna Lee and Anna P. are both dead. 
Mrs. Gant had two children by her former marriage: Mary D., (Green), 
born April 18, 1859 ; Richard, K. (Green), born June 9, 1861. Mr. Gant is a 
member of Harmony Lodge, No. 384, A. F. & A. M., and his wife is a 
member of the M. E. Church South. 

A. C. DONOVEN, M. D. 

Doctor Andrew C. Donoven was born in Union county, Illinois, June 1, 
1849. He came to Missouri in 1868, and after stopping a short time in 
Clay county, settled in Ray and has since lived here. He graduated from 
Rush Medical College at Chicago, in 1871, and in the spring of the same 
year, commenced the practice of his profession. He is a ver}^ successful 
and popular physician, and enjoys a large and paying practice. Dr. Don- 
oven owns a tine large drug store at Vibbard, which he conducts very 
profitably, in connection with his practice. The doctor has never been 
married. He is a leading member of the M. E. Church South, and a val- 
uable citizen of the town of Vibbard. 

JOSEPH P. GANT. 

Joseph P. Gant was born in Ray county, Missouri, November 7, 1850. 
Has lived here during his entire life. He engaged in mercantile business 
with his brothers at Vibbard in 1872, and is now a partner in the store, 
though at present, (May, 1881), is conducting a stage line between Vib- 
bard and Excelsior Springs. Mr. Gant was married March 25, 1879, to 
Miss Jennie M. Bissell, by Rev. S. J. Huftaker. Mrs. Gant was born in 
Mahoning county, Ohio, May 5, 1856. Mr. Gant is an active, enterpris- 
ing young man, and is much esteemed by his numerous friends. 

H. A. SCANTLING. 

Henry A. Scantling was born in Kansas City, Missouri, February 23, 
1849. When he was quite young, his parents removed to Cla}- county, 
Missouri, and after living there for fifteen years, to Clinton county, Mis- 
souri, where our subject engaged in merchandising for two years and 
then came in the month of August, 1880, to Vibbard, Ray county, and 
has since conducted a general merchandise store in that place. He enjoys 
the confidence and respect of the community and is largely patronized in 



674 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

his business. Mr. Scantling was married in Clinton county, Missouri, in 
1873, to Miss Susan McRosey, by Rev. E. Rozelle. Mrs. Scantling was 
born in Clay county, Missouri, March 20, 1854. Three children have 
been born of this union: Sarah M., born October 27, 1874; Leota, born 
December 25, 1876; Linney B., born December 16, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. 
Scantling are consistent members of the M. E. Church South. 

J. M. C. TROUT. 

James M. C. Trout was born in Roanoke county, Virginia, (now West 
Virginia), February 16, 1850, and lived there until he was seventeen years 
old, and then came to Missouri, and after stopping for a short time in Clay 
and then in Clinton counties, to Ray county, where he resided until 1874, 
and then went to Texas. After spending about nine months in the Lone 
Star state, he came back to this county and settled on the farm where he 
now resides. He has been engaged in farming and stock-raising the 
greater part of his life. Mr. Trout was married in Ray county, this state, 
in 1870, to Miss Sirenia Taylor, by Rev. Mr. Montgomery. Mr. Trout 
was born in this county in the year 185Q. The issue of this union was 
two children, but one of whom, Eliza, born March 24, 1873, is living. 
Mrs. Trout died October 16, 1875, and our subject was again married in 

1879, to Viola Utt. They have one child, Noah R., born October 16, 

1880. Mr. Trout is an industrious, enterprising and well-to-do farmer 
and a good citizen. 

A. P. SWICKARD. 

Andrew P. Swickard was born in the state of Ohio, August 29, 1855. 
Removed with his parents to Ray county, Missouri, in 1858, and has lived 
here ever since, occupied in farming from the time he was large enough 
to work. Mr. Swickard was married in this county February 24, 1877, 
to Miss Nancy Jane Cleavenger, by Rev. O. D. Hyder. Mrs. Swickard 
was born in Ray county, Missouri, March 14, 1856. Three- children have 
been born of this union, only one of whom, Charles Bradford, born Sep- 
tember 27, 1878, is now hving. Mr. Swickard is an industrious, active and 
energetic farmer, and a good citizen. 

W. H. BROCK. 

William H. Brock was born in Ray county, Missouri, August 5, 1854, 
and has spent his life to the present time here. He was reared on a farm, 
and was engaged in farming until January, 1881, when he commenced 
dealing in hardware, agricultural implements and lumber, at the town of 
Lawson. Mr. Brock was married in this county, October 9, 1879, to Miss 
Mary A. Barbee. She was born in Ray county, Missouri, May 31, 1863. 
They became the parents of one child: Willie F., born July 27, 1880,. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 675 

died September 18, 1880. Mrs. Brock died September 17, 1880. Mr. 
Brock is doing a good business, and enjoys the respect of the community » 

WESLEY M. ALLISON. 

Wesley M. Allison was born in Greenfield, Dade county, Missouri, 
September 19, 1846. He remained in his native county until fifteen years 
old, and then came to Richmond, Ray county, and entered the store of 
Thomas Casey in the capacity of clerk. He remained in the employ of 
Mr. Casey and others until 1868, when he commenced business, on his 
own account at Millville. He conducted his store at Millville for eight 
years, and then sold out, and going again to Richmond, entered into a 
co-partnership with Jacob Mann, and they continued merchandising at 
Richmond under the firm name of Mann & Allison, until 1870, when our 
subject sold out his interest in the business, and going to Lawson estab- 
lished himself in business in that lively little city, and has since remained 
there. Mr. Allison was married at Richmond, Missouri, in 1868, to Miss 
Mary L. Brown, daughter of Col. B. J. Brown, by Rev. G. W. Hand. 
They have six children, viz: Flora B., born January 11, 1869; Charles 
H., born January 9, 1871; Arden D., born January 12, 1873; Lillian, born 
March 12, 1875; Carl S., born March 24, 1877; Carrie, born August 29, 
1878. Mr. Allison is a member of the M. E. Church South, and also of 
Bee-Hive Lodge No. 393, A. F. & A. M. He has held the office of 
notary public for ten years in this county. By polite and gentlemanly 
bearing, fair and equal treatment of all, Mr. Allison has become deservedly 
popular as a merchant, and highly respected as a man and citizen. 

EDWARD P. TIFFIN. 

Edward P. Tiffin was born in Ross county, Ohio, November 24, 1839. 
At the age of five years he came with his parents to Ray county, Mis- 
souri, and settled in the town of Knoxville. He has lived in the vicinity 
of that place ever since. Mr. Tiffin owns 1,500 acres of excellent land, 
all under fence, and about 1,000 acres in a fine state of cultivation and 
productiveness. These lands are improved with good houses, barns, and 
other buildings; are well irrigated by running streams of pure water, 
besides ponds, wells, and springs, for the accommodation of stock. They 
are diversified by groves, green pastures, fertile fields, and thrifty orchards 
and gardens, yielding abundantly of fruit and vintage. The broad roll- 
ing pastures are filled with the best breeds of horses, cattle, hogs, and 
sheep, and the whole estate, in its appearance and the completeness of its 
appointments and arrangement, evinces the masterly management and 
sound judgment of its owner. Mr. Tiffin was married in this county in 
the year 1861, to Miss Margaret Campbell, a native of Jackson county, 



676 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Missouri, born in 1846. The issue of this union was four children, two 
of whom only are now living: Mary F. and Aeda. 

WILLIAM G. ESTILL. 

"William G. Estill was born in Clinton county, Missouri, January 16, 
1860, where he lived until 1877, and then went to Liberty, Clay county, 
Missouri, and engaged as clerk in a dry goods store for two years. At 
the expiration of that time he came to Vibbard, this county, and engaged 
as clerk and salesman in Doctor Donoven's drug store, commencing at 
the same time the study of medicine under the instruction of Doctor Don- 
oven. During the winter of 1880-81 he attended lectures at the Missouri 
Medical College, St. Louis, and intends completing the course and grad- 
uating from the same institution. He is a young man of good character, 
with steady, studious habits, and the prospect of his future is one of 
great promise. 

J. F. SPENCER. 

Joel F. Spencer was born in Sullivan county, Missouri, September 17, 
1845, and lived there until he was eighteen years of age, and then trav- 
eled for several years through different states and territories of the west. 
He came back to Linn county, Missouri, and lived there for three years, 
during which time he learned, and worked at the trade of a carpenter. 
He came to Ray county in the year 1870, and has lived here ever since. 
He is now located at Vibbard, and is dealing in furniture in addition to 
his carpentering business. Mr. Spencer was first married in Linn county, 
in the year 1866, to Elizabeth James. One child, Demaris, was born of 
this union, June 22, 1867, Mrs. Spencer died March 1, 1875, and our 
subject was again married in 1877, to Sarah J. Goodman. They have 
two children: Bertha, born February 14, 1879, and an infant, yet 
unnamed, born October 2, 1880. Mr. Spencer and his wife are members 
of the Christian Union Church. 

W. J. SCANTLING. 

William J. Scantling was born in Clay county, Misscuri, September 8, 
1845, and lived there until the age of twenty years, when he went to 
Clinton county, Missouri, and engaged there in farming until 1877, when 
he began to work in a flouring and saw mill. He continued in that busi- 
ness till 1880, and then came to Ray county, and located at Vibbard, 
where he is now working at »the blacksmithing trade. Mr. Scantling 
was married in Clinton county, Missouri, in 1807, to Miss Mary A. Rog- 
ers, by Rev. G. S. Huffaker. Mrs. Scantling was born in Platte county, 
Missouri, in the month of October, 1847. The issue of this marriage 
has been five children: Alice E., born July 12, 1869; John H., born Octo- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 677 

ber 21, 1870; Lewis J., born August 8, 1873; William B., born Novem- 
ber 23, 1875; Franklin P., born August 29, 1878. Both Mr. Scantling 
and his wife are members of the M. E. Church South. 

ELIAS HIGHTOWER. 

Elias Hightower was born in Ray county, Missouri, November 5, 1832. 
His father, Joseph Hightower, was born near Charleston, South Carolina, 
in the year 1812, and when eighteen years old, went to Virginia, and from 
there to East Tennessee where he was married to Miss Elizabeth Cleav- 
enger, a native of that state. He came to Ray county, Missouri, in the 
year 1828, and settled near the old town of Bluftton. He subsequently 
removed to a farm near Fredericksburg, upon which he died, in Septem- 
ber, 1869. His wife (Elizabeth), is still living on the old homestead in this 
county, at the age of sixty-seven years. Elias Hightower attended the 
schools of his father's neighborhood during the winter, and worked on 
the farm in summer until he attained his majority, and then began farming 
on his own account. With the exception of about four years, he lived in 
Caldwell county, and two years spent in California, he has always resided 
in Ray county. He settled on the farm he now occupies, in the year 
1856. He owns, (besides two hundred acres in the state of Kansas), a 
fine farm of two hundred and eighty-six acres, one hundred and sixty 
acres of which are in cultivation. This farm is inclosed by good, strong 
fences, is well improved, and supplied with an abundance of pure water, 
a fine, thrifty orchard, and everything necessary to the successful man- 
agement of a model farm. Mr. Hightower is giving attention also to 
raising the best breeds of live stock. He was first married in 1855, to 
Miss Nancy Ann Wyman, daughter of Christian Wyman, of Ray county. 
One child, Nancy A., (now wife of Thomas P. Montfort), was born of 
this union, July 3, 1856. Mrs. Hightower died the same year, and our 
subject was again married in January, 1857, to Mary F. Wyman, by Rev. 
Samuel Cleavenger. She was born in Ray county, Missouri, October 5, 
1842. They became the parents of ten children, six of whom are now 
living: Cornelia J., born July 23, 1857; Harriet C, born August 11, 1859; 
Mariah E., born June 2, 1866; Robert E., born March 4, 1869; Mary M., 
born January 24, 1871; Oran L., born August 8, 1873; William A., born 
August 13, 1861, died April 22, 1862; Colona A., born February 27, 1865, 
died August 28, 1865; Fanny E., born August 11, 1859, died June 11, 
1872; Ninon A., born August 30, 1876, died January 3, 1878. Mr. High- 
tower is a leading member of the Missionary Baptist Church, and of 
Harmon}^ Lodge, No. 384, A. F. & A. M. He is a leading farmer, a 
prominent and useful citizen, and a man universally respected and 
esteemed by all who know him. 



gjg HISTORY OF 'VAY COUNTY. 

LEVI A. HOLMAN. 

Levi A. Holman is a native of Ray county, Missouri, born January 24, 
1843 and has lived in the county all his life except the time he was absent 
in the 1 ite civil war. He enlisted, in the fall of 1862, in company F, 
tenth Missouri cavalry, and served until the close of the war. He partic- 
ipated in the battles of Cherokee Valley, Tupelo, Corinth, Selma and a 
number of others. He was discharged in June, 1865, and returned to his 
home in this county, and resumed his former business of farming and 
stock raising. Mr. Holman was married, December 28, 1865, to Miss 
Mary Teegarden, a native also of this county, born July 31, 1846. The 
issue of this marriage has been six children: Celia C, born April 21, 
1867; Hardy, born March 21, 1869; Fanny B., born November 24, 1871; 
James, born January 9, 1873; Nancy, born December 9, 1878; Julia, born 
December 24, 1880. Mr. Holman and his wife are both members of the 
Christian Union Church, and he is a member also, of the Farmers' Club, 
Mr. Holman is a prosperous farmer and a valuable and leading citizen. 

GEORGE A. GORDON, M. D. 

Was born in Todd county, Kentucky, on the 28th day of October, 
1822. He began the study of medicine in the year 1845, with Dr. Vaugh. 
of Todd county, Kentucky, as his preceptor, and graduated from the 
Louisville Medical College in 1848, with the degree of Doctor of Medi- 
cine. He came to this county in 1850, and has practiced his profession 
with good success here, ever since. Dr. Gordon was married in Ray 
county, Missouri, in 1851, to Miss Martitia Hargrave, by R-ev. D. H. 
McClure. Mrs. Gordon was born in Alamance county, North Carolina, 
in 1830. Three children were born of this marriage: Howard S., born 
August 2, 1852; George A., born May 11, 1861; Mary A., born August 
8, 1863, died August 11, 1864. Dr. Gordon is a member of the Masonic 
fraternity. He is now located at the town of Vibbard, this county, where 
he owns valuable property. His practice is very extensive, and his atten- 
tion is entirely given to it. He is an able and popular physician and lead- 
ing citizen. 

THOMAS A. SLOAN. 

Thomas A. Sloan was born in Bledsoe county, Tennessee, August 28, 
1848. He came, with his parents, to Ray county, Missouri, in the year 
1853, and has had his home here ever since, and has been engaged chiefly 
in farming. Mr. Sloan enlisted. May 2, 1862, in company A, 3d Missouri 
cavalry, Captain Elliott, Colonel King, and General Schofield command- 
ing, and served during the remainder of the war. He was captured by 
General Jo. Shelby's men, at Neosho, Missouri, and taken to Little Rock, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 679 

Arkansas, and paroled. He returned to his regiment, and was subse- 
quently captured by a guerrilla band, under Captain Johnson, but suc- 
ceeded in making his escape, and rejoining his comrades the night follow- 
ing his capture. He participated in the battles of Lone Jack, Springfield, 
Cane Hill, Camden, Little Rock, Ft. Smith, Van Buren, Pilot Knob, and 
others. He was discharged. May 11, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kan- 
sas. Mr. Sloan was married, June 21, 1868, in Ray county, Missouri, to 
Miss Susan M.* McGaugh, by Reverend D. H. McClure. Mrs. Sloan 
was born in Warren county, Missouri, April 15th, 1846. They are the 
parents of three children: Joseph S., born April 15, 1869; William H., 
born July 4, 1871; Frederick H., born July 10, 1874. Mrs. Sloan is a 
member of the M. E. Church South. Mr. Sloan located at Vibbard, Sep- 
tember 1, 1880, and opened a livery stable in that place, which he is at 
present (April, 1881) conducting. He is a very popular gentleman, and a 
useful citizen of Vibbard. 

JOSHUA B. GANT. 

Joshua Butler Gant is a native of Ray county, Missouri, born April 15, 
1848. He was reared on a farm and engaged, after growing up, in farm- 
ing, until the age of twenty-nine years, when he and his brothers entered 
the mercantile business at the town of Vibbard, Ray county. This business 
they have ever since conducted, and now have a flourishing trade besides 
owning the handsome store house in which their stock is kept, and other 
valuable property in Vibbard. Mr. J. B. Gant is a practical experienced 
business man, a good citizen and a valuable member of the community m 
which he lives. 

S. N. CROWLEY. 

Samuel L. Crowley was born in Ray county, Missouri, May 20, 1850. 
He grew up on his father's farm, which was the present site of the town of 
Vibbard, and has spent the greater part of his past life here, engaged for 
the greater time in buying and shipping live stock to market. From 
1873 to 1879 he lived in Vernon county, Missouri, occupied in farming 
and dealing in stock. He returned to Ray county in 1879, and is now 
located at Vibbard, where he owns and operates a large flouring and saw 
mill, and his business is in a highly prosperous condition. Mr. Crowley 
was married in the month of June, 1869, in Vernon county, Missouri, to 
Miss Fannie Hughes, by Rev. W. Ditzler. She was born in Ray county, 
Missouri, May 27, 1851. The issue of this union has been four children: 
James W., born April 9, 1872; Eugene, born January 9, 1874; Robert 
and Frank dead. Mr. Crowley is a member of Harmony Lodge, 
No. 384, A. F. & A. M., and his wife is a member of the Christian Union 
Church. Mr. Crowley is a man of great energy, industry and enterprise 



680 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

in business, and he has, in consequence, been more than ordinarily suc- 
cessful. He is respected and esteemed for his many excellent qualities as 
a man and a citizen, by all who knew him. 

THOMAS H. LILE. 

Thomas H. Lile was born in Warren county, Missouri, January 1, 
1845, and at the age of ten years came with his parents to Ray county, 
and has had his home here ever since. He enlisted in 1861, in company 
B, 3d Missouri regiment of volunteers, but was soon afterward trans- 
ferred to the 6th Missouri, commanded by Colonel Catherwood. He 
served during three years and was discharged at St. Louis, in 1864. He 
participated in the battles ot Springfield, Lone Jack, Pineville and Syca- 
more, Arkansas, besides many skirmishes. Mr. Lile was married in 1871, 
in Ray county, to Miss Mary Meyers, a native of this county, born Sep- 
tember 17, 1847. They became the parents of five children: Matthew 
W., born August 22, 1872; Robert, born January, 1874; Etta May, born 
March 1, 1879; Henry T. and George E. dead. Mr. Lile and wife are 
members of the Christian Union Church, and he is also a member of the 
Farmers' Club. He owns a neat, well cultivated farm, and is very popu- 
lar among his neighbors, the respect of whom he enjoys. 

STEPHEN SAVAGE. 

Stephen Savage v/as born at New-castle-upon-Tyne, England, April 
29, 1842. He came to the United States at the age of twenty years, and 
enlisted in company A, Fifth New York artillery, and rose from the rank 
of a private to that of seeond lieutenant. He was discharged at Har- 
per's Ferry, Virginia, in 1865. He was in the battles of Piedmont, first 
and second Winchester, Snicker's Gap, and others. Was twice wounded. 
After the war he was engaged at the watchmaking trade, in New York 
city, and afterwards in different places in Illinois. He was married 
December 31, 1870, in Illinois, to Miss Anna LaPlaunt, a native of St. 
Joseph, Missouri, born May 16, 1849. They became the parents of four 
children. Mr. Savage and wife are members of the Baptist Church. 
He is now located, engaged at his trade, in Vibbard. 

J. R. HOLMAN. 

James R. Holman was born in Ray county, Missouri, August 15, 1849. 
After finishing the common school course here, our subject attended col- 
lege at Columbia, Missouri, and subsequently took a commercial course 
at St. Louis. Mr. Holman has been dealing in stock during the past 
fifteen years, and is now, perhaps, the largest shipper in the county. He 
owns one thousand acres of land, about four hundred acres in the 
prairie, all fenced, handsomely improved, and stocked with the best 







■^^iftl^'^TSW^' 




HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 681 

breeds of horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. He is one of the most promi- 
nent and successful farmers in Ray county. Mr. Holman was married, 
in 1868, in this county, to Miss Eliza Lanier. The issue of this union 
was one child. Mrs. Holman died in 1872, and our subject was again 
married, March 11, 1874, to Miss Martha Johnson, by Rev. Hardy Hol- 
man. They have one child. Mr. Holman is a member of the Masonic 
fraternity, and a highly respected and influential citizen. 

JOHN KNIGHT. 

Was born in the county of Mayo, Ireland, May 16, 1817. Came to the 
United States in 1840, landing at Baltimore. He settled in the Shenan- 
doah Valley, Virginia, where he lived until 1855, and then removed to 
Boone county, Kentucky. From Kentucky he came to Missouri, in 1857 
or '58, and stopped first in Macon county, where he secured a contract on 
the Hannibal & St. Joe railroad. He worked on the railroad also in 
Platte count^^, and then engaged in building a turnpike road. He came 
to Vibbard, this county, where he now lives, in 1876. Mr. Knight was 
married in Shenandoah county, Virginia, in 1850, to Miss Catharine Jen- 
kins, a native of Shenandoah county, Virginia, born in 1830. They 
became the parents of nine children, six of whom are now living: Mary 
J., born May 16, 1852; Wilham, born December 16, 1853; Ellen, born 
December 26, 1856; Michael and Amanda, twins, born June 4, 1860: 
Annie, born November 11, 1868. 

WILLIAM KNIGHT. 

William Knight was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, December 
16, 1853. He left his native state, when quite young, with his parents, 
and lived for a time in Kentucky, then in Macon and Clinton counties, 
Missouri. He came to Ray county in 1876, and settled at the town of 
Vibbard, where he is now engaged, very successfully, in business. 

JOHN W. TURNER. 

John W. Turner was born in Clay county, Missouri, July 25, 1843, and 
has lived there all his life, except two years, spent at Denver, Colorado. 
He owns a very valuable farm, just across the Ray county line, well 
improved and in a fine state of cultivation, with an abundance of water 
for stock, and a good bearing orchard. This farm is partly in the prairie, 
with just enough timber to afford material for buildings, fences and fuel. 
Mr. Turner is very extensively engaged in buying and shipping cattle, 
hogs and sheep to market. His business extends through the counties of 
Ray, Clay, Clinton and Caldwell. B}' his good management and excel- 
lent judgment, he has made the stock-dealing branch of his business very 
43 



(J82 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V 

profitable and successful. By an accident in the summer of 18(37, Mr. 
Turner had the misfortune to lose his left arm. While carryinor a sharp 
scythe, on a mule, the animal took fright and threw him, cutting his wrist 
so severely on the scythe as to necessitate amputation of the arm below 
the elbow. Mr. Turner*is a leading member of the M. E. Church South,' 
and an honorable, highly respected and influential citizen. 

JAMES T. HURT. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Ray county, Missouri, October 
12, 1849, and has lived here all the time during his past life. He was 
en ('•aged in farming prior to 1870, when he began merchandising at Law- 
son in company with Mr. Robert Clark. In 1876, he bought a store in 
Lisbonville and lived there for four years, at the expiration of which time 
he returned to Lawson, and in the beginning of 1881, entered in partner- 
ship with Mr. Allison, forming the firm of Allison & Hurt, dealers in gen- 
eral merchandise. Mr. Hurt was married December 15, 1874, to Miss 
AUie E. Crithfield, by Rev. W. C. Campbell. Mrs. Hurt was born 
November 22, 1849, in Ray county. The issue of this marriage has been 
three children: Austin, born May 22, 1876; Thomas, born October 21, 
1878: Arthur, died in infancy. Mrs. Hurt died February 10, 1881, deeply 
mourned by her friends and relatives. Mr. Hurt is a member of the M. 
E. Church and also of the Masonic order. 

J. B. TOMPSON. 

Was born in Ra}- county, Missouri, February 4, 1859, and has lived 
there all his life, engaged, since he was old enough to work, in farming. 
Mr. Tompson was married in this county, in 1879, to Miss Susan Glass- 
cock, by Rev. Hardy Holman. Mrs. Tompson was born August 26, 1860, 
in Ray county, Missouri. She is a member of the Christian Union 
Church. Mr. Tompson is a member of the Farmers' Club, and owns a 
neat, pleasant home of ninety-six acres, and is an industrious, rising young 
husbandman, with a promising start in life. 

J. R. BERTEN. 

John R. Berten was born in Caldwell county, Missouri, February 26, 
1857. He is the son of Thomas J. and Celia (Cravens) Berten, who 
were married at Knoxville, this county, in 1843, by Solomon Cravens, J. 
P., and became the parents of a family of eight children, five boys and 
three girls. When John was yet a small boy his parents removed to Ray 
county, Missouri, where he was reared on a farm and has since lived. 
He removed to the town of Lawson, 1873, where he now lives, engaged 
in the livery stable busiuess. At the age of eight years, Mr. Berten had 



HISTORV OF RAY COUNTY. 083 

a severe fever, which left him a permanent cripple. He has a good Eng- 
lish education and is fond of books and study. He is a very popular 
young gentleman and enjoys the esteem of all who know him. 

WILLIAM HANNAS. 

William Hannas was born in Hampshire county, West Virginia, Octo- 
ber 8, 1836, and lived there until the age of twenty-two years, when he 
removed to Green county, Ohio, and remained there five years. He then 
went to Pike county, Illinois, and lived there about the same length of 
time. In 1870, he came to Missouri, and settling in Carroll county, 
remained there until April, 1881, when he came to this county. He has 
been a life-long farmer. He owns two hundred and sixty acres of land, 
principally prairie, well fenced and cultivated, improved with a good resi- 
dence, barn and other buildings and bearing a neat, prosperous appear- 
ance. Mr. Hannas was married in West Virginia, in the year 1859, to 
Miss Mary M. Williams, a native of Hampshire county, Virginia, born 
May 26, 1842. The issue of this marriage has been the following named 
children, viz: Philip W., born September 2, 1800; Edgar, born July 6, 
1864; Mordacai, born February 27, 1866; Mollie, born December 5, 1869; 
Daniel A., born April 27, 1871; Rosa E., born 'September 30, 1874; Mar- 
garet, born October 26, 1870; Virginia, born February 19, 1879. Daniel 
Hannas, the father of our subject, was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, 
in October, 1812, died January, 1875. Jacob Williams, the father of Mrs. 
Hannas, was born in Frederick county, Virginia, January 7, 1792. Mr. 
Hannas is a successful farmer and an active, influential citizen. 

JOSEPH A. SMITH. 

Joseph Addison Smith was born in Guilford county. North Carolina, 
September 23, 1822. His parents removed to Ray county, Missouri, in 
1838, settling within two miles of where Mr. Smith now resides. Here 
our subject lived, occupied with duties on his father's farm, until 1846, 
when he enlisted in company C, 1st Missouri cavalry, under Col. A. W. 
Doniphan, for the war with Mexico. From Leavenworth, Kansas, the 
1st Missouri marched to Santa Fe, and thence across the Rio Grande 
river into Mexico. Mr. Smith served twelve months, and was discharged 
at the old Mexican town of Monterey. He participated in the battles of 
Brazito (near El Paso, New Mexico,) Sacramento, marched to Chihua- 
hua, and thence to Monterey, where he was detailed to the care of the 
sick, and remained while his regiment marched on, to be discharged at 
New Orleans. After the war, Mr. Smith returned to this county, and 
commenced improving a farm on the open prairie, which at that time was 
not settled and hardly thought to be habitable, building a small log cabin 
where his residence now stands. His friends wondered at his going so 



684 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

far away on the prairie, and ridiculed the idea of improving a farm in 
that wild and untried region. But he was not dissuaded from his pur- 
pose, and in time made those lands, that were regarded with so much dis- 
favor then, to "blossom as the rose." But this was not a speedy trans- 
formation. There were long years of labor and cultivation before the 
place assumed its present prosperous and thrifty appearance and condi- 
tion. For years his lone cabin, standing in bold relief on a high ridge, 
served as a guide and a landmark for travelers crossing the prairies. 
Mr. Smith was married in Grundy county, Missouri, December 18, 1849, 
to Miss Catherine Miller, by Reverend William McCameron. Mrs. Smith 
is the daughter of Judge Jesse and Mercy Ann Miller. She was born in 
Franklin county, Ohio, January 12, 1832, and came to Missouri, with her 
parents, at the age of eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have eleven 
children, viz: Joseph C, born October 2, 1851; William W., born 
November 1, 1853; Nora J., born October 23, 1855; James A., born 
November 15, 1857; Victoria, born January 8, 1860; Maggie S., born 
March 16, 1862; Clement L. V., born Au||fet 4, 1864; Stephen D., born 
January 1, 1867; Angle S., born March 20, 1869; David C, born August 
24, 1871; Mary M., born October 16, 1874. Mr. Smith owns 955 acres 
of excellent land, 700 acres of prairie land, enclosed by good, substantial 
fences, and in a high state of cultivation, with a large, thrifty orchard, 
bearing abundantly many of the best varieties of fruit. His residence, a 
large, handsome brick structure, is situated upon a high, rolling plateau, 
commanding a view of the tow^ns of Lawson and Vibbard, with the sur- 
rounding country for miles away. He also has good, roomy, well- 
arranged convenient barns, sheds, and granaries, for the shelter of stock, 
feed, grain, and farming implements. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members 
of the Old School Presbyterian Church, at Lawson. He has been an 
elder and an active, leading member of that church for eighteen years. 
When Mr. Smith first came to this count}^ there was an abundance of 
deer and other game here, and in his youth he was a great hunter, and 
had many interesting experiences in the chase. Joseph A. Smith is one 
of the most highly respected and prominent citizens of the county. 

ROBERT H. FINCH. 

Robert H. Finch was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, January 7, 
1827, and lived there until the age of twenty-two years, when he came to 
Missouri, and settled in Ray county. In 1849 he made a trip to Cali- 
fornia, in quest of gold, but after remaining there during one year, 
returned to this county, and has lived here ever since. Mr. Finch owns 
nine hundred acres of valuable land, six hundred acres in the prairie, 
under fence, well cultivated, with an abundance of pasture land and pure 
water, for the accommodation of stock. His farm is improved with a 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 685 

fine large frame house, good barns, and other buildings, and two large, 
thrifty, bearing orchards. He is engaged extensively in dealing in stock, 
and devotes special attention to breeding and raising only the best varie- 
ties. Mr. Finch was married in this county, December 8, 1856, to Mary 
B. Brown, by Rev. John Walker. Mrs. Finch was born in Warren 
county, Missouri, February 25, 1831, and came with her parents to Ray 
county, in 1835. Mr. Finch and his estimable lady are leading members 
of the Old School Presbyterian Church. He is also a member of Bee- 
Hive lodge, No. 393, A. F. & A. M., and was a charter member when 
the lodge was organized, and received the honorable distinction of being 
elected to the office of W. M. by his brethren. Mr. Finch is one of the 
most prominent and prosperous farmers and stock dealers of this section 
of the country. He is an upright, fair-minded, honorable gentleman, and 
a useful and highl}- respected citizen. 

C. P. WRIGHT. 

Cornelius P. Wright was born in Cumberland county, Kentucky, Jan- 
uary 23, 1833. In 1850 he learned the trade of a house and sign painter, 
in Burksville, Kentuck}-, and has pursued that calling ever since. At the 
age of tw«nty-one years he immigrated to Missouri, and located in Platte 
count}', where he lived, engaged at his trade, during fourteen years. In 
1868 he came to this count}^, and still lives here. He is located in busi- 
ness at Lawson, where he owns a good house and lot. Mr. Wright was 
married May 17, i860, in Platte county, Missouri, to Miss Martha A. 
Shaw, a, native of Cumberland county, Kentucky, born in the year 1843. 
Mr. and Mrs. Wright have five children: Arabella A., born June 24, 
1861; Quintilla J., born October 5, 1864; Lewis G., born August 29, 
1866; Minnie, born December 24, 1872; Elizabeth A., born December 9, 
1874. Mr. and Mrs. Wright, with their three eldest children, are mem- 
bers of the M. E. Church South, and Mr. Wright is also a member of 
Bee-Hive lodge. No. 393, A. F. & A. M., at Lawson, and belongs to 
the organization of Knights of Honor. During the late civil war he 
served about eight months in the 82d regiment of Missouri state militia. 
He has filled the office of justice of the peace, in Platte and this county, 
for fourteen years. Mr. Wright is a good painter, and is doing a fine 
business. 

J. H. RAUM. 

Joseph H. Raum was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, 
November 13, 1820. He was educated and grew to manhood's estate in 
his native county. In 1847, he went to Washington county, Pennsylvania, 
but remaining only three years, returned to Cumberland county, and in 
1868, emigrated to Missouri and settled in Ray county. Mr. Raum owned 



686 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the land upon which the town of Lawson is situated, and its location is due 
to his liberalit}^ in donating land to the railroad company whose line runs 
through the town. Mr. Raum was married in Cumberland county, Penn- 
sylvania, in 1852, to Miss Henrietta Hawk, a native of Franklin county, 
born January 13, 1827. Her parents were Jonathan and Mary Hawk, 
natives of Pennsylvania. The issue of this marriage was five children : 
Clara, born November 13, 1853, now the wife of Emerman; Kansas, born 
October 26, 1856; Lansing, December 23, 1858; Bird, born October 25, 
1865. Mr. Raum and wife are leading members of the Old School Pres- 
byterian Church. He is now proprietor and manager of the Lawson 
hotel, and keeps a good house, which receives the patronage of the travel- 
ng public. 

JOHN CROWLEY. 

John Crowley was born, August 10, 1828, in Cla}- county, Missouri. 
His parents were John and Sarah (Mayo) Crowley. His father was born 
in the state of Alabama, February 2, 1792;. died September 29, 1877. 
His mother was born in Tennessee, October 10, 1797; died September 
10, 1851. His gi-andfather, James Crowley, was a soldier in the war for 
American independence, and was present at the surrender of Gornwallis 
at Yorktown. Berry Crowley (great-grandfather of John) was a 
native of England. He was killed in a battle with the Indians, on the 
Ohio river, in Kentucky, at a very early day. The subject of this sketch 
lived in Clay county, working on his father's farm until the age of twenty- 
six years, when he went to California. He started on this long journey 
from St. Joseph, Missouri, May 4, 1853, in company with his brother, 
Thomas Crowley, and four hired men, to help drive their cattle, and 
spent about four and a half months in a tedious overland trip, arriving in 
California, September 16. After spending about two years in the "Golden 
State," Mr. Crowley took passage on a steamship, at San Francisco, 
February 14, 1855, for the Isthmus, crossed among the first passengers 
on the railroad across Panama, and sailed from Aspinwall to Cuba, and 
thence to New Orleans. From there he came home by river, arriving 
March 31, 1855. In 1856 he removed to this county, and has lived here 
ever since. He owns nine hundred and seventy acres of land, seven hun- 
dred acres in cultivation, well fenced, and in a fine state of productiveness. 
This farm is improved, with one of the handsomest and most conveniently 
arranged dwelling houses in that section of the county, besides barns and 
other buildings. Mr. Crowley is a thoroughly practical and thrifty 
farmer, and the excellent condition of his farm is an evidence of his good 
management and industry. He is largely engaged in dealing in live- 
stock, and devotes much attention to raising the best breeds. Mr. Crow- 
ley was married, in Clinton county, Missouri, February 2, 1858, to Miss 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 687 

Ann Fuller, by Reverend E. M. Martin, of the Methodist Church. Mrs. 
Crowley is the daughter of Andrew and Mary Fuller. She was born in 
Clinton county, Missouri, April 6, 1833. Mr. and Mrs. Crowley are the 
parents of nine children, viz: Charles, born January 15, 1S59; Sallie M., 
October 11,1860; Elizabeth J., September 17,1862; Albert, September 
15, 1864; John C, February 27, 1867; Frank T., October 9, 1869; Ann 
May, January 27, 1872; George W. and Claude C, twins, born Decem- 
ber 20, 1874. Mr. Crowle}^ and his wife are active, prominent mem- 
bers of the M. E. Church South, and he is also a leading member of 
Bee-Hive Lodge, No. 393, A. F. & A. M. He is highly esteemed and 
respected, by all who know him, for his many excellent qualities as a man 
and a citizen. 

JOHN H. GOODMAN. 

John H. Goodman was born December 29, 1837, in Henry county, Vir- 
ginia, and remained at home there until the commencement of the civil 
war. He enlisted in the 10th regiment of Virginia volunteers. Confeder- 
ate army, and was in the battles of Seven Pines, Norfolk, and others. 
After the close of the war, Mr. Goodman emigrated to Missouri, and set- 
tled in Ray county, where he has since resided. He owns a small, neat, 
well cultivated farm, under good fence, and improved, with a comfortable 
dwelling house and other buildings. His principal business is dealing in 
live stock. He is extensively engaged in buying stock in this and adjoin- 
ing counties, which he ships to eastern markets. He is well and favora- 
bly known throughout a wide extent of country, and has the confidence 
and respect, in a large degree, of the people. Mr. Goodman was married 
in Virginia, November 3, 1858, to Miss Sarah F. McDonald. They 
have eight children. Mr. Goodman is a leading member of Bee-Hive 
Lodge, No. 393, A. F. & A. M. 

WILLIAM EARHART. 

William Earhart was born August 25, 1844, in Cambria county, Penn- 
sylvania, and received his education and learned the carpenter's trade 
there. At the age of nineteen years, he emigrated to Missouri, and set- 
tled in Buchanan county, where he worked at his trade during four years, 
and then removed to Lathrop, Clinton countv, Missouri. He remained 
in the business of contractor and builder at Lathrop for six years, and 
then, in 1877, came to Lawson, this county, where he is now engaged in 
the same avocation. Mr. Earhart's business is very prosperous, and he 
keeps six carpenters employed under him to meet the demand for build- 
ing. He was married in Buchanan count}^, in 1866, to Miss Sarah M. 
Guinn, daughter of Peter and Sarah B. Guinn, natives of Kentucky. She 
was born in Buchanan county, Missouri, in July, 1853. They are the 



688 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY, 

parents of three children: Emma A., born July 8, 1871; Lida, born 
December 5, 1875; Jessie, born December 8, 1878. Mr. Earheart and his 
wife are members of the Baptist Church. His popularity as a man and 
his efficiency and ability as a workman, are well attested by the large and 
lucrative patronage he receives. 

JEDEDIAH SMITH. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Guilford county, North Caro- 
lina, in the year 1792. He was married in his native state in 1819, to Miss 
Jane Close, daughter of Joseph and Susan Close, natives of North Carolina. 
Mrs. Smith was born in Guilford county. North Carolina, October 20, 
1802. During the war of 1812, Mr. Smith served in the North Carolina 
militia. He emigrated to Missouri and settled in Ray county in the year 
1838, and engaged in farming and stock raising. Mr. and Mrs. Smith 
became the parents of the following named children: John Calvin, 
Joseph Addison, Susan Ann, William Washington and Margaret E. J. 
Mr. Smith was an elder in the O. S. Presbyterian Church for many 
years. He died in September, 1869. He was a highly respected citizen, 
and a devout and active Christian. Mrs. Smith is yet Hving on the old 
homestead. 

W. W. SMITH. 

William W. Smith was born May 5, 1827, in Guilford county, North 
Carolina. He is the son of Jedediah and Jane (Close) Smith, natives of 
North Carolina. In 1838 WiUiam, in company with his parents, removed 
to Ray county, Missouri, and settled near where he now resides. In 
184.5 our subject returned to Tennessee, and finished his education at 
Mount Pleasant College, Murray county, after which he came back to 
this county, and in 1850, went, with a party of neighboring young men* 
to California. They made the trip with mule teams, and were on the 
road from the 10th of April until the 6th day of July, following. They 
mined awhile, and kept a provision store for a time, and withal made it 
pay pretty well. After staying in California one year, Mr. Smith sailed 
from San Francisco by way of the Isthmus of Panama find New Orleans, 
for home, which he reached in the spring of 1851, and has lived here ever 
since, engaged in trading, farming and stock raising. He owns two 
thousand acres of excellent land, the greater part of which is in cultiva- 
tion. He has one thousand acres in the home place, which is hand- 
somely improved by a fine, large dwelling house of fourteen rooms, well 
furnished and comfortably and conveniently arranged. He also has good 
barns and other buildings, for the accommodation of stock and the shel- 
ter of the products of his broad and fertile acres. His is one of the 
largest, best appointed and valuable farms in Ray county. Mr. Smith 




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HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 689 

was married in this county, Ma}^ 5, 1857, to Miss Sallie E. Miles, daugh- 
ter of John N. and Margaret Miles, natives of Kentucky. She was born 
in Lawrenceburg, Anderson county, Kentucky, October 3, 1839. They 
became the parents of nine children, viz.: Thomas *C., born April 17, 
1858; Emma A., born November 24, 1859; Margaret J., born April 13, 
1862; Robert A. L., born January 24, 1864; Miles W., born March 18, 
1866; Susan K., born March 30, 1868; Annie J., born March 24, 1870; 
Sarah E., born August 17, 1872; Ella, born January 16, 1875. Mr. 
Smith and his wife are leading members of the Old School Presbyterian 
Church, and he also belongs to the Masonic fraternity, (Bee-Hive Lodge 
No. 393.) He has always been the friend of education and religion, an 
active supporter of schools and churches, a public spirited and valuable 
citizen, and his dealing and intercourse with his fellow men have always 
been characterized by just and honorable deportment, and he enjoys the 
confidence, respect and esteem of all. 

W. J. HURT. 

William J. Hurt was born in Surrey county, North Carolina, June 22, 
1821. He came to Missouri at the age of twenty-one years, and after 
living in Buchanan county for four years, came to Ray county, and set- 
tled upon the farm he now owns and occupies, section nineteen, township 
fifty-three, range twenty-nine. He owns two hundred and eighty acres 
of good land, one hundred and fifty acres in cultivation, has a good house 
and orchard, and is very conveniently and comfortably situated. Mr. 
Hurt was married in Clay county, Missouri, in 1846, to Miss Mary Crow- 
ley, by Rev. George Hufiaker. Mrs. Hurt is the daughter of John and 
Sarah Crowley, natives of Tennessee. She was born April 4, 1825. 
They have ten children, living, viz.: John W., James T., Riley F., 
Sarah, Christopher C, Jackson, Alice J., Lavorasl}^ Daniel and Ella. 
Mr. Hurt is a member of the Christian Union Church. He is a prac- 
tical, successful farmer and stock raiser, and a respected and useful 
citizen. 

W L. WATKINS. 

The subject of this sketch was born and raised in Woodford county, 
Kentucky. He came to Missouri and settled in Clay county, more than 
fifty years ago, first establishing a cotton spinning mill there, and subse- 
quently putting in additional machinery for the manufacture of woolen 
fabrics, which business he pursued in the city of Liberty for a number of 
years, and then removed to his present location, just upon the dividing 
line of Ray and Clay counties. Here he erected a large, spacious, three 
story brick building, and equipped it with the best improved and modern 
machinery, for the manufacture of woolen goods. In addition to being a 



(\C)() HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

complete and thoroughly furnished woolen mill, it has also a custom flour 
and grist department, which turns out a superior grade of flour and 
meal. Several years ago our subject took his son, John H., into partner- 
ship with him in business, and their enterprises are now conducted under 
thefirmname of W. L.Watkins & Son. The junior partner is a thoroughly 
competent, active and experienced business man and has, of late years, 
chiefly managed and conducted the business of the firm. Messrs. W. L. 
Watkins & Son keep from twenty-five to thirty operatives, male and 
female, employed, and produce an excellent quality of goods, such as 
blankets, jeans, flannels, cassimeres and a full line of all goods produced 
by a first-class factory. Their goods are of unexcelled quality, and find 
a ready sale in the markets of the large cities of our own and neighboring 
states, and are in good demand in the towns of northwest Missouri. In 
addition to their manufacturing business, the Messrs. Watkins own 3,600 
acres of valuable land, the greatest part of which is farming land, 
improved, with a handsome, commodious brick dwelling, large substantial 
barns and other buildings. They are also largely engaged in raising fine 
stock, making a specialty of Short-horn cattle and Berkshire hogs. 
Messrs. Watkins & Son have always been active and efficient in the aid 
of educational and religious institutions, and have done a good work for 
the advancement of the business interests of their section of the county. 
Their social and business lives have always been free from an}- reproach- 
ful or dishonorable act, and they enjoy the esteem and respect of a large 
circle of valuable and influential friends. 

M. B. CUMMINS. 

Madison B. Cummins was born near Greensborough, Guilford county, 
North Carolina, October 18, 1827, and received his education there. He 
came to Ray county, Missouri, when seventeen years of age. In 1850, 
he went, with the hope of bettering his fortunes, to the gold mines 
•of the new west. After spending ten years in California, he returned 
to this county, but remaining only a short time, went again to California, 
and remained there until after the close of the civil war. He then 
returned and settled here, permanently. He owns a good farm of six 
hundred and fifty-six acres, about two hundred and sixty acres under 
tence, and improved with a comfortable dwelling house and other build- 
ings. He is engaged in raising stock, and handles only the best breeds. 
His business is in a very prosperous and thriving condition. Mr. Cum- 
mins was married in this county, March 19, 1867, to Miss Margaret E. J. 
Smith, daughter of Jedediah and Jane Smith. She was born in Guilford 
county. North Carolina, September 5, 1830. They have one child. Lulu 
S. j., born November 19, 1808. Mr. Cummins and his wife are consistent. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 091 

worthy members of the Old School Presbyterian Church. He is an 
accommodating neighbor, a charitable man, and a highly respected and 
valuable member of the community. 

JOHN H. MELLON. 

John H. Mellon is a native and lifelong resident of Ray county, Mis- 
souri. He was born October 17, 1851. He began the business of a 
dealer in live stock, in 1873, and has continued it, on a larger scale each 
year, ever since. He devotes his entire attention closely to his calling, 
and is one of the best as well as the largest stock traders in Ray county. 
In a pecuniary point of view his operations are very successful. He was 
married first, in 1877, in this county, to Miss Eliza J. Thompson. She 
was born September 1, 1845. Mrs. Mellon lived but a few months after 
her marriage, dying April 21, 1878, and the subject of this sketch was 
again married, in the month of March, 1879, to Miss Rebecca A. Wind- 
sor. She was born September 15, 1858. The issue of this marriage has 
been one child, James F., born March 11, 1880. Mr. Mellon is a useful 
citizen, and has won the respect of all with whom he deals, by his candor, 
honesty of purpose, and gentlemanly conduct. 

W. M. McGAUGH. 

Willliam M. McGaugh was born August 21, 1834, in Ray county, 
Missouri. He learned the blacksmithing trade in 1851, and after travel- 
ing about and working, at that calling in various places, he settled at 
the thriving town of Vibbard, this county, in the year 1876, and has since 
pursued his trade at that place. In April, 1881, he built a new shop and 
is doing a good business. Mr. McGaugh owns several good houses and 
lots in Vibbard. He was married in Carroll county, Missouri, in April, 
1867, to Miss Bett}^ M. Grider, daughter of Samuel and Mary Grider, 
natives of Kentucky. Three children have been born to them, viz: 
Walter Lee, born October 23, 1868; Mollie Belle, born August 17, 1869, 
died in September, 1880; and Ella, died in infancy. Mr. McGaugh is a 
member of Harmony Lodge, No. 384, A. F. & h.. M. He is a good 
workman, a temperate, industrious man, and a valuable member of the 
community in which he lives. 

MOSES HESS. 

The subject of *this sketch was born in Lafayette county, Missouri, 
June 25, 1842. He is the son of Joseph and Margaret Hess, natives of 
the state of Kentucky. At the age of seventeen years he enlisted in com- 
pany B, 3d regiment of Missouri volunteers, and was engaged in the 
battles of Springfield, Neosho, Newtonia, Pineville, Cane Hill and Little 
Rock. He was discharged in 1865, and soon after came to this county, 



692 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

and has since resided here. Mr. Hess was married to Miss Sarah Atkins, 
in October, 1866. They became the parents of five children, three of 
whom are now living: William, George and Charles. Mrs. Hess died 
May 31, 1875, and our subject was again married March 12, 1876, to 
Miss Mary Sharp, daughter of Aaron and Martha Sharp. She was born 
in the year 1856. The issue of this union has been four children, onh^ two 
of whom, Martha and Cora, are now living. Mr. Hess is an industrious 
man of good, steady habits, and a good citizen. 

THOMAS CROWLEY. 

Thomas Crowley was born in the month of September, 1830, in Clay 
count}', Missouri, and was reared there on a farm. In 1853, he went 
with a drove of cattle to the state of California, and remained there about 
two 3-ears, returning March 31, 1855. He came to this county and settled 
on the farm he now owns and occupies, in 1857. He owns a fine farm of 
five hundred and fort\'^-two acres, five hundred acres of which are under 
good fence, and the greater part in cultivation. He has a comfortable, 
well arranged dwelling house", and a fine bearing orchard. Mr. Crowley 
was married in this county, in the month of October, 1857, to Miss Susan 
Nelson, by Rev. Hardy Holman. She is the daughter of Joshua and 
Henrietta Nelson, natives of Alabama, and was born in this county, Decem- 
ber 20, 1839. Mr. and Mrs. Crowley became the parents of the follow- 
ing named children: Fanny, born November 14, 1858; John, born May 
7, 1862; Robert, January — , 1864; Kate, born January — , 1866; Mollie, 
born January — , 1868; Thomas P., born January 12, 1873; Susan M., 
born February — , 1875; Cappy, born June 25, 1877; James H., born 
November 9, 1880; John died October 13, 1864, and one in infancy. Mr. 
Crowley is a member of the M. E. Church South, and an active supporter 
of religion. He is a very prosperous farmer and stock-raiser, and a pub- 
lic spirited and influential citizen. 

JOHN CLEAVENGER. 

John Cleavenger was born in the state of Virginia, July 2, 1798. He is 
the son of Richard and Sarah (Wood) Cleavenger. His father was a 
native of New Jersey, and his mother of Shenandoah county, Virginia. 
His parents removed to Cocke county, Tennessee, when he was a small 
boy, and there he grew up, working on his father's farm until 1819, when 
he left Tennessee and came to Missouri. Mr. Cleavenger was one of a 
party who made the trip by river, in a keel-boat which they constructed 
themselves in Tennessee before leaving. When they reached the mouth 
of Fishing river, while ascending the Missouri, the}' steered their boat 
into the smaller river, and after ascending it about six miles landed, and 
settling there, made their homes thenceforth in this county. All kinds of 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 693 

game was abundant, and their chief occupation at first was hunting, but 
in a few years they cleared land, improved farms, and settled down to a 
quiet life of farming. Mr. Cleavenger was first married in 1817, to Eliza- 
beth Hensley, of Virginia. The issue of this marriage was one child: 
Mary, born September 8, 1819. Mrs. Cleavenger soon after died, and he 
was again married in 1823, to Miss Margaret Wills, daughter of James 
Wills, an early settler of Ray county. She was born in Rutherford county, 
Tennessee, January 1, 1801. They became the parents of eleven children, 
four of whom are now living: Lily A., born] February — , 1828; Sarah, 
born March 5, 1831; Margaret, born June 21, 1833; Richard, born Octo- 
ber 28, 1836. From 1830 to 1832, Mr. Cleavenger was sherifl' of Ray 
county, and in 1856, was elected to represent the county in the general 
assembly. The duties of his office he discharged with credit to himself 
and to the satisfaction of the people. He has been a member of the Old 
School Baptist Church for more than sixty years. His wife is a Presby- 
terian. He is one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of Ray 
county. 

JOHN R. STARKEY. 

John R. Starkey was born in Mason county, Kentucky, August 26, 
1832. At the age of six years he came with his parents to Ray county, 
and has lived here ever since, engaged, after he grew up, in farm- 
ing. He was married in this county, to Miss Margaret Cleavenger, 
daughter of Mr. John Cleavenger. They have one child, Jeremiah R., 
born April 26, 1871. Levi Starkey, father of our subject, was born in the 
state of Pennsylvania, in 1804, died in 1863. Mary D., the mother of 
John R. Starkey, was born in Virginia in 1805, and is yet living in Carroll 
county, Missouri. Both Mr. Starkey and his estimable lady are members 
of the Baptist Church, and he is also a member of the Masonic lodge at 
Richmond. He is an industrious, enterprising farmer, a highly respected 
man and valuable citizen. 

W. A. HUNTSMAN. 

W. A. Huntsman was born in Chickasaw county, Mississippi, Septem- 
ber 12, 1842. He received his education and grew up there. Early in 
life he learned the trade of a painter, and has since pursued that avocation. 
He came to this county, first, in 1870, and remained here about five years, 
when he went to Linn county, Missouri, and worked at his trade there, 
until April 1880, when he returned to Ray county, and located at the 
town of Lawson, where he is now engaged at his trade. Mr. Huntsman 
enlisted, June, 1861, in company F, seventh Mississippi cavalry and served 
throughout the war in the C. S. A. He was with General Lee at 
Appomattox, and laid down his gun there, April 9, 1865. During the 



g94 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

war he was in the battles of Fredericksburcr, the Wilderness, Sharpsburg, 
Gettysburg, Petersburg and Chancellorsville, besides many others. Mr. 
Huntsman was married in Clinton county, Missouri, in May, 1875, to Miss 
Moliie J. Easton, by Rev. Mr. Searcy. Mrs. Huntsman was born in Clay 
county, Missouri, April 17, 1854. Mr. Huntsman is a worthy member 
of the" order of Good Templars. He is an excellent workman in all the 
difierent branches of his trade, and has a large and lucrative patronage. 
He is a generous, charitable, fair minded, honorable gentleman, and 
enjoys the confidence and respect of the community in which he lives. 

CHAS. B. BACON, M. D. 

Charles B. Bacon was born in the town of Spencer, Tioga county. New 
York, March 24, 1829. Began his medical studies in 1849, in the office of 
Doctor G. H. Preston, where he continued until 1853, and leftoflto teach 
school awhile in order to supply himself with the necessary funds for the 
further prosecution of his studies. In 1855 he went with Doctor Preston 
to Brantford, Canada, and practiced medicine there until 1859, when he 
attended, at Rochester, New York, a branch of the Cincinnati Eclectic 
Medical College. Then, in consequence of the failure of his health, he 
went to the mountain regions of Colorado and to Denver and Golden City. 
He came to Ray county in the fall of the same year, and has Hved here 
ever since, engaged in the practice of medicine, farming and dealing in 
live stock. Doctor Bacon owns a fine well improved farm of two hundred 
acres, in section twenty-eight, township fifty-four, range twenty-nine. He 
is in a very prosperous condition and is highly esteemed by the good peo- 
ple among whom he lives and practices. Doctor Bacon has never been 
married. 

J.M. STOCKWELL. 

James M. Stockwell was born in Chenango county, New York, May 
13, 1834, and at the age of six years, left there with his parents, George 
W. and Elsie I. Stockwell, and removed to Ohio. His father was born 
in Massachusetts in 1788, and died August 14, 1863. His mother was 
born in Massachusetts, in 1798, and died in 1865. The family remained 
in Ohio during three years and then removed to Ray county, Missouri, 
and settled upon a farm near where our subject now resides. Mr. Stock- 
well hved in this county until the year 1849, and then taking the tide of 
immigration at its flood, went to seek his fortunes in the gold fields of 
CaUfornia. After a journey of great hardship, privation and suffering, he 
reached the land of gold, and remained there for two years, and then 
returned to Ray county. He made a subsequent trip to California, and 
was absent from here, about the same length of time as upon the former 
trip. Mr. Stockwell was married May 3, 1856, in Ray county, to Miss 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY, 6<_)5 

May E. Bisbee, who was born May 27, 1834, in Ohio, and came to Mis- 
souri in 1838. They became the parents of five children : Rosina A., born 
February 5th, 1857, now the wife of John Buchanan; Arza, born Novem- 
ber 3, 1859; lola E., born November 14, 1865, now the wife of E. Boyd; 
David P., born 1867, died when a child; Harry W,, born June 3, 1872. 
Mrs. Stockwell's father, Arza Bisbee, was born in the state of New York, 
December 25, 1807, and died in 1867. Her mother, Harriet M. Bisbee, 
was born April 21, 1816, and died May 18, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Stock- 
well are both members of the Christian Church. He owns a farm of five 
hundred and fifteen acres of excellent farming lands in a fine state of cul- 
tivation and well improved. He is a practical successful farmer, and a 
respected member of the community. 

JESSE T. ROBERTS. 

Jesse T. Roberts was born in Madison county, Kentucky, December 9, 
1839. He is the son of A. J. and Eliza Roberts. His father was born in 
Madison county, Kentucky, January 10, 1814, and is now living in Clay 
county, Missouri. His mother was born in Boone count}', Missouri, in 
the year 1820. Our subject remained in his native county until 1863, and 
then removed to Hendricks county, Indiana, and was there engaged in 
farming until October 1, 1868, when he came to Ray county, this state, 
and bought the farm he now lives upon. Mr. Roberts was married in Gar- 
rard county, Kentucky, in the year 1863, to Miss Mary C. Wiley, daugh- 
ter of Harvey and Ruth A. Wiley, natives of Kentucky. She was born in 
Garrard county, Kentucky, September 1, 1842. They have five children: 
William L., born July 2, 1865; Martha E., born March 21, 1867; Nora 
A., born July 12, 1869; James A., born February 15, 1874; Charles H., 
October 24, 1877. Mrs. Roberts' father, Harvey Wile}^ was born in 
Garrard county, Kentucky, February 12, 1809, and is yet living in the 
same county. Her mother was born in Madison countv, Kentucky, May 
1, 1812, and is also yet living. Mr. Roberts and wife are leading mem- 
bers of the Christian Church, and he is also a member of Bee-Hive Lodge 
No. 393, A. F. & A. M., at Lawson. 

JOHN E. LINVILL. 

Is the son of Thomas and Martha Linvill, and was born in Ray 
county, Missouri, February 10, 1845. He was educated in the schools of 
this county, and remained at home with his father, working on the farm, 
and dealing in stock, until he was twenty-five years of age. Mr. Linvill 
was married on the 24th of March, 1870, to Miss Kate Grimes, the 
daughter of Major John and Nancy Grimes. She was born in the state 
of Tennessee, June 21, 1847. The issue of this marriage has been one 
child: Thomas G., born June 29, 1872, in this county. Soon after his 



(596 HISTORY OP' RAV COUNTY. 

marriage, Mr. Linvill settled on a farm near Knoxville, and after remain- 
ing there for some time, removed to another place in the same vicinity, 
where he lived until 1879, when he purchased and located upon his pres- 
ent farm (section thirty-three, township fifty-four, range twentj^-eight). 
He owns about one thousand acres of land, all of which is enclosed by 
good fence, except about one hundred and fifty acres. The farm is hand- 
somely and finely improved, well watered and stocked with the best 
varieties of live stock. Mr. Linvill is a leading, successful and prosper- 
ous farmer and stock-raiser, and a highly respected citizen. 

LEVI MORRIS. 

Levi Morris was born in Kanawha county, Virginia, August .3, 1835. 
He came with his parents to Missouri, and settled in this county, in 1839. 
His father died when he was sixteen years of age, and, being the oldest 
son, it devolved upon him to assist his mother in managing the farm 
and providing for the rest of the family. In 1877, the youngest heir 
having attained his majority, the estate was divided, and his mother and 
our subject have continued to live upon the homestead, their combined 
shares of the estate. January 9, 1873, Mr. Morris married Miss Nancy 
C. Grimes, daughter of Joseph C. and Julia Grimes. She was born in 
Ray county, Missouri, January 11, 1853. They became the parents of 
four children, all of whom are now living: Lulu G., born November 9, 
1873; Minnie C, born September 29,1875; Gracie E., born September 
11, 1877; Joseph B. F., born May 1, 1880. In 1859 Mr. Morris went to 
California, where he was engaged, with very fair success, in mining for 
about four years, after which he went to Idaho, and spent some time in 
mining there. While out west, he went into British America, and 
remained during one summer. He returned home to Ray county in 1872, 
and has lived here ever since. Mrs. Amanda J. Morris, the mother of 
our subject, was born in Clark county, Ohio, October 5, 1812. Her 
parents, John and Sarah Hamilton, both died when she was \'^ery young, 
and she was taken to Virginia and reared by her grandparents, who lived 
in that state. September 29, 1829, she was marrried to Mr. Benjamin 
Morris. The issue of this union was eight children, seven of whom are 
yet living: Octavia N., born September 11, 1830; Sarah M., born Janu- 
ary 3, 1838; Mary J., born October 13, 1840; Benjamin F., born April 
21, 1843; James W., born April 1, 1848; John B., born October 1, 1851, 
and Levi, our subject. Mrs. Morris is living now on the old homestead, 
section 26, township 54, range 28. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 697 

JOHN MILSTEAD. 

Is a native of Ray county, Missouri, and was born July 4, 1836. His 
father, John, Sr., was born in Virginia, February 18, 1786. His mother 
was a native of North Carohna. His parents had a family of nine children 
of whom he was the youngest. The family came to Ray county from 
Virginia, three years before our subject was born, and settled on the same 
place upon which he now resides, section fourteen, township fifty-four, 
range twenty-eight. John Milstead, Sr., owned several other farms, in 
different parts of the county, which he divided among his children. He 
died May 1, 1872. His wife died in August, 1865. Our subject is an 
industrious, prosperous, and successful farmer and stock-raiser, and is 
highly regarded and respected among his large circle of friends and 
acquaintances. He is a valuable addition to the community in which he 
lives, and an active worker for the development of the material resources 
of his native county of Ray. 

CLAYTON TIFFIN, M. D. 

Clayton Tiffin was born February 12, 1837, in Ross county, Ohio. At 
the age of five years he came with his father. Dr. John C. Tiffin, to 
Knoxville, Ray county, Missouri, where he has ever since resided. He 
attended school at Knoxville, till he was thirteen years of age, when his 
father sent him to Frankfort, Ross county, Ohio, to -attend school. He 
was entered a student at the old Frankfort Seminary. On leaving school 
he resolved to make a physician of himself, and commenced studying 
with his father, and pursued his studies under the latter's instruction, till 
he went to St. Louis, Missouri, to attend medical lectures, and at that 
time he was placed under charge of Dr. L. P. Perry, his uncle, a promi- 
nent physician of St. Louis. Dr. Perry was a graduate of the Virginia 
University, and left that institution with the highest honors. Dr. Tiffin 
graduated at the St. Louis Medical College, receiving the degree of M, 
D., and returned home and entered upon the practice of his profession 
with his father. After graduating Dr. Tiffin spent one winter in attend- 
ing lectures and hospital at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia; 
and also one winter at the Bellevue Medical College and hospital of dhy- 
sicians and surgeons. New York. He visited the medical colleges at San 
Francisco, and while there formed the acquaintance of Dr. J. S. Potts, a 
prominent physician of San Jose, California, and agreed to take a trip 
with him to Europe, in order to acquire a more thorough knowledge in 
the general practice of medicine aud surgery, as well as of the different 
specialties. They met in New York in September, 1880, and having 
obtained letters of introduction to prominent physicians and surgeons 
in Europe, embarked for that country. They visited London, Paris, 
44 



698 HISTORY OF RAY COUNri. 

Vienna, Berlin, Edinburg and Dublin. Dr. Tiffin spent most of his time 
in London and Paris, but attended the medical colleges and lectures in all 
the other cities mentioned, including that of Prof. Billroth, Vienna; of 
Prof. Longenbeche, Berlin, and of Dr. Brown-Sequard, Paris. While in 
London he purchased the finest set of surgical instruments that could be 
found, and also instruments for special diseases, at a cost in the aggregate 
of over $800. There is not a medical institution, hospital or infirmary, of 
any considerable importance in Europe, that he did not visit. In 1861 Dr. 
Tiffin enlisted in the enrolled Missouri militia, and the following year was 
made captain of his compan3^ He did active and efficient service in Ray and 
other counties of northwest Missouri. In 1865, by order of Governor 
Fletcher, he recruited an independent company for purposes of defense 
against bushwhackers and other lawless, marauding bands. In the 
engagement at Glasgow, Howard county, he was captured by the enemy, 
but was exchanged after a short time. October 6, 1865, Dr. Tiffin was 
married to Miss Julia A. Larrison. They have one child living: Alexis 
F., born December 28, 1871. Dr. Tiffin is one of the leading physicians 
of Ray county, and perhaps no man in the state has been at greater 
pains or expense to gain a thorough kn<.)wledge of his profession in all its 
branches. He has an extensive practice and is a genial, hospitable gen- 
tleman. 

HENRY ZEISENESS. 

This gentleman was born in Hanover, Germany, on the 22d day of 
May, 1825. In his youth he received the advantages of the excellent 
schools of his native land, and acquired a good education. Prior to leav- 
ing Germany he was engaged in the business of weaving. He came to 
America in the year 1849, landing at New Orleans, where he remained 
for about one year. From New Orleans he came to St. Charles, Mis- 
souri, and there worked on a railroad for a time, and then at farming. 
After remaining in and around St. Charles for about a year, he went back 
to New Orleans, but staid only a short time, and then went to McLean 
county, Illinois. Worked on a railroad there, for a short time, and then 
returned again to New Orleans. Went back again to Illinois and lived 
there until 1856, when he came to Missouri, and, after stopping tempo- 
rarily in Caldwell county, settled in 1857 upon his present place (section 
two, township fifty-four, range twenty-seven,) in Ray county. He owns 
four hundred acres of very fine land, well fenced and watered, improved 
with comfortable and substantial buildings, and stocked with the best 
varieties of live stock. Mr. Zeiseness was married on the 22d of Novem- 
ber, 1852, to Miss Magdalena, Deger. She bore the following named 
children: Conrad L., born March 14, 1855; Mary F., born February 25, 
1857; Joseph A., born June 8, 1860. Mrs. Zeiseness died September 22, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY, 699 

1864, and Mr. Zeiseness was afterwards married to Mrs. Mary Mohn, 
also a native of German}-, and born November 30, 1838. She came to 
America in 1855. Her father, Nicholas Emerich, (now living with her) 
was born in Germany in 1805. She became the mother of four children 
by her first marriage, two of whom are now dead. The issue of Mr. 
Zeiseness' second marriage was three children: Mary M., born October 
14, 1867; Henry and Martin L., twins, born May 5, 1869. Mr. Zeiseness 
was on the Union side, and enrolled among the state militia, during the 
late war. He speaks and reads both the German and English languages. 
He is a valuable citizen, and a successful, prosperous farmer. 

JOSEPH D. CRAVEN. 
Joseph D. Craven was born in Davison county, North Carolina, on the 
4th day of August, 1822. His parents, Thompson and Mary Craven, 
had a family of twelve children. At the age of four years he was taken 
by his parents to Randolph county, and lived there until 1854, working, 
after he grew up, at carpentering and farming. He then went to Potta- 
wattamie county, near Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he lived until 1870, 
and then came to Ray county, Missouri, and has lived here ever since, 
engaged in farming. (Section twenty-two, township fifty-four, range 
twenty-seven). He enlisted in the Union army while living in Iowa, in 
the autumn of 1864, company B, 17th Iowa infantry, commanded by 
Colonel Newcomb. The first battle in which our subject engaged was 
at Nashville, Tennessee. He was discharged from the army in the spring 
of 1865, and returned home in the month of August of the same year. 
Mr. Craven was married on the 14th of July, 1844, to Miss Bethenia 
Arledge. She was born in Randolph county, North Carolina, on the 16th 
day of August, 1821. The issue of this union was ten children, six of 
whom are now living: Jessie T., born October 16, 1847; Sarah J., born 
July 18, 1850; Elkana, born February 4, 1856; Amelia S., born October 
6, 1858; Elcym, born August 18, 1860; Charles J., born January 18, 1864. 
Mr. Craven is an elder of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and has 
been presiding elder of the Missouri conference since 1872. 

ALBERT P. ALSPAUGH. 

Was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 18th of October, 1857. 
His parents removed with him to Adams county, Illinois, in the year 
1861, and lived there for six years. Then went to Iowa for a time, and 
thence to Kansas. Came to Ray county, Missouri, and settled on a farm 
in section three, township fifty-four, range twenty-seven. Here our sub- 
ject engaged in farming, until the beginning of 1881, when himself and 
an elder brother established a general merchandise country store, under 
the firm name of Alspaugh Bros. They are very popular young men, 
and are doing a brisk trade. 



700 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 



SAMUEL H. STEPHENSON. 



The subject of this sketch was born in Todd county, Kentucky, Sep- 
tember 15, 1826. His parents, James and Catherine Stephenson, removed 
with him in his infancy, to Greene county, lUinois, where they lived during 
two years. They then came to Ray county, Missouri, and settled upon 
the same farm upon which our subject now resides, section one, township 
fifty-four, range twenty-seven. This was in 1833 or 1834. James 
Stephenson died in a few years after coming to this county. His wife 
died in 1862. During the civil war our subject belonged to the enrolled 
militia of the state. He was engaged in the skirmish at Albany, in this 
county. He was discharged from the militia in 1865. Mr. Stephen- 
son was married on the 27th day of March, 1857, to Miss Hily C. Claw- 
son. She was born in North Carolina, April 24, 1833. She came to this 
county with her parents, Eli and Dicey Clawson, in 1842. They settled 
near Knoxville. Her father died July 17, 1852, aged forty-six years. Her 
mother died in the same year, at the age of fifty-three years. One child, 
Parthenia C, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson, on the 8th day of 
May, 1852. She was reared on the old homestead, and, on the 12th of 
April, 1868, was married to Henry Blevins. He was a native of Ray 
county, Missouri, born August 2, 1846. He enlisted September 9, 1864, 
in the Union army, under Captain William D. Fortune, of General Smith's 
command. He participated in the battles of Franklin, Tennessee, and 
Spanish Fort, Alabama. He was disabled by disease after the last men- 
tioned fight. Received his discharge from service August 15, 1865. Mr. 
and Mrs. Blevins had one child. Flora Grant, born September 5, 1869; 
died December 13, 1872. Rosetta Mulligan, an orphan niece, born in this 
county, in December, 1867, lives with the family. 

JOHN SWITZER. 

John Switzer is a native of Lincoln county, Ohio. He was born on the 
9th day of November, 1806. His parents were Jacob and Sophia Swit- 
zer. He received his education in his native county, and remained there, 
with his parents, until 1814. The family then removed to Richland county, 
Ohio. Our subject lived there, engaged in farming, until 1839, when he 
came to Ray county, Missouri, and, buying land, settled one and a half 
miles west of the village of Millville, and lived there during eleven 3^ears. 
He then sold his farm and moved to his present location, section four, 
township fifty-four, range twenty-seven, where he has ever since resided. 
Here he owns three hundred and seventy-eight acres of rich land, all in 
cultivation but about twenty -five acres of timber land, well improved and 
watered. He has a fine orchard of two hundred and forty trees. Mr. 
Switzer was married on the 14th of February, 1828, to Miss Elizabeth 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 701 

Alexander. She was born in Belmont county, Ohio, on the 16th of Janu- 
ary, 1809. Her parents were Peter and Jane Alexander. Mr. and Mrs. 
Switzer became the parents of ten children. Their names and date 
birth follow: Samuel C, born March 12, 1830; Matthew A., born August 
14, 1831; Andrew J., born August 22, 1833; Peter A., born December 10, 
1835 ; Mary J., born March 27, 1838 ; Jacob J., born October 8, 1840 ; John F., 
born December 17, 1844; James R., born June 2, 1846; George A., born 
March 2, 1848; Marion B , born July 7, 1850. The five eldest were born 
in Ohio, the others in Ray county, Missouri. The son, George A., now 
has chnrge of the homestead. Mr. Switzer is is a member of the M. E. 
Church. 

JACKSON WALTERS. 

Was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, December 29, 1834. He was edu- 
cated in the public schools of his native county, and at the age of eighteen 
\'ears commenced working on his own account. He hired as farm laborer 
at first, but by economical and saving habits was enabled to purchase land. 
He came to Ray county, Missouri, and now owns about fifty-five acres of 
excellent farming land, well fenced and improved, with convenient and 
comfortable buildings. This land is situated in section eight, township 
fifty-four, range twenty-seven. Mr. Walters was married on the 1st day 
of July, 1860, to Miss Annie M. Slough. She was born February 17, 
1841, in Franklin count}-, Ohio. Her parents were Frederick and Mary 
Slough. Mr. and Mrs. Walters became the parents of ten children, six 
of whom are now living: Their names with dates of birth are: Charles 
W., born May 2, 1861; Tallman E., born January 26, 1863; Delbert T., 
born September 30, 1866; Albert M., born October 31, 1871; Thomas E., 
born September 5, 1876; Olen O., born April 5, 1880. The father of our 
subject, Nimrod Walters, died in 1869, aged 59 years. His mother, Mar- 
garet, is yet living in this county at the age of sixty-five years. Mr. Wal- 
ters has made his wa}- up to the position of a successful farmer by his 
own unaided efforts. He is highly regarded by his neighbors and friends. 

JOHN TAIT. 

Is a native of Scotland. He was born in Kirkintiloch, December 18, 
1826. He attended school there, and worked with his father at the 
business of weaving until he was thirteen years of age, and then immi- 
grated to America. He stopped first in Saratoga county. New York, 
and was employed in a woolen factory there for about three years, then 
went to Canada West and was engaged in the same business there. In 
Kent county, Canada, he learned the milling business. He remained in 
Canada until the year 1866, and then, coming to Missouri, stopped for one 
year in Caldwell county. In 1867 he came to his present location, Taits- 



702 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ville, in Ray county. In connection with his brother James, he purchased 
the Taitsville Mills, and has since been engaged there very successfully, in 
conducting a flouring and grist mill. Mr. Tait was married on the 7th of 
November, 1850, to Miss Ann E. Simpson. She is a native of Brock- 
ville, Canada, and was born March 11, 1835. Her parents were Thomas 
and Mary Simpson. Eight children have been born to Mr. Tait and wife, 
named as follows: James T., born June 16, 1852; Thomas H., born April 
5, 1865; William G., born June 30, 1858; Maccay D., November 9, 1861; 
Mary D., born October 30, 1865; Ann E., born July 1, 1869; Beulah, born 
September 29, 1873; Daniel J., born July 4, 1877. Thomas H., was mar- 
ried in 1877 to Miss Margaret Berbee. She died August 3, 1880, leaving 
one child, Lula M., born June 17, 1878. Mr. Tait's father, James, is yet 
living in Canada at the age of eighty-four years. His mother, Mary, died 
in 1835, aged thirty-nine years. 

HENRY W. SATER. 

Was born on the 30th day of September, 1830, in Baltimore county, 
Maryland. His parents were John and Catherine Sater. He was edu- 
cated in Maryland, and remained at home, engaged in carpentering, until 
he was twenty-four years of age. He began to learn the millwrighting 
business at the age of twenty years. Mr. Sater was married, December 
20, 1855, to Miss Mary A. Rony. She was born in Lebanon county, 
Pennsylvania, December 14, 1835. Her parents were John and Jane 
Rony. Thirteen children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sater, seven boys 
and six girls. Ten of them are now living: Catherine J., born Septem- 
ber 14, 1856; Ruth A., born October 20, 1857; Sarah V., born November 5, 
1860; Thomas G., born August 20, 1863; William S., born August 10, 1865; 
Margaret E., born October 14, 1867; Henry N., born February 9, 1870; 
Mary E., born February 27, 1872; Alexander, born Februrary 1, 1874; Mar- 
tha C, March 3, 1876. Mr. Sater remained in Maryland, working at his 
trade until 1867, when he came to Ray county, Missouri, and settled on 
the Wakanda river. Here he remained about a year, and then removed 
to a place on Mud creek; after living there about the same length of time 
he went to Carroll county, and remained for a year. He removed to his 
present farm (section thirteen, township 55, range 27), in Ray county, 
in 1875. Here he owns a model stock-farm, of two hundred and fifty 
acres, two hundred and twenty acres of which are in a fine state of culti- 
vation. His farm is watered by fine springs of pure, unfailing water. 
Mr. Sater enlisted, September 13, 1861, in company F, Pernell legion, 
Maryland volunteers, and served fourteen months in the Union army. He 
was discharged in November, 1862, on acccount of physical disability for 
militarv service. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 



703 



MARTIN COFFMAN. 

Martin Coffman was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 12th day of 
September 1830. He is the son of John and Susan Coftman. He 
received his education in Fairfield county, and remained at home 
with his parents until he attained his majority. In 1854, he 
leased a woolen factory in his native county, and conducted that busi- 
ness until 185T. He then engaged in farming for a while, after which, in 
connection with his brother Jesse H., he bought a steam saw mill and 
operated it for about three years. He then leased the same factory again, 
V hich he previously had, and conducted the business, in partnership with 
oihcr gentlemen, for about two years. He then built a factory of his own, 
and operated it for the space of three years, when he sold it to Mr. 
Randall, and returned to the factory he originally leased, and managed 
it until 1871, when he went to Franklin county, Ohio, and rented a 
woolen factory there. At the end of two years he quit this business, and 
went to farming again. He came to Ray county, Missouri, in 1877, and 
the next year occupied his present farm (section 13, township 54, range 
27), and has lived there ever since. On the 19th day of May, 1853, Mr. 
Coflman was married to Miss Mary L. Markwood. She was born, on 
the 9th dav of January, 1833, in Frederick county, Virginia. Her parents 
were David and Eliz'ahelri Markv/ood. Mr. and Mrs. ColTman became 
the parents of seven children, named as follows: Sylvester F., born 
November 15, 1854, (died March 27, 1859); Seymour F., born October 
10, 1856; Charles M., born September 30, 1858; John D., born March 
30, 1861; Ulvsses G., born June 16, 1863; Jacob L., born August 16, 1865; 
Xenia B., born November 15, 1871. Mr. Cofthian and three of his family 
are members of the Church of United Brethren. 

N. L. POST. 
Nelson L. Post was born in Windom, Canada, June 12, 1833. His 
parents were Reuben and Ruth Post. When he was quite young they 
removed with him to Cleveland, Ohio, and lived there about two years. 
From Cleveland they went to Coshocton county, Ohio, and there his 
father worked on a canal for some time. He was educated in Ohio, and 
after he grew up, worked for various farmers of that state until he went 
to Michigan, where he continued working at farming for about two years. 
He then worked on a boat, running between Alleghany and Sandusky, 
for three years. After this he was first mate of a vessel trading in grain 
between Chicago, BuflTalo and Oswego. He then served an appren- 
ticeship to the wagon making trade, at Austin, Michigan. He remained 
there about two years. He then engaged at the ship carpentering trade. 
Afterwards returned to Ohio, and was engineer for a period ot time, in a 



704 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Steam saw mill, in Ashtabula county. Mr. Post was married on the 4th of 
July, 1854, to Miss Susan E. Moray. The issue of this marriage was 
one child, Edwin A., born August 5, 1855. Mrs. Post died in 1857, and 
October 2, 1859, Mr. Post was married to Miss Margaret Lucas. They 
became the parents of six children, all of whom are now living. Their 
names with dates of birth follow : Robert H., born June 1 5, 1861 ; Nelson H., 
born May 25,1867; Jacob A., born March 18,1869; Alice M.,born March 

7, 1871; Lydia W., born March 17, 1873; Alexander L., born October 

8, 1876. The second Mrs. Post died on the 29th of October, 1876, and 
Mr. Post was again married May 24, 1877, to Miss Amanda M. Hat- 
field. She was born in Ra}^ county, Missouri, March 2, 1846. She has 
borne Mr. Post two children: Samuel J., born August 28, 1878, died 
September 20, 1878; Mary B., born December 17, 1880. After his first 
marriage Mr. Post continued in the saw mill business, in Ohio for a time, 
and then engaged in the Chicago and Green Ba}' lumber trade. In 1854 
he went to Clinton, Iowa, and remained there farming, until 1861. He 
enlisted in the Union army August 17, 1861, company E, Thirteenth reg- 
ment, Iowa volunteers. He was engaged in the battles of Shiloh, 
Corinth, Vicksburg, Jackson, Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta, and was 
with General Sherman on his celebrated " march to the sea." He held 
position of sergeant. Was discharged July 28, 1865, and at once 
returned to his home in Iowa. He engaged in wagon making, for a 
short time, and then came to Ray county, Missouri, and located upon his 
present farm, where he has lived ever since. 

MOSES RITTER. 

Son of William and Margaret Ritter,.was born in Claibourne county, 
Tennessee, on the 10th of October, 1818. He remained at home with 
his parents in his native county until he was twenty-four years of age, 
and then commenced farming on his own account. He came to Ray 
county, Missouri, in 1843, and located upon his present place, section fif- 
teen, township fifty-four, range twenty-seven. He was married first in 
1840, to Miss Rhoda Carr. They had one child, Mary Ann, born in 
May, 1843, and now Mrs. Wild. Mrs. Ritter died in 1843, and Mr. Rit- 
ter was married the second time in 1845, to Miss Catherine Hammitt. 
She died the same year, and he was again married August 12, 1842, to 
Miss Martha A. E. Fowler. The issue of this union was five children: 
Plina F., born August 12, 1853; James P., born March 6, 1855; Martha 
E., born January 14, 1857; Moses A., born June 4, 1859; William F., 
born June 21, 1868. The third Mrs. Ritter is a native of Bedford county, 
Tennessee. Her parents were Samuel and Sarah Fowler. She was 
born January 24, 1833, and came with her parents to this county at the 
age of twenty-seven years. Mr. Ritter owns a fine farm of 358 acres, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 705 

150 acres in a high state of cuhivation. This place is well improved and 
watered. Mr. Ritter is a prosperous farmer, and well regarded by his 
neighbors. 

MAJOR JOHN GRIMES. 

John Grimes was born in Campbell county, East Tennessee, on the 19th 
day of December, 1818. His father, George Grimes, was of Irish 
extraction. He died about the year 1846. His mother, Nancy, was of 
German descent. She died in 1863. Our subject was educated in his 
native county, and lived there with his parents until about twenty years of 
age. He came to Ray county, Missouri, first in the year 1837, and 
engaged in farming here for two years. He then returned to Tennessee, 
and entered the southern stock trade, in which business he continued for 
three years. He then bought a tannery, and operated it for the space of 
ten years, alter which he dealt in dry goods until 1859, when he returned 
to Ray county, Missouri, and engaged in merchandising at Knoxville, in 
which business he has ever since continued. Major Grimes was married 
June 4, 1843, to Miss Nancy T. Kincaide. She was born in Campbell 
county. East Tennessee, February 26, 1818. Her parents were Thomas 
and Martha Kincaide, both dead. Major and Mrs. Grimes became the 
parents of five children; four of them are still living: Martha J., born 
July 14, 1845, married to W. R. Withers in 1867, has one child, John C; 
Nancy C, born June 21, 1847, married in 1870, to John Linville, has one 
child, Thomas G.; Louisa E., born June 10, 1849, married in 1870 to D. 
D. Gant, has two children, Mary Y. and Robert C. ; John K., born Sep- 
tember 29, 1854, is a practicing physician at Polo, Caldwell county, Mis- 
souri. In 1862, Mr. Grimes was elected captain of company G, state 
militia, and when the regiment to which his company was assigned was 
organized, he was promoted to the position of major, and served durirvg 
the war. He and Major Cox commanded the Union forces in the fight 
at Albany, in this county. Major Grimes represented this county in the 
general assembly in 1864. He owns lands in sections 25, 26, 27, 34, 35, 
township 54, range 28, and in section 32, township 54, range 27, 1,100 
acres in all. He has given each of his children 220 acres. His home- 
stead is handsomely improved, and is one of the best farms in that 
section of the countr}-. 

J. D. GANT, M. D. 

Dr. J. D. Gant is the son of James and Mary Gant; he was born on the 
17th day of June, 1822, in Orange county, North Carolina. Attended the 
schools of his native county, and lived thereuntil 1837, when he came to 
Ray county, Missouri, with his parents, and settled on a farm about seven 
miles northwest of Richmond. He worked on the farm until he was 
twenty-two years of age, and then began the study of medicine. Entered 



706 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the St. Louis Medical College in 1849, and after attending three courses 
of lectures, graduated from that institution, receiving his diploma in 1854. 
He returned to this county in the month of July, 1854, and locating at 
Knoxville, commenced the practice of his profession, which he has ever 
since continued there. About three years ago he established a drug store 
and has since conducted that business in connection with his practice. 
Dr. Gant was married to Miss Sarah A. Creason, on the 10th day of 
May, 1855. She is the daughter of Goodwin and Sarah Creason, and 
was born in this county, October 31, 1837. She has borne Dr. Gant five 
children, four of whom are yet living. Their names, with dates of birth 
are: Marietta, born October 7, 1857, died March 12, 1871; Carrie F., 
born September 13, 1859; Ida F., born January 25, 1861; William F., 
born May 12, 1863; Samuel G.,born May 9, 1866. Dr. Gant owns more 
than one thousand acres of land, about eight hundred and forty acres of 
which are in a fine state of cultivation, well improved, with handsome, 
commodious residence, good barns, and other buildings. The farm is 
well watered, and has a good, thrifty bearing orchard of about six acres. 
The doctor is also engaged largely in raising and feeding live stock, of 
which he handles only the best varieties. He is a leading member of the 
order of A. F. & A. M. Mrs. Gant is a member of the M. E. Church 
South. Dr. Gant keeps abreast with the progress of his profession, and 
in his practice is universally popular and very successful. 

W. P. BURGESS. 

William P. Burgess is a native of Ray county, Missouri. He was born 
October 31, 1840. Received his education in the district schools, and 
remained at home, working on the farm, until he attained his majority. 
His father, William G. Burgess, was a native of Tennessee. He came to 
this county in the year 1839, and died here, October 3, 1858. Our sub- 
ject enlisted in the Federal army February 3, 1862, company D, 6th Mis- 
souri cavalry, commanded by General Catherwood. Re-enlisted on the 
27th of February, 1864. He was in no regular battles, but was engaged 
in several skirmishes. He received his discharge from the service Janu- 
ary 11, 1866, and returned to his home in this county. Mr. Burgess is liv- 
ing on the old homestead with his mother. The farm (section twenty- 
seven, township tifty-four, range twenty-eight), comprises eighty acres of 
land, all in cultivation, and improved with comfortable and convenient 
buildings. Mr. Burgess is engaged, to a considerable extent, in raising 
good breeds of live stock. The farm is well adapted to that business. 
He has a fine, thrifty orchard of one hundred and fift}^ trees, of good vari- 
eties of fruit. His mother, Mrs. Sarah Burgess, was born February 2T, 
1810. She is living with her son on the old homestead.. Mr. Burgess is 
a thrifty, enterprising farmer, and a good citizen. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 707 



ADRIAN GORDAN. 



Adrian Gordan is the son of J. D. and Emily B. Gordan. He was born 
in Ray county, Missouri, on the 9th day of November, 1850. He was 
educated in the schools of this county, and lived on the farm with his 
parents until he was twent}^ years of age. In 1870 he went to Lisbon- 
ville and was engaged there in seUing goods for about seven years. After 
the death of his father, which occurred in the month of March, 1877, he 
returned home and took, the management and control of the farm. He 
has lived there ever since. Mr. Gordon was married March 7, 1872, to 
Miss Celesta P. Tiffin. She is the daughter of John and Elizabeth Tiffin, 
and was born March 3d, 1853, in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Gordan 
became the parents of three children, two of whom are living: Grace T., 
born January 13, 1876; Eva L., born March 12, 1878. Their first child, 
Beatrice, died October 23, 1874. The homestead of the Gordan family, 
section sixteen, township fifty-four, range twenty-eight, comprises six- 
hundred and thirt3'-five acres of excellent land. It is well improved, and 
in a fine state of cultivation, with good orchards and an abundance of pure 
water. Our subject's mother, Mrs. Emily B. Gordan, is a native of Mont- 
gomery county, Kentucky. She was born February 1, 1818. She came 
to Missouri in LS30, and stopped with her parents during the two years 
in Caldwell county, and then came to this county. She was married to 
the father of our subject, January- 10, 1838. They became the parents of 
six children, only two of whom are now living: Talitha, born October 15, 
1841, and our subject. Mrs. Gordan, since the death of her husband, has 
continued to live on the old homstead with. her son Adrian, who is a rising 
young farmer, and a valuable and excellent citizen. 

D. T. MAYES. 

David T. Ma3^es, a prominent farmer and stock dealer, was born in Ray 
county, Missouri, on the same farm upon which he now resides, March 2, 
1845. He is the son of Wiley and Susan Mayes. His father was born in 
the year 1800, and came to this county in 1832, he was one of the first set- 
tlers in that part of the county, where his son now resides. Our subject 
laid the foundation of his education in the district schools, and afterwards 
attended the academy at Knoxville. The further prosecution of his studies 
at school, was interrupted by the civil war, but possessing strong natural 
talent, and an ardent desire for knowledge, he has devoted himself ever 
since to the study of standard books upon a variety of subjects, and reads 
regularly the current literature of the day. September 17, 1864, Mr. Mayes 
enlisted in company G, 51st regiment of state militia. Union, and was 
engaged in several skirmishes. The winter following his enrollment he 
went to Nebraska with stock and did not return until after the restoration of 



708 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY 

peace, in 1865. David T. May's was married December 2, 1875, to Mrs. 
Margaret A. Saunders, widow of Thomas Saunders and daughter of James 
and Rachel Noel. She was born in Jackson county, Missouri, February 
13, 1851. She is the mother of two children by her first marriage: 
George E., born December 16, 1870, and James W., born September 10, 
1872. Mr. and Mrs. Mayes are the parents of one child, Susan R., born 
August 12, 1877. Mr. Mayes owns a fine farm of four hundred acres of 
excellent land, all inclosed by good fences, improved with a handsome, 
comfortable and commodious residence, conveniently arranged, and sub- 
stantial barns, sheds and other buildings. This place is well watered and 
admirably adapted to the purposes of a stock farm. Mr. Mayes devotes 
particular attention to the raising of fine stock, making a specialty of the 
best breeds of hogs and sheep. In politics Mr. Mayes has always been a 
Jeftersonian democrat. He takes much interest in politics, and keeps well 
informed concerning events in the political world, especially those of his 
own state and county. He is connected with the Ray County Immigra- 
tion Society, and thoroughly awake to the superior natural advantages his 
native county offers to the intelligent and industrious emigrant. Having 
always lived here he is identified with the county's progress, and feels a 
deep interest in the further development of her material wealth and resour- 
ces in the future. 

WINFIELD MILLER. 

The subject of this article was born near Richmond, Ray county, Mis- 
souri, September 22, 1853. His father, Felix Miller, was also born in 
this county. The date of his birth was November 10, 1822. Our sub- 
ject's grandfather, James Miller, a native of Virginia, came to Ray 
county, from Tennessee, at an early day. He was of Scotch-Irish descent. 
Winfield's mother, Sophronia, was born, June 10, 1821:, in Tennessee. 
She came, with her father, to this county, at the age of fifteen years. 
Winfield Miller, after completing the course in the district school at Rich- 
mond, attended a private school, kept by Prof. S. J. Huftaker, for three 
years. In the fall of 3872 he entered Central College, at Fayette, How- 
ard county, Missouri. He completed the course of study in that institu- 
tion, and graduated with the degree of A. B. At the age of nineteen 
years, Mr. Miller engaged in mercantile business; first, for three years at 
Richmond, and then, in the spring of 1877, moved to Knoxville, wMiere he 
has since resided, and conducted a general merchandise store, in company 
with Mr. Gant. Winfield Miller was married, January 5, 1875, to Miss 
Mary C. Stone, daughter of Doctor J. E. Stone. She was born in Knox- 
ville, Ray county, Missouri, November 14, 1854. Her father was born in 
this county, in 1822; died November 29, 1857. Her mother, Mary A., 
was born in Virginia, January 17, 1822, and came to Ray county in 1845. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 709 

Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller: Felix E., born 
October 20, 1875, and William W., born September 11, 1880. In the fall 
of 1875, Mr. Miller was appointed deputy sheriff under J. C. Brown. He 
also served in the same capacity under Thomas McGinnis, until January, 
1881. He discharged the duties of that office very efficiently, and to the 
entire satisfaction of the people. He has also held other offices of trust in 
his township. Although comparatively young, Mr. Miller is a practical 
business man, and has built up a substantial and flourishing trade at Knox- 
ville. He is highly esteemed and very popular with all his large circle of 
friends. 

JOHN C. TIFFIN, M. D. 

Doctor John C. Tiffin was born in Cass county, Ohio, January 20, 1813. 
He is the son of Doctor Clayton and Catherine Tiffin. He remained in 
Ohio, attending school, until he was seventeen years of age, and then, 
going to St. Louis, Missouri, pursued the study of his chosen profession, 
medicine, for three years, under the instruction of his father and Doctor 
White. In 1835 he entered the Cincinnati Medical College, and after- 
ward graduated from that school with the degree of M. D. After leaving 
college he practiced his profession in Clinton county, Ohio, for three 
years, and then, coming to Missouri, practiced in Clinton county for a 
short time, and then, in 18-i2, cam.e to Ray county and established himself 
permanently where he now resides. Here he has had a very extensive 
and eminently successful practice. He was the first regular graduate of 
medicine to settle in that part of the county, and, in making his rounds 
while visiting patients, he has rode more, perhaps, than any other physi- 
cian in this section of the country. Doctor Tiffin was married on the 
12th day of November, 1835, to Miss Margaret Carder. Three children 
were born of this marriage, two of whom are now living: Clayton, born 
February 12, 1837, in Frankfort, Ohio (also a physician), and Edward P., 
born November 24, 1838. Mrs. Tiffin died in the month of September, 
1842, and on the 23d day of April, 1843, Doctor Tiffin was married to 
Miss Elizabeth H. Whitsett. The issue of this marriage was five chil- 
dren, all but one of whom are yet living: John, born March 15, 1844; 
(he, too, is a physician); Mary E., born March 28, 1848; William W. 
(physician), January 12, 1850; Celesta P., born March 3, 1853. Two 
sons were in the FederaJ army during the war, and one, Clayton, was cap- 
tain of a company. Doctor Tiffin owns about seven hundred acres of 
land. He has a handsomely appointed home, where, having retired from 
active practice, he will spend the evening of his life in comfort and ease. 
Perhaps no other professional man in the county has enjoyed the confi- 
dence, esteem, and respect of the people of Ray county in a larger degree 
or for a longer time than Doctor John C. Tiffin. 



710 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

THOMAS SHIMMIN. 

Is an Englishman. He was born in the town of Peel, on the Isle of 
Man, November 18, 1811. He attended school there, and at the age of 
fourteen years commenced learning the blacksmith's trade, under his 
father, Thomas Shimmin, Sr. Before leaving Great Britain for America, 
he traveled through many parts of England and Scotland. At the age of 
twenty-four years he immigrated to the United States, landing at Phila- 
delphia, April 13, 1836. He engaged in blacksmithing and carriage 
making in that city for about two years. February 5, 1838, he enlisted 
in the dragoon service of the United States. Went from Philadelphia to 
New York, thence to New Orleans, and from there to the Indian Terri- 
tory, then to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He was blacksmith of com- 
pany E. Received his discharge February 5, 1841, and then came to 
Ray county, and stopped for a while at Camden, on the river. He then 
went to Knoxville, this count}^, and remained for a time. In 1869, he went 
to California, but only remained about a year, coming back again to 
Knoxville, w^here he has lived ever since working at his trade. Mr. 
Shimmin has one son, John Henry, born March 30, 1867. Our subject is 
an excellent workman, and controls a large and profitable patronage. 

MAJOR W. P. WITHERS. 

William P. Withers is the son of Peter and Evelina A. (Price) Withers. 
He was born in Jessamine county, Kentucky, on the 27th day of Septem- 
ber, 1819. The family are of English origin; their ancestors settled in 
Fauquier county, Virginia, at an early day. Their chief occupation has 
always been farming. In religion they were Baptists, and in politics 
whigs, until the dissolution of that body, since which time they have been 
divided in political sentiment. In 1832 our subject removed with his 
parents to McLean count}^, Illinois. Here his parents both died, his 
mother in 1848, and his father in 1850, at the age of eighty years. His 
father served as a soldier in the early Indian wars, under General Wayne, 
" Mad Anthony of the West." William P. Withers was married to Miss 
Mary E. Coles, in November, 1843. She was a native of Hartford, 
Indiana, born in 1825. The}' have had eleven children, only five of whom 
are now living: George A., Henry C, Nellie, Ned, Allen W. Mrs. 
Withers died July 17, 1863, and Mr. Withers was married again October 
22, 1867, to Miss Mattie J. Grimes, daughter of Major John Grimes. She 
was born July 18, 1845, in Campbell count}', Tennessee. One child was 
born of this marriage, John G., born October 30, 1868, in Hamilton, Cald- 
well county, Missouri. In 1843 Mr. Withers removed to Howard county, 
Missouri, and conducted a hemp factory there for about two years. He 
then returned to Illinois, and remained there until 1850, when he went to 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 711 

the state of California, and engaged in stock-raising near Stockton for 
about a year, returning to Illinois by sailing vessel via Panama and New 
York. He continued, after his return, farming in Illinois until 1858, when 
he was elected sheriff of McLean county, and discharged the duties of 
that office for a term of two years, under Judge David Davis. In June, 
1861, he raised a company of volunteers, and went into camp at Spring- 
field, Illinois. He afterward received a commission as captain of com- 
pany C, 5th Illinois cavalry, and in the month of February, 1862, left 
Springfield for the battle-ground. He was engaged in battles of Doni- 
phan, Missouri; Helena, and Vicksburg, Mississippi; besides many others. 
He was discharged November 2, 1864, and returned home. Soon after 
going home he was commissioned as major of the same regiment in 
which he had formerly served, but before he joined the command the war 
ended. During the time he was in the army he served under Generals 
Curtis, Prentice, Washburn, Logan, Sherman, and Grant. Mr. Withers 
removed to Caldwell county, Missouri, and engaged there, for a time, in 
farming, and then entered the hardware and agricultural implement trade 
at Hamilton, but was soon compelled to abandon it on account of ill 
health, and came to Ray county in 1869, and settled upon his present 
place (section 35, township 54, range 28), and has lived there ever since. 
He owns 230 acres of land, the greater portion of which is in cultivation 
and well improved. He has been a member of the Missionar}- Baptist 
Church since he was seventeen years old. He is also a member of Royal 
Arch Chapter A. F. & A. M. In politics, Mr. Withers has always been 
a republican. He was a member of the earliest conventions of that party, 
and has always taken a prominent part in local politics. He was person- 
ally acquainted with President Lincoln, and heard him deliver his first 
campaign speech. 

WILLIAM KELMEL. 

Was born in Baden, Germany, on the first day of November, 1830. 
He came with his parents to the United States in 1831, landing at New 
York. They went to Zainesville, Ohio, and remained there about 
three years; then removed to another part of the state, and lived four 
years longer there. At the expiration of that time they removed to Jer- 
sey county, Illinois, and remained there during about six years. Came to 
Missouri in the year 1853, and stopping in Caldwell county, lived there 
until 1865, when our subject came to Ray county, and settled upon his 
present farm, where he has lived ever since. He owns two hundred and 
ninety-seven acres of good, rich land, in a fine state of cultivation, well 
watered and well improved. He is also engaged, to a considerable extent 
in raising and feeding good breeds of live stock. Mr. Kelmel was mar- 
ried on the 5th day of February, 1860, to Miss Martha Holman. They 



712 HISTORY or RAY COUNTY. 

became the parents of two children: David, born December 15, 1860; 
WilHam L., born October 7, 1864. Mrs. Kelmel was born June 7, 1841, 
in Ray county, Missouri. She died on the 7th of August, 1871, and 
Mr. Kelmel was married again February 14, 1872, to Miss Sallie Thomp- 
son. She was born in this county on the 25th of April, 1846. Mr. Kel- 
mel is an industrious, thrifty, successful farmer, and a valuable citizen. 

]OHN CLARK. 

This gentleman was born in Henry county, Virginia, on the 25th day 
of September, 1804. His parents were William and Keziah Clark. He 
was educated in his native state and remained there working at farming 
until he was twenty-four years of age, when he went to Tennessee and 
lived in that state, during twenty years, engaged in farming. In 1850 he 
removed to Howard county, Indiana, and lived there until he came to Ray 
county, Missouri in, 1855. He settled then upon his present place. Mr. 
Clark was married on the 22d of April, 1828, to Miss Henrietta Clark, 
also a native of Henry county, Virginia. They became the parents of 
thirteen children, eight boys and live girls. Thomas, son of John and 
Henrietta Clark, was born in Campbell county, Tennessee, in the month 
of April, 1844. He removed with his parents from Tennessee to Indiana, 
and from that state came with them to Ray county, in 1855. Here he 
lived, attending school and working on his father's farm until the out- 
breaking of the late civil war. He enlisted February 8, 1862, in company 
D, 6th Missouri cavalry. Captain S. E. Turner; Colonel Catherwood. He 
was engaged in several skirmishes, but no regular battles. He was in 
Kansas and Arkansas. Discharged March 21, 1865. He at once 
returned to this count}-, and has lived here ever since. Mr. Thomas 
Clark was married on the 26th day of July, 1866, to Miss Margaret 
Higgs, daughter of John and Rebecca Higgs. The issue of this union 
was one child: Viola, born Mav 27, 1S67, in Ray count}'^, Missouri. 

THOMAS LINVILL. 

Thomas Linvill was born in Campbell county, Tennessee, September 9, 
1805. His parents were Aaron and Rebecca Linvill. They removed 
when Thomas was very young to Howard county, Missouri, and located 
in " Sugar-tree bottom." There they remained for some time, then came 
to Ray county. Our subject located on his present farm at the age of 
twenty-four years, and has lived there ever since, during more than half 
a century. He owns five hundred acres of land, section twelve, township 
lifty-four, range twenty-eight, well improved and in an excellent condition 
of cultivation, well watered and stocked. About the first of December, 
1834, Mr. Linvill was married to Miss Martha A. Stone, a native of 
Kentucky, born October 13, 1818. Her parents were John and Sallie 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 713 

Stone. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Linvill, tive of whom 
are yet living: James A., born December 25, 1842; John E., born Feb- 
ruary 10, 1846; Bessie A., born June 21, 1865; Eliza A., born February 
15, 1836; Sallie A., born May 12, 1838. Mr. Linvill was engaged in the 
local war against the Mormons, and was one of the part}^ that captured 
Joseph Smith, the Mormon leader. Mr. Linvill was much annoyed by 
the local strife during the civil war, and lost heavily of his property. He 
has, however, entirely recuperated his losses, and is in a very prosperous 
condition. He is a leading farmer and an influential and prominent citizen. 

MRS. HARRIET McVEY. 

Mrs. McVey is the daughter of Jesse and Eleanor Brady, and was born 
December 21, 1828, in Richland county, Ohio. She came with her parents 
to Ray county, Missouri, at the age of nine years. They settled first near 
Millville, then lived for a time in the vicinity of Knoxville, and removed to 
the present place of residence in the year 1852. Our subject was first 
married in the month of Februar}'^, 1852, to Mr. Oliver P. Creason. Thev 
became the parents of one child, Emma, born January 9, 1853, in Ray 
county, Missouri. — Miss Emma Creason, after finishing the course in the 
district schools, attended Professor Huflaker's select school at Richmond 
during two terms. After leaving this academy she engaged in teaching, 
in which profession she has been deservedly popular and successful. She 
has taught in both this and Caldwell^ counties. She is the owner of one 
hundred and forty acres of land, sections one and two, township fifty-four, 
range twenty-eight, well improved and in cultivation.— Her husband hav- 
ing died some years previous, our subject was again married on the 3d 
day of April, 1860, to Mr. Alexander McVey. The issue of this marriage 
was three children. Their names with date of birth as follows: Mary E., 
born February 4, 1861; Perry A., December 21, 1867; James B., May 22, 
1869. Mr. McVey died at the age of thirty-seven years, and Mrs. McVey 
has since remained a widow. She owns one hundred and eighty acres of 
good land, about one hundred and forty acres of which are in cultivation 
nicely improved with neat comfortable and convenient buildings, n-ood 
orchard and an abundance of pure water. Mrs. McVey is taking great 
care and pains to properly rear and educate her children. 

JOSEPH GOSSAGE. 

Was born in Bedford county, Tennessee, on the 7th day of July, 1834. 
His father, William B. Gossage, and his grandfather, Daniel Gossage, 
were natives of the state of Maryland. His grandfather was one of General 
Washington's soldiers, in the war of the revolution. His father emigrated 
from Maryland to Tennessee, about the year 1820, and married the 
45 



714 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

mother of our subject, who was Miss Mary Hendrickson, after settling in 
the latter state. Mr. Gossage's ancestors, on the maternal side, were 
from the state of North Carolina. Soon after the birth of Joseph, his 
father moved from Bedford to Blount county, Tennessee, and, after living 
there for fifteen years, to Campbell county in East Tennessee. Here 
Joseph remained until he was twenty-six years of age, and then came to 
Ray county, Missouri. He spent the first year after coming in school- 
teaching near the town of Knoxville, and then the civil war came, and he 
enrolled in company — , Captain Grimes, and joined the state militia. He 
subsequently served under both Captains Whitmer and Tiffin. He did 
good service in defense of the Union his grand father had shed his blood 
to found and make free. Mr. Gossage was married, on the 5th of March, 
1863, to Miss Fannie Nance, daughter of Bird Nance, Esq., of Richmond. 
Four children, three sons and one daughter, were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Gossage. The oldest and youngest sons are dead, the other two children, 
Ella and Joseph, are living with their parents. After the war, Mr. Gos- 
sage farmed for about a year, in Ray county, and then, going to Clay 
count}- ran a stage line between Liberty and Weston. He conducted this 
business for three years, and then went to farming again, in Ray county, 
and continued so doing until 1873, when he was appointed, by the county 
court, superintendent of the county poor farm. This institution he man- 
aged very efficiently and successfully until 1881, when he declined to be 
re-appointed. He then moved to a farm, which he had bought, near 
Swanwick, on the St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific 
Railroad. Both Mr. Gossage and his estimable lady are members of the 
Missionary Baptist Church at Richmond. Mr. Gossage has a neat, com- 
fortable home, and is prospering well in business. He is a respected and 
valuable citizen of Richmond township. 

CLEASON ROBERTSON. 

This gentleman was born in Sevier county. East Tennessee, on the 28th 
day of May, 1834. His father was a farmer and the son was required to 
work, as soon as large enough, upon the farm, and his advantages for secu- 
ring education were not very favorable. His father removed to Missouri in 
the year 1838. Our subject remained at home, working on the farm, 
until he was about fourteen years of age, when he began to hire out as a 
farm laborer, and make a living for himself. During the rest of the time 
until his majority, young Robertson lived in Caldwell county, Missouri, 
though his father remained in Ray county. At the age of twenty-three 
he was married to Miss Susannah McGhee, daughter of Mr. Samuel 
McGhee, of Caldwell county. The date of this union was September 6, 
1857. They became the parents of three children, two sons and one 
daughter. The daughter died in Nevada. The sons, William C, and 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 715 

George Nelson, are still living with their father. At his marriage, his 
father-in-law gave Mr. Robertson one hundred and thirty acres of land, 
which he speedily improved, and made a comfortable home. This farm 
was situated about twelve miles south-west of Kingston, in Caldwell 
county, Missouri. He subsequently traded farms several times succes- 
sively, moving each time to a new place, but a short distance from his 
former one. Finally, in 1863, he sold the one he then possessed, and went 
to California, reaching that state in August, 1863. He traveled overland, 
with mule teams, taking his family with him. He remained but one 
winter in California, and then leturned to the mines of Dayton, Nevada, 
where he staid for about eight years. During a part of that time he was 
engaged in mining, and then he began the business of a wood merchant, 
w^hich was very profitable, and Mr. Robertson made considerable money. 
He came back to Missouri in 1872, and located in Ray county. Here he 
was engaged in speculating and trading for about two years. At the 
expiration of that time he moved upon a farm which he had purchased 
upon his return from California, about seven and a half miles northwest 
of Richmond. This farm, including subsequent purchases, comprises six 
hundred acres of most excellent land, well improved. Mr. Robertson 
gives his attention chiefly to grain-raising and the feeding of stock. In 
the year 1848 he went from Kansas City, Missouri, to old Mexico, the 
trip at that time requiring four months' time. He made a similar trip in 
1852, freighting goods. Mr. Robertson, his wife, and son George, are 
members of the Christian Union Church, which worships at Pleasant 
Valley Chapel. He is also a member of the Masonic lodge, at Knox- 
ville. Cleason Robertson has had a varied experience in life, and has 
seen much of different parts of the country. He has been very successful 
in business, considering the disadvantages and obstacles he has had to 
overcome. He is, to-day, a successful farmer, and a useful citizen of the 
grand old county of Ra}'. 

REV. WILLIAM MULLIN. 

Was born in the state of Tennessee, on the 24th day of February, 1818. 
His father was poor, and could not give his son such an education as he 
desired. The whole family removed from Tennessee to Missouri, while 
William was yet a boy, and in the schools of the latter state he received 
the greater part of his scholastic training. During his entire life, he was 
a hard student and an inveterate reader; in this way he became possessed 
of much more knowledge than many graduates of colleges and universities. 
He Hved on the farm with his father, in Ray county, until he was married. 
Mr. Mullin professed religion at the age of eighteen, but did not join the 
church for many years afterwards. He was married, the first time, at 
about the age of twenty-three years, to Miss Elizabeth Stewart. The 



716 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

issue of this marriage was five children, three girls and two boys, four of 
whom are now living. Mrs. Mullin died, September 13, 1848, while the 
family were living near Lexington, in the Ray county bottom. The 
winter following the death of his wife, Mr. Mullen bought a farm near 
Albany, in Ray county, and moved upon it. In 1849, Mr. Mullin was 
again married. The lady becoming his bride at this time, was Miss 
Mary Lafever, daughter of William Lafever, formerly of Ray county. 
Fifteen children were born as the result of this union. Twelve of them 
are now living. Though Mr. Mullin removed from place to place several 
times, within the county, after his second marriage, he never changed his 
residence from Ray county. In 1852, he united with the Missionary 
Baptist Church at Pleasant Valley, but did not commence preaching as 
an ordained minister until the year 1872. During his labors as a minister 
of the gospel, he preached in several counties of North Missouri, but 
principally in Ray county. He was a Master Mason, and member of the 
King Hiram Lodge, No. 309, at Knoxville. He was universally esteemed 
for his piety and goodness of heart, and was a popular and successful 
preacher. He died on the 12th day of December, 1879, and was buried 
with Masonic honors, at the family cemetery, upon his farm. 

SAMUEL COLLEY. 

Samuel Colley was born in Russell county, now West Virginia, on the 
1st day of September, 1813. His father was a farmer, and the father of a 
family of eleven children, of whom our subject was the fifth in order of 
birth. His father died when Samuel was twenty-one years old, and his 
older brothers and sisters having married and left home, the charge and 
care of the family devolved upon him. The land was poor and worn out, 
and young Colley had a hard struggle to support the family, and longed 
to go to the new west, where the husbandman's labor is abundantly 
repaid by bountiful harvests. He conceived the original and daring plan 
of making the trip to Missouri by river, on a flat-boat. He had had con- 
siderable experience during the early part of his Hfe as a flat-boatman on 
the north fork of Holston river. He prepared for his perilous journey by 
building, with the assistance of his neighbors, an immense flat-boat, during 
the winter and spring of 1838-'39. Several of Mr. Colley's kinsmen and 
neighbors, during the process of building the boat, became interested in 
the undertaking, and a number of them determined to join the expedition, 
and accompany the young adventurer on his passage to the west. Accord- 
ingly, when the novel craft was finished and launched in Clinch river, in 
the month of March, 1839, as many as sixty persons, including Mrs. Col- 
ley's family, embarked for Missouri upon her. They floated about two 
hundred miles down Clinch river, passing dangerous rapids in safety, and 
on into and down the Tennessee, thence along the Ohio river to its mouth, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 717 

where they sold the boat, and the whole company took passage on a 
steamboat via St. Louis, for Lexington, Missouri, where the}- arrived in 
safety, after having been out about six weeks, and traveled more than 
fifteen hundred miles on a flat-boat. From Lexington Mr. Colley came, 
with his mother's family, to Ray county, and rented a farm near the pres- 
ent site of Mt. Hope Church. He afterward removed to a farm on the 
east fork of Crooked river, and, after hving there for about two years, he 
took possession of a farm by pre-emption claim. This place he subse- 
quently sold, and bought another, upon which he lived until 1866, when 
he purchased and removed upon the place wbere he now lives. His farm 
includes two hundred acres, sixty in cultivation, and the rest in pasture 
land. It is located half a mile northeast of Haller, the residence being in 
full view of trains passing on the St. Joseph branch of the Wabash, St. 
Louis & Pacific railroad. Mr. Colley was married, the first time, in 1845, 
to Miss Eliza Jane Turnadge, daughter of Elder William Turnadge. By 
this marriage he became the father of seven children, one boy and six 
girls. In 1865 his wife died, and three years later he was married to Mrs. 
Martha McClain. This lady lived only about two years, and Mr. Colley 
was subsequently married the third time. His bride this time was Mrs. 
Esther Turnadge, widow of Jesse C. Turnadge, and daughter of Edwin 
Odell, Esq. His second and third wives each became the mother of one 
daughter. Both these girls are now living. Mr. Colley has been a mem- 
ber of the regular Baptist Church for about forty-four years. The pres- 
ent Mrs. Colley also belongs to the same denomination. They worship 
with the congregation at Crooked River Church. 

HENDERSON SLOAN. 

One of the largest land owners and most successful and prosperous 
farmers of his section of the county. Was born in Iredell county, North 
Carolina, in the month of April, 1822. His father was a farmer, and with 
the hope of making his business more profitable, he removed, while Hen- 
derson was quite young, to Bledsoe county, Tennessee. Here the father 
died, and our subject was engaged in conducting the farm until his mar- 
riage. He was married on the 21st day of August, 1845, to Miss 
Rebecca Swaftbrd. The issue of this union was twelve children, all now 
living except two that died in infancy. Six of them are married and the 
rest are living at home. Two of the daughters are twins and so nearly 
alike as to be quite indistinguishable to any but members of the family. 
After his marriage Mr. Sloan continued farming in Tennessee, until 1852, 
when he removed to Ray county, Missouri, and purchased land in section 
29, township 53, range 28. He has, at difterent times since, bought more 
land, until he now owns several hundred acres lying in sections 20, 29 and 
30 of the same township and range. Mr. Sloan designs making, soon, 



718 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

some additional and valuable improvements upon his fine farm. He took 
but a small part in the civil war, only having been enrolled for a short 
time in the state service. He engaged in no battles and remained most of 
the time at home, attending to business upon his farm. Mr. Sloan is a 
member of the farmers' organization known as "United Taxpayers." 
His wife belongs to the Christian Church and his daughters are members 
of the Christian Union denomination. Mrs. Sloan attends services at the 
" New Church," and the 3'oung ladies at Rocky Fork school house. 
Henderson Sloan continues to reside upon the same farm he settled when 
first coming to Missouri, and gives his attention to the management of his 
large estate. He is a very successful farmer, and a highly respected and 
valuable citizen. 

GEORGE SANDERSON. 

George Sanderson, now (April, 1881,) assessor of Ray county, was 
born while his parents were en route from Tennessee to Missouri, at the 
time of their first removal to this state. The exact point at which his 
birth occurred is not now definitely known, but is believed to have been 
in the county of Sumner, Tennessee. The date was February 26, 1829. 
His father, Edward Sanderson, was a native of the state of Virginia, and^ 
after coming to Missouri from Tennessee, he settled near Richmond, in 
Ray county. Here he lived with his family until he was thrown from his 
horse, which had taken fright at a railroad train, and killed. George 
Sanderson was educated in the schools of his father's neighborhood^ 
which were supported by private subscription, the public schools not 
having then been established. He continued working upon the old home- 
stead until his marriage, in 1851, to Miss Mary A. McGaugh, daughter 
of John B. McGaugh, M. D., formerly of Ray county, now deceased. 
At the time of his marriage, Mr. Sanderson was living upon a farm five 
miles west of Richmond. His wife died on the 27th day of June, 1861^ 
and he afterwards married Miss Margaret Parrott, of Ray county. Mr. 
Sanderson is the father of seven children, five by his first wife, and two 
by the second. The eldest, a daughter of the first Mrs. Sanderson, is 
dead. The others are living, and three of them are married. In 1865, 
Mr. Sanderson purchased the farm upon which he now resides. It is sit- 
uated in section eighteen, township fifty-three, range twenty-eight. He 
was appointed justice of the peace in his township by the count}^ courts 
in 1867, and after serving in that capacity for two years, he was elected 
for a term of four 3'ears, and was filling the office at the time of his elec- 
tion to the ofiice of assessor of Ray county, in 1880. He received the 
nomination in the democratic convention over six competitors. He had 
formerly served as deputy assessor, and brought experience as well as 
ability to the discharge of the duties of the office. Mr. Sanderson has 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 719 

twice taken the census of this county, once in 1876, and then again in 
1880. He is a member of the M. E. Church South, and has been for 
more than twenty years. Mrs. Sanderson is a member of the Missionary 
Baptist Church, and two of the children belong to the Christian Union 
Church. Mr. Sanderson is also a Mason, with membership in Harmony 
Lodge No. 384, at Vibbard. A large portion of his life has been spent 
in public service, and he has discharged his duties so ably and so effi- 
ciently as to retain the respect and support of the people. 

GEORGE E. ROBINSON. 

This gentleman is a native of the state of Pennsylvania. He was born 
on the 2d day of May, 1860. When he was about eight years of age, 
his father removed to the state of Iowa, but remained there only seven 
months, and then came to Ray county, Missouri. Here he purchased a 
home and at once commenced farming. George attended school in the 
winter season, and assisted with the farm work during the summer, until 
the death of his father, in the autumn of 1870. The mother of our sub- 
ject married again in 1877, and he began work for himself. In the month 
of February, 1881, George E. Robinson was married to Miss Lillian 
Stonum, daughter of John Stonum, Esq., of Ray county. Mr. Robinson 
is a member of the Christian Union Church, and a very worthy 3'oung 
man. He resides with iiis wife on the farm his father owned, and is 
doing his part in the great work of developing the agricultural resources 
of his native county. 

M. B. CRAVEN. 

Max. B. Craven was born in Giles county, Tennessee, on the 12th da}' 
of June 1850. His father was a farmer and drover, who engaged largely 
in selling stock in the southern markets. When our subject was three 
years old his father removed from Tennessee to Ray county, Missouri, 
and here Maximilian has alwa3's since lived. He was attending school in 
1861, but the further prosecution of his studies was interrupted by the 
outbreak of the civil war. After attaining his majority he remained at 
home until the death of his father, and then he exchanged his interest in 
the homestead, one-sixth, with his brother-in-law, Wiley Harris, Esq., for 
the farm on Crooked river, in section six, township fifty-three, range 
twenty-eight, upon which Mr. Craven now resides. Max. B. Craven was 
married on the 14th day of March, 1878, to Miss Mary Frances Thomp- 
son, daughter of Joseph Thompson, formerly a resident of Ray county. 
One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Craven, a promising son, now 
about two years old. Soon after his marriage Mr. Craven returned to his 
farm on Crooked river, and has since lived there. In 1880 Mrs. Craven 
inherited a tract of land lying in township fifty-three, range twenty-eight, 



720 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

which Mr. Craven has since controlled, not farming it himself, but renting 
it to others. He has a very excellent farm, and intends making extensive 
improvements upon it in the near future. Both Mr. and Mrs. Craven are 
highly esteemed for their good qualities by their neighbors and friends. 
They are both young, and have just started upon the journey of practical 
life, but having made so propitious a commencement, they will no doubt 
live long and happily. 

J. B. RUSSELL. 

John Boyd Russell was born in the state of Maryland on the 16th day 
of September 1811. In John's boyhood his father, Mr. R. Russell, 
removed his famil}^ to Mason county, Virginia, now Jackson county. West 
Virginia, where they continued to reside, except during four years spent 
in Ohio, until John was grown. Such educational advantages as he had 
were received in the schools of Virginia. Though his early education 
was to some extent neglected, he has by subsequent study, and almost 
constant perusal of standard works of literature, become possessed of a 
fund of useful knowledge. Mr. Russell immigrated from Virginia to Ray 
county, Missouri, in 1856, and settled upon the farm where he now resides, 
in sections five and eight, township fifty-three, range twenty-eight. This 
farm comprises four hundred and eighteen acres of productive and valu- 
able land, well improved, with good comfortable dwellings, strong fences, 
etc., is situated on the ivestfork of Crooked river. Mr. Russell has been 
twice married, first, before leaving Virginia, in the year 1834, to Miss 
Sarah McKnown. She died in 1863, and he was subsequently married to 
Mrs. Francis M. Thompson, widow of B. N, Thompson. Mr. Russell is 
the father of nine children, all the issue of his first marriage ; only four of 
them are living and they are all married. In rehgious belief Mr. Russell 
inclines to Universalism. He has never been a member of the church or 
any secret society or organization. He was justice of the peace for four 
3-ears in this county, and also served in that capacity in Virginia. Mr. 
Russell is a successful, prosperous farmer, and an esteemed and influential 
citizen of the community in which he lives. 

GRANVILLE CRENSHAW. 

The subject of this sketch is an enterprising and prosperous young 
farmer, and a native of the state of Missouri, having been born in Jack- 
son county, on the 31st day of Januar}^, 1847. His father, Robert A. 
Crenshaw, removed from Jackson county while Granville was an infant, 
and settled in Ray county, section four, township fifty-three, range 
twenty-eight. Here, engaged in working upon his father's farm, our sub- 
ject grew up. In obtaining an education, he received the advantages of the 
district schools in the locality of his home. In ,the month of October, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 721 

1876, Granville Crenshaw was married to Miss Martha L. Thompson, 
daughter of J. A. Thompson, Esq., of Kansas City. Two children have 
been born of this union, both boys and both living. Soon after his mar- 
riage, Mr. Crenshaw became the owner of a fine farm of three hundred 
and twenty acres, lying on the ridge just east of the west fork of 
Crooked river. On this farm Mr. Crenshaw has since resided. Mrs. 
Crenshaw, a very estimable lady, is a member of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church South. Mr. Crenshaw has a valuable farm, a handsome, 
comfortable residence, and is a rising young farmer, and a valuable mem- 
ber of the community in which he lives. 

AARON TEEGARDEN. 

Aaron Teegarden is a V^irginian. He was born in Mason county, (now 
West Virginia), on June 10, 1816. His father, Job Teegarden, moved to 
the state of Ohio about the year 1826, and settled in Knox county. Here 
our subject received the principal part of his scholastic training, and after 
attaining his majority, came to Ray county, Missouri. He was just begin- 
ning life for himself, and was without means and a " stranger among 
strangers." Nothing else offering to be done, he hired out as -a laborer, 
and engaged in chopping wood and m.aking rails, and doing anything that 
he could find to do in order to make a living. Out of the wages of his 
labor he saved money enough in about a year to enter forty acres of land, 
and soon after he bought another tract of the same size. To this farm he 
continued to add other purchases from time to time, as ,his means would 
allow, until at the age of twenty-six years, he was the owner of a good 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land. In the month of 
March, 1845, Mr. Teegarden was married to Miss Nancy Cummings, 
daughter of Moses Cummings, Esq., of Ray county. They became the 
parents of seven children, all of whom are now living, and five of them, 
two sons and three daughters, are now married. Mrs. Teegarden died in 
the year 1874, and Mr. Teegarden afterwards married Mrs. Philanda 
Shanks, a lady whose husband had been killed in the civil war. Mr. 
Teegarden has always taken much interest in politics, and great care and 
pains to keep himself informed respecting events in the political world. 
He is the owner of a fine, fertile farm of six hundred and twenty acres of 
bottom land, in a high state of cultivation and well improved. It is situ- 
ated in sections three, nine and ten, township fifty-three, range twenty- 
eight. Though he began life as a poor, friendless youth, he is now the 
possessor of a competency, and highly esteemed by all who know him. 



722 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

WILLIAM J. SMITH. 

This jrentleman was born in Carroll county, Missouri, on the 10th day 
of September, 1829. His grandfather, on the maternal side, Mr. Barnes 
was a native of Germany, who settled, at an early day, in Boonslick, Vir- 
ginia, and lived there during the war of American independence. Mr. 
Barnes was the brother-in-law of Daniel Boone, the great Kentucky pio- 
neer. The father of the subject of this sketch, George Smith, was a 
farmer of Carroll county, Missouri. He was accidentally drowned while 
on a bee hunt in Livingston county. William J. Smith was educated in 
the schools of his native county, and at the age of twenty-one years com- 
menced teaming in the town of Dewitt, and followed that business for 
ten years. In September, 1850, he was married to Miss Minerva Smith, 
daughter of Mr. Moses Smith, of Carroll county. Though this lady had 
the same name, she was not connected by blood relationship to Mr. Smith.. 
He removed to Tarrant county, Texas, in the autumn of 1853, and farmed 
there for about four years, and then came back to Dewitt. Soon after his 
return, in 1858, his wife died, and he was married again to Mrs. N. A. 
Adkins, a widow. Mr. Smith is the father of four children, whose 
mother was his first wife. Three of them are living and married. Six 
months after his second marriage, Mr. Smith removed to Ray county, 
and bought the farm upon which he lives. It now includes two hundred 
and twenty-seven acres of rich and productive land. Mr. Smith's favorite 
occupation is dealing in live stock, but his health has been so poor of late, 
as to prevent his engaging in that business. He is a successful farmer 
and a sharp, shrewd and experienced trader. He is also a good neighbor 
and a valuable citizen. 

JOSEPH B. PERRY. 

Was born in Shelby county, Indiana, on the 12th day of January, 
1842. His parents removed to Edgar county, Illinois, when he was but 
four years old, and there he received his education and lived until the 
commencement of the civil war. He enlisted August 24, 1861, in company 
H, 29th Illinois infantry, and was engaged in the battles of Fort Donel- 
son, Shiloh and Holly Springs. At the last named battle he was taken 
prisoner and paroled on the field. He was again captured by the enemy 
at Woodville, Mississippi, and confined in prison, first at Meridian, Missis- 
sippi, and then again at Mobile, Alabama. After spending six months in 
the military prisons at the above mentioned places, he made his escape, 
and again joining his command, was sent to Texas, and remained there 
until he was discharged about the 1st of December, 18C5. He at once 
returned to Edgar county, Illinois, and remained there until January, 1867, 
and then went back to his native state of Indiana, and Hved there until the 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 723 

year 1869. In the month of August, 1869, he came to Missouri, and 
located in Ray county, upon the farm where he now resides, section 
twelve, township fifty-four, range twenty-six. This place consists of two 
hundred and sixty acres of excellent farming land, well stocked and 
improved, a neat, comfortable dwelling, and a thrifty young orchard. 
Mr. Perry was married on the 27th of December, 1867, to Miss Sarah 
E. Tindall, a native of Shelby county, Indiana. They have five children, 
named as follows, viz.: Oren E., Eunice E., Ida May, Everett E., and 
Joseph B. Both Mr. and Mrs. Perry are consistent members of the M^ 
E. Church. 

MIFFLIN B. WEEKS. 

Was born in the state of North Carolina in the year 1821. His father 
having died while our subject was in infancy, he was taken to be raised 
by an uncle. When he was ten years old his uncle removed with him to 
the state of Illinois, and a year later to Patrick county, Virginia. Here 
our subject lived until he was grown. Being an orphan, he was com- 
pelled at an early age to work for his own subsistance, and, in conse- 
quence, his advantages for obtaining an education were very meager. In 
1843 he removed to Floyd county, and, after spending two years there, 
to Mercer county, where he made his home for thirteen years. Mr. 
Weeks was married on the loth day of May, 1840, to Miss Eurah, a 
native of the state of Virginia, born and raised in the region of the Blue 
Ridge mountains. They are the parents of seven children living and one 
dead. The names of those living are: Martha E., John H., Nancy C, 
Louisa J., Benjamin G., Charles M., and Joseph A. The name of the 
child they lost by death was William J. Mr. Weeks came to Missouri 
in 1859, landing at Lexington, March 7, and located in Ray county, where 
he has since lived constantly, except during five years spent in Caldwell 
county, Missouri. He located on his present farm, section 2, township 54, 
range 26, in June, 1880. Mrs. Wrecks is a member of the Christian 
Church, and was formerly a member of the regular Baptist Church for 
the space of thirty-five years. Mr. Weeks is an industrious, thrifty 
farmer, and a valuable aid to the development of the material wealth of 
his adopted county. 

■ Jacob A. Weeks, youngest son of Mifflin B. Weeks, was born in Ray 
county, Missouri, October 15, 1864. He is a very industrious and exem- 
plary young man, and well thought of by all who know him. He is at 
present living on the farm with his parents. 



724 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

JOHN C. SHRUM. 

This gentleman was born in Caldwell county, Missouri, on the 6th day 
of April, 1846, and received his education and grew up there. In the 
spring of 1872, he bought a new prairie farm, in sight of his birth place, 
just across the county line, in Ra}^ This place he fenced and improved 
by building a comfortable house. He has, in all, two hundred acres of 
excellent farming land, all under fence, except twenty acres of woodland. 
Eight}^ acres of this place are in Ray, the remainder in Caldwell county, 
Its products are corn, oats, and grass. Mr. Shrum is engaged, quite exten- 
sively, in raising cattle. He has been a life-long farmer and stock-raiser. 
The father of our subject, Mr. John L. Shrum, came to this county, at a 
very early day, from North Carolina. He subsequently spent about four 
years in Illinois, and on his return from that state to Missouri, brought 
with him a reaping machine, said to have been the first introduced in Ray 
county. During the late civil war, Mr. Shrum was enrolled in the state 
militia, but was not in active service at any time. He was married, on the 
18th day of August, 1867, to Miss Caroline McBee, a native of Ray 
county, and daughter of James and Elizabeth McBee. They are the 
parents of six children, five of whom are now living: Carrie E., John L., 
Ida May, Samuel L., Dennis N. (now dead), and Mary C. Mrs. Shrum 
is a worthy member of the M. E. Church. Mr. Shrum is an enterprising, 
successful farmer, and a good citizen. 

COL. CHARLES B. KAVANAUGH. 

This distinguished soldier and farmer was born at Booneville, in Cooper 
county, Missouri, in the year 1822, and has always lived in the counties 
of Cooper, Lafayette, Carroll and Ray, respectively. He was reared to 
farming, and has nearly all his life pursued that avocation or the kindred 
one of raising and dealing in cattle and other live stock. As a notable 
exception to this course of life may be mentioned the fact of his having 
been a merchant at Lexington, Missouri, from the year 1851 until the 
commencement of the civil war, the space of about ten years. On the 
14th of December, 1861, Mr. Kavanaugh left Lexington, Missouri, with 
a full company of recruits, for the southern army. In camp, midway 
between Osceola and Springfield, the company was organized, and Mr, 
Kavanaugh elected captain. Soon after they joined General Sterling 
Price's command, and went into winter quarters. After the battle of Pea 
Ridge, the regiment to which Captain Kavanaugh's company belonged 
was reorganized, and he received the appointment to command it with 
the commission of colonel in the C. S. A. His competitor for this posi- 
tion was Jo. O. Shelby, afterwards general. Colonel Kavanaugh's reg- 
iment was ordered, under command of Brigadier General Green, to Mem- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 725 

phis, and on the march participated with General Beauregards's com- 
mand in the battle of Corinth, Mississippi. He was, subsequently, engaged 
in the battles of Little Rock, Dardanelle, and assisted in the capture of 
a Federal gunboat on White river. Colonel Kavanaugh served with 
much distinction and great bravery throughout the war. He was greatly 
beloved and honored by the soldiers of his command. His regiment was 
often under fire in the thickest part of the fight, and Colonel Kavanaugh 
repeatedly had his horse killed from under him while charging the ene- 
my's guns at the head of his command. During the last year of tha war 
he suffered much from sickness, and, although all communication with his 
home had long been cut off, his wife finally heard of his illness, and, after 
making her way through the Union lines, and being detained about three 
weeks at Little Rock, joined her husband, and remained with him during 
the continuance of the war. To Mrs. Kavanaugh's tender, careful nurs- 
ing during his illness, her husband, in all probability, owes the preserva- 
tion of his life. At the close of the war, Colonel Kavanaugh was dis- 
charged from the army at Austin, Texas, and the winter following 
returned home to Missouri. Everything, in the way of property, he had 
possessed, was lost b}'^ the war. In his devotion to the cause he thought 
just, all had been sacrificed. A friend kindly furnished him with the nec- 
essary means, and the colonel began dealing in Texas cattle, and soon 
recuperated his financial condition. In 1866, he moved to Carroll county, 
Missouri, and engaged in farming there for about five years, and in 1871, 
came to Ray county and commenced improving his present place, on the 
prairie, in section nineteen, township fifty-four, range twenty-six. This is 
a fine farm of five hundred and sixty acres of excellent farming land, well 
improved, with good buildings, and inclosed, by stone, plank and rail 
fences. Upon the farm are two thrifty young orchards of apple, peach 
and other fruit trees. Colonel Kavanaugh continues to pay special atten- 
tion to the raising and feeding of cattle. He is a leading member of the 
Christian Church, and of the Wakanda Grange, P. of H. Colonel Kav- 
anaugh was also a soldier in the war with Mexico. He served during the 
entire war, and was sergeant in company B, Colonel A. W. Doniphan's 
regiment, 1st Missouri cavalry. The principal battles in which he was 
engaged were Brazito and Sacramento, though he participated in several 
minor engagements. Colonel Kavanaugh has been twice married. First 
in 1850, to Miss Eliza James. The issue of this union was one daughter, 
Fanny C, now the wife of P. M. Grove, and living at Los Angelos, Cal- 
ifornia. Mrs. Kavanaugh died in 1852, and the colonel was subsequently 
married to Miss Mary A. Rea, daughter of Judge Edmond Rea. She is 
a native of Virginia, but came to Missouri when a child. They became 
the parents of nine children, named as follows, viz: Edmond R., Charles 
A., Archie W., Lee Davis, Mary P., Genevieve S., Katie Dixie, Joseph 



726 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Baxter and Robert C. Colonel Kavanaugh is one of the best, most prom- 
inent and influential citizens of Ray county. 

JACOB HUSKISSON. 

Jacob Huskisson was born in east Tennessee on the 8th day of Jan- 
uary, 1839, and lived there until he was fourteen years of age. His 
father was a blacksmith, and he taught that trade to his son. In 1853 
our subject went to Bradley county, and was engaged there w orking at 
his trade, until he was seventeen years of age, and then went to Ala- 
bama, and followed farming until 1861. He then returned to east Ten- 
nessee, and farmed in his native state for about two years longer. In the 
year 1863, he enlisted in company B, Eighth regiment, Tennesse cavalry 
Union volunteers, and was engaged in the nght at Knoxville, Tennessee, 
and in other battles. He was discharged at the close of the war, at 
Knoxville. He at once returned to his home, and resumed work at his 
trade, and continued it there until 1869, when he came to Richmond, Ray 
county, Missouri. Here he engaged in farming,. for about four years, 
and then, after going to Carroll county, and remaining there one year, he 
moved to Girard, Illinois, and worked at his trade there for two years. 
Returning to Carroll county, Missouri, he followed blacksmithing there 
for about two years, and then in the month of August, 1880, came again 
to Ray county, and settling at Tinney's grove, opened a blacksmith shop 
and has continued there working at his trade till the present time, April, 
1881. Mr. Huskisson w^as married in the year 1868, to Miss Rhoda 
Wilson, a native of Tennessee. They have six chil({ren, named, respect- 
ively: Emmett, Jacob, Elizabeth, John, WiUiam and George. Mr. and 
Mrs. Huskisson are both members of the Missionary Baptist Church. 

WILLIAM RUSSELL. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Washington county, Virginia. 
He was born on the 1st day ol March, 1813. Left his native county in 
childhood, on the removal of his parents to Marion county, Tennessee, 
and lived there until he attained his majority. He was reared on a farm, 
and received fair educational advantages. In the autumn of 1838 he 
came to Ray county, Missouri, and located near Millville. Here he was 
occupied in farming until 1858, when he removed to Knoxville, and 
engaged for a number of years in mercantile business there. In the 
spring of 1868 he removed to Russellville, and has since resided in that 
place, where he has a residence, store building, and several other lots. 
Mr. Russell has held various offices of trust in Ray county. He wat» first 
elected, in 1846, to the office of constable, and served in that capacity, for 
six years. He was elected justice of the peace in 1852, and has held the 
office, almost uninterruptedly for nearly thirty years, and in all his admin- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 727 

istration has had but two appeals taken from his judgement, and they 
were affirmed by the higher courts. He has, also, held the office of 
notary public for the space of seven years, and still has a year or more of 
his present term to serve. He is a member of the Knoxville Lodge of 
A. F. & A. M., and has several times been elected by his brethren to 
offices in the lodge. Mr. Russell was married on the 20th day of Octo- 
ber, 1832, to Miss Tansom Burgess, a native of Virginia. They are the 
parents of eight children: Cynthia A., Elijah B., Sarah E., George W., 
Matilda T., Missouri C, Mary E., and Emeline C. The last named is 
dead. Both Mr. and Mrs. Russell, and all the children, but one, are 
members of the M. E. Church South. Mr. Russell and his estimable 
lady have been members of that church for more than half a century. 
Our subject has been all his life very strictly temperate, and moral. The 
offices he has held for such great length of time bear testimony to the 
high esteem in which he is held by his fellow men. 

W. B. CARPENTER, M. D. 

This gentleman was born in Madison county, Virginia, on the 13th day 
of September, 1827. He received a classical education, and began the 
study of medicine at the age of nineteen years. He completed the course, 
graduating from the Medical University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, 
in the year 1849, and the following spring commenced the practice of his 
profession in the Shenandoah Valley, of Virginia, and continued it there, 
until 18.56. He came to Missouri on the 29th day of April, 1856, and 
located in Lafayette county, where he lived about two years, and then, 
going to Carroll county, practiced medicine there, for some five years. 
In February, 1865, he came to Russellville, Ray county, where he located 
permanently, and has ever since practiced his profession there. He has 
a fine residence, good barn, orchard, etc., and is very well situated to Hve 
comfortably and happily. Dr. Carpenter was married in the year 1852, to 
Miss Martha C. Winsborough, a native of Virginia, and daughter of 
William and JuHa Winsborough. Six children have been born 
of this union, named as follows: Emma V., Thomas W., Alice G., 
Minnie Lee, Joseph and Archie. Dr. Carpenter was a member of the I. 
O. O. F. in Virginia, and is now a member of the Millville Lodge, of the 
order of A. F. & A. M. Mrs. Carpenter is a member of the Christian 
Church. Dr. Carpenter is a successful, able and popular physician, and a 
highly respected and valuable citizen. 

F. M. FERREE. 

F. M. Ferree was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in the year 
1821, and lived in that vicinity until he was nineteen years old. His 
parents died when he was very young, and he was thrown upon his own 



728 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

resources, in the world alone. At the age of thirteen years he began to 
learn the carpenter's and joiner's trade, and, after finishing his apprentice- 
ship, follo.wed that avocation for about twenty-one years, and during the 
last fifteen 3^ears of that time, carried on the business quite extensively. 
In 1843 he went to Wayne county, Ohio, and spent about a year; then to 
Tippecanoe county Indiana, where he lived about the same length of 
time. From Indiana he removed to Monroe county, Michigan, and lived 
there for the space of twenty years. In the spring of 1865, he moved 
from Michigan to Seneca county, Ohio, and lived there until 1867, when 
he came to Ray county, Missouri, and located at Morton. After remain- 
ing at Morton for four years, he removed to Russellville, and lived there 
during the same period of time as at Morton. In the month of Decem- 
ber, 1874, he moved to his present location, section 16, township 53, range 
26, where he has about eighty acres of fine farming land, nearly all in cul- 
tivation and unusually well fenced. This farm is abundantly watered, hav- 
ing seven good wells, besides running streams all the year. Mr. Ferree 
has a comfortable house, a very convenient and large barn, an orchard of 
choice fruit trees, and a vineyard. He owns, beside this home place, 190 
acres of land, of which 160 acres are in cultivation. Mr. Ferree takes 
great interest in bees, and has a large, handsome apiary, well filled with 
hives. He is thoroughly acquainted with the business of handling bees, 
having been engaged at it for thirty years. Some of his hives yield more 
than one hundred pounds of honey in one season. He learned the wagon 
making and blacksmithing trade, in 1859, and conducted a business of that 
kind until two years ago. Mr. Ferree was married in the year 1848, to 
Miss Deborah A. Watkins, a native of the state of New York. They 
became the parents of nine children, seven of whom are now living: 
Boyd W., Mary A., James E., Hall, Milton T., Guy and Anna; one son, 
and an infant daughter are dead. Mr. Ferree is a worthy member of 
Myrtle Lodge, of A. F. & A. M., at Millville. He is a successful, pros- 
perous farmer, and a good citizen. 

BOYD W. FERREE. 

Boyd W. Ferree, son of F. M. Ferree, was born in the state of Michi- 
gan on the 14th day of October, 1850. There he lived until he was four- 
teen years of age, and then went with his parents to Seneca county, Ohio, 
where they remained about two years. In the spring of 1867, became to 
Ray county, Missouri, and located temporarily, at the town of Morton. 
Three years afterward he went to Russellville, Ray county, and there 
engaged in blacksmithing. In January, 1878, he opened a shop on his 
own account at Russellville, and has since conducted the blacksmithing 
business in that place. He now owns a comfortable residence with a 
small orchard, and is doing a good business at his shop. He also has sev- 



HISTORY OF R-\Y COUNTY. 72^ 

eral other lots besides the one upon which his residence and shop are sit- 
uated. Mr. Ferree was married in the year 1876, to Miss Nancy W. 
Belcher, a native of Virginia. Mrs. Ferree is a consistent member of the 
Christian Church. Mr. Ferree is a skillful workman and commands an 
extensive patronage. 

ABRAHAM POPE. 

The subject of this article is a native of Boyle county, Kentucky. He 
was born in the year 1835. He grew up on a farm, and followed the bus- 
ines of farming in his native state, until the spring of 1857, when he came 
to Missouri. He located in Ray county, upon the same farm where he 
now lives, (section four, township fifty-three, range twenty-six). This 
place was originally only two hundred and forty acres of land, but by sub- 
sequent purchases Mr. Pope has extended it until now his possessions 
embrace four hundred and seventy acres of excellent farming and pasture 
lands, enclosed by good plank and rail fences, and improved with a fine 
residence, good barn and orchard. Mr. Pope is engaged quite extensively 
in raising and feeding cattle and hogs for market. He raises Berk- 
shire and Poland China hogs exclusively. Mr. Pope was married 
on the 16th day of December, 1856, to Miss Susan Bright, a native of 
the state of Kentucky. They have seven children living, named as fol- 
lows: Armstead H., Lydia A., Elizabeth, Mary F., Effie Ma}' and 
George W. (twins), and Samuel Henry. The father of our subject, Mr. 
George H. Pope, was also a native of Kentucky. He died in 1846, aged 
fifty years. His mother, Mrs. Delilah (Bright) Pope, was born in the 
same state as her husband. She died very recently, at the age of seventy- 
five years. Both her mother and father were also natives of Kentucky. 
Mr. Pope is a member of Myrtle Lodge, A. F. & A. M. at Millville. 
He is a practical, successful farmer and stock-raiser, and a prominent and 
valuable citizen of Grape Grove township. 

JAMES T. CAMPBELL. 

James T. Campbell was born in Lafayette county, Missouri, in the year 
1844. When he was three years old his parents removed to Kentucky, 
and lived there some six or seven years. At the expiration of that time 
they came back to Missouri, and located in Ray county, and here our 
subject has since resided. He began farming on his own account in the 
year 1866. In the month of April, 1880, he removed to his present place, 
section three, township fifty-three, range twenty-six, where he owns eighty 
acres of improved land, with residence, barn, and other buildings. The 
farm is all inclosed with either rail, board, or hedge fences. Mr. Camp- 
bell was married in the year 1864, to Miss Mollie A. Freeman, a native of 
46 



730 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY 

Missouri. The issue of this union was five children. Their names fol- 
low: Dora, Alexander I., Stella, Thornton, and Emma. Mr. Campbell 
enlisted in September, 1862, in company D, 35th Missouri volunteers. 
Union infantrv, and was engaged in the battle of Helena, Arkansas, and a 
number of smaller engagements. He was discharged in July, 1865. His 
father, Mr. A. R. Campbell, is a native of Pennsylvania, and his mother, 
Matilda (Freeman) Campbell, is a native of the state of Kentucky. Both 
his parents are now living in Ray county, Missouri. Mr. Campbell also 
owns, in addition to the lands mentioned above, one hundred and fifteen 
acres of farming, pasture, timber, and coal lands in another locality. He 
is a leading farmer, and a valuable member of the community in which he 
resides. 

FRANKLIN McBEE. 

Was born in Ray county Missouri, in the year 1840, and has lived here 
ever since. He has been all his life engaged in farming, beginning on his 
own account to do business in 1861. Five years afterward he settled upon 
the farm where he now resides, section four, township fifty-three, range 
twenty-six. Here he owns a valuable farm of one hundred and seventy 
acres, in a fine state of cultivation and handsomely improved. He is turn- 
ing his attention to stock-raising, and intends, in the near future, to make 
it a specialty, as his farm is especially adapted to grass growing. Mr. 
McBee was married in the year 1862, to Miss Susan F. Gentry, daughter 
of B. B. and Narcissa Gentry, and born in Ray county, Missouri. Mr. 
McBee and wife are the parents of seven children, named as follows: 
Mary Jane, Martha Ellen, Benjamin F., Edward P., Nora F., Everett M., 
and Jessie E. In the autumn of 1864, to escape troubles growing out of 
the civil war, Mr. McBee took refuge in Nebraska, and remained there 
about eighteen months, until the war was over and peace restored, and 
then returned to his home in Ray county. Mr. McBee, his wife and 
their eldest daughter, are members of the M. E. Church South. His 
father, Mr. Daniel McBee, was a native of Ohio. He died in 1846, aged 
forty-seven years. His mother, Catherine, was born in Ohio. She is still 
living in Ray county, Missouri. Mr. McBee is a leading, practical and 
successful farmer and stock-raiser, and is greatly respected by the com- 
munity in which he resides. 

W. S. WOLLARD. 

William S. WoUard was born in Ray county, near Richmond, in the 
year 1847, and has lived all his life in this county. His father, Mr. John 
WoUard, was a native of North Carolina. He came to Missouri when it 
was a territory, and settling in Ray county, cleared and improved the 
land where Richmond is situated. He afterward donated land to aid in 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 731 

building up the town. John Wollard died in May, 1878, aged seventy- 
seven years. Our subject began farming and stock-raising on his 
own account in the spring of 1867, and the next year moved to his 
present location, section 8, township 53, range 26. He continued living 
on his farm until 1875, when he commenced a general merchandising bus- 
iness at Russellville, and followed it until the year 1879. He then returned 
to his farm, and has lived there ever since. This farm comprises 330 
acres of very fertile land, the principal part of which is in cultivation and 
well fenced and improved. In 1868, Mr. Wollard began with ninety acres 
of land and a log cabin, and as the result of his enterprise, perseverance, 
and industry he now has this tine large farm, with a dwelling house ele- 
gantly appointed and conveniently arranged for comfort and ease, an 
orchard of some three or four hundred bearing trees of the best varieties 
of fruit, and his pastures filled with tine-bred stock, and his barns and 
granaries full of the rich products of his fields. Mr. Wollard was mar- 
ried in 1868, to Miss Maddie Barham, a native of the state of North Caro- 
lina. The result of this union was seven children, all of whom are living, 
named as follows: Nettie Frances, William F., Walter L., Ollie Belle, 
Robert Jackson, Nannie E., and Henry A. Mr. Wollard is largely 
engaged in raising, feeding and shipping live-stock. He handles only the 
best classes of hogs and cattle. He is a member of the M. E. Church 
South, and also belongs to Wakanda Grange No. 935, P. of H. He is a 
prominent and very successful farmer, and a leading and influential 
citizen. 

JOHN L. BARHAM. 

The subject of this article was born in North Carolina in the month of 
December, 1820. He was educated in his native state, and pursued the 
business of farming there, until he was about twenty-seven years of age. 
In the spring of 1848 he came to Ray county, Missouri, and located on a 
farm near Albany. After living there about six years, he came to his 
present farm, section two, township fifty-three, range twenty-six, and has 
lived there ever since. He owns two hundred and nineteen acres of 
excellent land, well improved and watered, a fine orchard bearing an 
abundance of choice fruit, and all under good fence. Mr. Barham is in a 
highly prosperous condition, and has entirely recuperated the heavy dam- 
ages and losses of property he sustained during the civil war. He was 
married, in 1846, to Miss Elizabeth Frazer, a native of the state of North 
Carolina. They have thirteen children : William F., Frances M., James 
N., Balaam, John, Ann, Robert L., Joseph, Thomas, Elizabeth, Lutie, 
Charles and George. Mr. Barham's father, Balaam Barham, was a 
native of North Carolina. He died about the year 1850, aged sixty-three 
years. His mother, Elizabeth, was a native of the same state. She died 



732 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

at the age of seventy-four years, after coming with her son to Ray 
county, Missouri. Ever since the year 1859, our subject has been devot- 
ing especial attention and care to raising, feeding and shipping live stock. 
He has made the business very successful and profitable. He is a mem- 
ber of Myrtle Ledge No. 338, A. F. & A. M., at Millville, and also of 
Cyrus Royal Arch Chapter, No. 36, at Richmond. 

SILAS C. ROBINSON. 

This gentleman is a native of Kentucky. He was born October 24, 
1832. His father, Michael Robinson, was a native of Virginia. He was 
born December 14, 1804, and died December 27, 1861. His mother, Mar- 
garet Robinson, was born in Kentucky, on the 1st day of April, 1812, and 
is still living in that state at this time — April, 1881. Our subject lived in 
Kentucky until after he had acquired his education, and attained man- 
hood's estate. In the spring of 18.54 he came to Missouri, and, locating 
in Jackson county, remained there for about three years. He then went 
back to Kentucky, but, remaining there only a few months, came to Ray 
county, Missouri, in the spring of 1857, and bought land here. Soon after 
he went again to Jackson county, Missouri, and lived there about eighteen 
months. Returning to Ray county in 1860, he located upon his present 
farm, section ten, township fifty-three, range twenty-six. Here he owns 
two hundred and seventy acres of good land, two hundred and forty 
acres of which is in cultivation, under good fences of rails and hedge. 
The farm is well watered, having one running spring and a half dozen 
wells. Mr. Robinson has a handsome and commodious dwelling house, 
a good barn and other buildings; also, a fine bearing orchard, and an 
abundance of small fruits and berries. He is devoting his attention largely 
to raising and dealing in the best classes of live stock. Mr. Robinson was 
married on the 17th day of January, 1861, to Miss Margaret J. Bright, a 
native of Lincoln county, Kentucky. They have seven children, named 
as follows : Lillian, WilliamF., John Bright, Mollie M., Lucy May, Lot- 
tie Belle, and Charles Edgar. Mr. Robinson is a member of Wakanda 
Grange, No. 935, P. of H. He is a successful, prosperous farmer and 
stock-raiser, and a valuable citizen. 

REUBEN VANTRUMP. 

Is a native of Rockingham county, Virginia. He was born in the year 
1826. He was reared and lived on a farm till he was twenty years old, 
and then learned the blacksmithing trade, though he never pursued it, as 
a business, in after life. In the year 1854, he went to Indiana, and engaged 
in farming there for about six years, and then, in 1860, began operating a 
saw-mill, and followed that business for eight years. He then sold his saw- 
mill property and bought a farm, and lived upon it until the fall of 1875, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 733 

when he came to Missouri. He stopped the first winter after coming to the 
state, in the town of Norborne, in Carroll county, but the next spring came 
to Ray county, and settled where he now resides, section fifteen, township 
fifty-three, range twenty-six. Mr. Vantrump was married, in the year 184S, 
to Miss Diana Carnes, a native of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Vantrump have 
three children living: John C, Americus V., and Medici Belle. John Van- 
trump, father of our subject, was a native of Virginia; born in 1799'; died 
in 1870. He was a member of the German Reformed Church, for a 
great number of years prior to his death. The grandfather of our subject 
came across the Atlantic in the same ship with Peter Stuyvesant, the "last 
and best governor" of New Amsterdam (now New York). Reuben Van- 
trump's mother was a native of Rockingham county, Virginia, and was 
born in 1806. She died in 1874. Mr. Vantrump is a member of the I. 
O. O. F. He owns a valuable farm of very productive land, which he 
manages very successfully. He is a good neighbor, and a very valuable 
citizen. 

BENJAMIN B. GENTRY. 

Benjamin B. Gentry was born in Columbia, Boone county. Mo., in the 
year 1828, and lived there until ten years of age, when his parents removed 
with him to Monroe county, Missouri. There he received his education 
and lived about twelve years. Mr. Gentry was married in the year 1847, 
to Miss Narcissa E. Wallard. Three children were born of this union : 
Susan F., Nancy Jane, Mary C. In the spring of 1850, he came to Ray 
county, and leaving his wife at Richmond, started overland to California. 
He was one of a large company, and they made the journey to the land of 
gold, in iust four months from the date of starting, reaching their destina- 
tion on the 1st day of September. They had the good fortune to escape 
the cholera which was raging at that time in a very virulent form through- 
out the country, and especially on the route to the west. Mr. Gentry 
remained in California, mining, for about fourteen months, and then 
returned to Missouri by water, reaching Richmond Christmas night, 1851. 
He soon after bought a farm just west of Russellville, and lived there 
eighteen years, engaged in farming and stock-raising. He then moved to 
his present location, section four, township fifty-three, range twenty-six, 
where he owns five hundred and ten acres of excellent land, nearly all in 
one body, well watered and the principal part of it in cultivation, well 
improved, handsome comfortable residence, two fine orchards, a very con- 
venient, large roomy barn, other out-buildings, and everything necessary 
to the full equipment of a first-class modern farm. Mr. Gentr}' devotes a 
great deal of attention to raising and feeding live stock, and has done so 
for many years. His first wife died in 1858, and he afterwards married 
Miss Sarah McKenzie, a native of Virginia. The result of this union was 



734 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

nine children, named as follows: Alelia E., Benjamin Mc, James S., 
Alice Belle, David J., John S., William Edward, dead, Charles N., and 
EfRe Maud. Both Mr. and Mrs. Gentry are leading members of the 
Christian Church. He is also a member of Myrtle Lodge, No. 838, A. F. 
& A, M. at Millville, and of Wakanda Grange No. 935, P. of H. He is a 
prominent farmer and an influential citizen. 

CHARLES L. BOWEN. 

Charles L. Bowen was born in Ohio, in the year 1830. He received a 
liberal education in his youth, and continued to remain at home until the 
commencement of the civil war. He enlisted about the first of June, 
1863, and by the middle of the month was commissioned captain of com- 
pany F, 7th Ohio volunteer infantry. In July following, he was promoted 
to a lieutenant-colonelcy and assigned to the same regiment, and remained 
with the 7th Ohio until their term of service expired. He was discharged 
from the army in April, 1864. He suffered an injury to his right eye 
while in the service of the Union. At the close of the war he went back 
to farming in Ohio, and continued that business there until the spring of 
1869, when he came to Missouri, and first stopping for a few months in 
Carroll county, settled permanently where he now resides, in Ray county 
(section five, township fifty-three, range twenty-six). Here he owns a 
good farm of one hundred and fifty-two acres of land, mostly in cultiva- 
tion, with an orchard of about two hundred trees bearing choice vari- 
eties of fruit. Charles L. Bowen was married in the year 1858, to Miss 
Almina Slough, a native of Ohio. They have seven children, named as 
follows: Annie A., wife of Armstead Waters,) Susan J., Ida May, Albert 
Wilmot, Pauline M., Mary Almina, and Maud Bertha. Mr. Bowen's 
father, Robert W. Bowen was a native of Maryland. He died in March, 
1865, aged seventy-two years. His mother, Susan L., was also a native 
of Maryland. She died in 1863, aged seventy-two years. The father of 
Mrs. Bowen, Frederick Slough, was a native of Ohio. He died March 
11, 1846. Her mother, Mary, was born in Ohio; died July 14, 1853, aged 
forty-one years. Mr. Bowen's father was a soldier in the war of 1812, 
and his grandfather served seven years under General George Washing- 
ton, in the war for American independence. He was with the army on 
their terrible march to Valley Forge. Our subject has been postmaster 
at Willmott ever since the office was established, in 1874. He is a mem- 
ber of the order of Odd Fellows. 

REV. E. W. CATO. 

This gentleman was born in Wayne county, Mississippi, in 1819. 
When eight years old his father moved with him to the state of Alabama, 
and there he was educated and grew up. He pursued farming and other 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 735 

branches of business in Alabama for a number of years. In 1858 he 
be^an working at the wagon-making trade, and continued that business, 
but with some interruptions, until 1865. He enlisted in August, 1864, in 
company — , 4th regiment of Alabama reserves, and served in the Con- 
federate army until the close of the war. After the war he began work- 
ing at his trade, and also conducted a farm in connection with it. In the 
spring of 1868 he left Alabama, and came direct to Missouri. He stopped 
first for a few months in St. Louis county, and then went to Lafayette 
county, where he remained about a year, at the expiration of which time 
he came to Ray county, and has made his home here e^•er since. In the 
month of February, 1877, he removed to his present location, section 
32, township 54, range 26. Mr. Cato has about two acres in orchard and 
vineyard, and intends devoting his attention to grape-growing and wine- 
making. He was married in the year 1840, to Miss S. A. Booker, a 
native of Alabama. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cato are members of the Church 
of Latter Day Saints, and he is a minister of that denomination. Mr. 
Cato's father, Allen Cato, was a native of North Carolina. He died a 
few years ago, aged eighty years. His mother has been dead for a long 
while ; she was a native of Mississippi. Mrs. Cato's father, Willis Booker, 
was a native of North Carolina. He died in 1866, aged about seventy 
years. Her mother, Sarah, died a few years ago, at the age of seventy- 
six years. Mr. Cato is very popular as a preacher among his people, and 
is much esteemed and respected. 

GEORGE W. CLEMENS. 

Was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, in the year 1 845. He is 
the son of Jeremiah and Elizabeth Clemens. His father was born in 
Pennsylvania, and his mother in Kentucky. They are both yet living, 
in the state of Illinois. At the age of nine vears our subject left Virginia 
with his parents, going to Madison county, Illinois, where he remained 
until 1864, and then removed to Putnam county, Illinois. He began 
farming on his own account in 1865, and continued it in Illinois, until the 
year 1870, when he removed to Ray county, Missouri, and located upon 
the farm where he now resides (section thirteen, township hfty-three, 
range twenty-six.) This farm comprises four hundred and thirty-four 
acres of rich land, improved with a comfortable residence and good barn, 
and abundantly watered with good springs and wells, besides running 
streams. The farm is enclosed by hedge fences chiefly. Mr. Clemens 
is largely engaged in raising hve stock, and has his farm principally in 
pasture for that purpose. He intends in future to make a specialty of 
raising fine-bred sheep. Mr. Clemens was married on the 8th day of Feb- 
ruary, 1865, to Miss Elizabeth Larcher, a native of Ohio. They are the par- 
ents of six children: Joseph, Mar}' Elizabeth (dead), Emma Jane John, 



736 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Wesley, Jeremiah and Matthias. Mrs. Clemens' father, Mr. Matthias 
Lrarcher, is a native of Germany. He came to this country at an early 
day. He and her mother, Elizabeth, are now living in the state of 
Indiana, both at the advanced age of about seventy-one years. Both Mr. 
and Mrs. Clemens are consistent and leading members of the German 
Baptist Church. 

S. V. ENDSLEY. 

Son of John and Hannah Endsle}-, was born in Ray county, Missouri, 
in the year 1836. His parents were both natives of North Carolina. His 
father was born October 26, 1796, in Gifford county, North Carolina; died 
September 26, 1874, aged almost seventy-eight years. His mother died 
in March 1880, aged seventy-two years. Our subject was reared on a 
farm and received the advantages of the district schools in acquiring an 
education. He continued farming until the year 1859, when he went 
to California, arriving in the month of September, after having been about 
live months on the way, and remained there and engaged in mining until 
the month of March 1865, when he went to Nevada and remained in that 
state eleven months. He then returned to California, but remaining only 
a short time started to the Frazer river country in the north. He suc- 
ceeding in getting only as far as Victoria, and returned to Portland, 
Oregon. Thence he went to the Blackfoot country in Montana, and after 
mining there for a time, returned to Missouri in October, 1868. Remain- 
ing but a short time in this state, he returned to Montana, via New York 
and San Francisco, and followed mining until the fall of 1869. He then 
returned again to Ray county, Missouri, and located permanently here. 
Early in the spring of 1870, he removed to the place upon which he now 
resides, section fifteen, township fifty-three, range twenty-six. Here he 
owns five hundred and fifty-one acres of good farming pasture and timber 
lands, well watered and under good fencing. He has a handsome and 
comfortable residence, erected in 1876-7, at a cost of more than $2,500, a 
good barn and other buildings, and also a fine thrifty bearing orchard. He 
is devoting much attention to raising cattle and mules, and is also engaged 
in feeding stock for market. Mr. Endsley was married in 1871, to Miss 
Jennie Brown, a native of Carroll county, Missouri. Mrs. Endsley's father, 
William Brown, was a native of Tennessee. He died October 17, 1880, 
aged seventy years. Her mother, Sarah A., is a native of Salem, Stokes 
county. North Carolina. She is now in her sixty-eighth year, and is living 
with her daughter, Mrs. Endsley. Mr. Endsley is a very prosperous 
farmer and a prominent citizen. 



HISTORY OK RAY COUNTY. 737 

DANIEL H. STRATTON. 

Daniel H. Stratton was born in Ray county, Missouri, in 1840. He is 
the son of Daniel and Elizabeth Stratton. His father, a native of Ken- 
tucky, died in the month of June, 1860. His mother, who was born in 
Virginia, is yet livinor in Ray county. She is now seventy-two years of 
age. Mr. Stratton was raised on a farm, and has followed that business 
all his life. He commenced farming, on his own account, in 1861, and 
removed to his present location, section twenty-three, township fifty- 
three, range twenty-six, in the spring of the year 1868. He owns one 
hundred and twenty acres of rich land, well improved and watered, and 
in a fine state of cultivation. He is engaged, quite extensively, in raising 
and feeding hogs and cattle for market. This branch of his business is 
very profitable. Mr. Stratton was married in the year 1863, to Miss 
Elizabeth C. Bowman, a native of Virginia, but reared, principally, in 
Missouri. Seven children have been born of this union, named as fol- 
lows: Joseph Jackson, Samuel D., (dead) Alice C, Annie E., Florence 
R., Daniel H. and Sarah. Mr. Stratton holds the office of steward in Prai- 
rie Grange No. 1084, P. of H. He is a successful farmer, and is highly 
esteemed among his neighbors. 

JOHN H. McCUISTION. 

Was born in Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1847. He was edu- 
cated and reared in his native county. In the spring of 1868, he com- 
menced farming on his own account, and two years later removed to the 
place where he now lives, section twenty-two, township fifty-three, range 
twenty-six. Here he owns two hundred acres of good, productive land, 
well fenced and improved. His farm is nearly all sown in grass. Forty 
acres are in blue grass, and one hundred and twenty acres in timothy and 
clover. Mr. McCuistion has, for some years, been engaged very exten- 
sively in feeding and handling cattle. He feeds from one hundred and 
fifty to two hundred head every year. In the spring of 1865 he went to 
Iowa, and, after remaining there for a short time, thence to Nebraska, 
where he lived about three months. From Nebraska he moved to Salt 
Lake City, Utah, and after staying there for a short time, returned to his 
home in Ray county, Missouri. Mr. McCuistion was married on the 
27th day of September, 1870, to Miss Mollie J. Wollar.d, a native of Ray 
county, and the daughter of Thomas H. Wollard, Esq. The issue of 
this union was three children, only two of whom, Blanche Leonora and 
William Thomas, are now living. Mr. McCuistion is a good business 
man, a successful farmer and stock dealer, and a valuable citizen. 



738 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 



ADDISON HARPER. 



Addison Harper is a native of Augusta county, Virginia. He was 
born on the 15th day of September, 1809. While yet a child his parents 
removed with him to Rockingham county, Virginia, where he lived for 
some years. Between the age of twelve and fifteen years he lived at 
Philadelphia, and then returning to Virginia, shipped as a sailor on the 
United States ship Vandalia, Captain Gallagher. The afterwards cele- 
brated Admiral Farragut was second lieutenant of the ship, and our sub- 
ject became quite well acquainted with him. Mr. Harper remained on 
ship board more than three years, and during that time sailed all along the 
coast of South America, and visited many of the important sea-ports of 
that country. At the expiration of his service as a sailor, he returned to 
Virginia, and, subsequently, in the years 1849-50, represented Rocking- 
ham county in the state legislature. During his residence in Virginia, he 
met the distinguished French marquis and general, De La Fayette, on the 
occasion of one of his visits to America!. In the year 1839 Mr. Harper 
engaged in merchandising, at Brock's Gap, Virginia, and followed that 
business in connection with farming until the commencement of the civil 
war. Enlisting in the Confederate army, in the month of May, 1861, Mr. 
Harper recruited a company of volunteers, afterwards known as company 
A, 7th Virginia cavalry. He was a captain in the same regiment with 
Captain (afterwards general) x\shby. Colonel Mosby, then a private, was 
also a member of same regiment. Mr. Harper was engaged in the bat- 
tles of Manasas, Bull Run, Cross Keys, Port Republic and many others. 
He was promoted to a colonelcy, but afterwards resigned, and, returning 
home, engaged in the peaceful occupation of farming, until the month of 
October, 1869, when he removed to Ray county, Missouri, and located 
where he now resides, section 27, township 53, range 26. He owns 220 
acres of good land, 200 acres of which is in cultivation ^nd well improved. 
Mr. Harper was married November 9, 1837, to Miss Susan A. Cottrell, a 
native of Rockingham county, Virginia. They became the parents of 
thirteen children, six of whom are living at present, named as follows: 
Nancy B., Martha S., William A., Samuel M., Emma and Benjamin F, 
Both Mr. and Mrs. Harper are members of the German Baptist Church, 
and he is also an elder of that denomination. 

JAMES M. PUGH. 

This gentleman was born in Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1841. 
His father, David Pugh, was a native of Davidson county, Tennessee. 
He died in 1852, aged fifty years. His mother (Serena) is, also, a native 
of the state of Tennessee. She is yet living in Vernon county, Missouri. 
Our subject was reared and educated in this county and has lived, during 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 73& 

his entire life here. Locating where he now resides, (section 29, township 
53, range 26), in 18d9, he commencing the business of farming for himself.. 
He is the owner of three hundred and sixty acres of excellent land, under 
good rail and hedge fences, and improved with a large, comfortable resi- 
dence, a good frame barn, and other necessary buildings. During the 
last four or five years, Mr. Pugh has been giving much attention to the' 
raising of live stock, especially cattle. James M. Pugh was married on 
the 1st day of October, 1874, to Miss Huldah F. Wollard, a native of Ray 
county, Missouri. They are the parents of two children, Laura Temple 
and Thomas Wollard. Mr. Pugh is a member of Lodge No. 322, A. F* 
& A. M., at Hardin. He is a good citizen and a practical, successful 
farmer. 

DAVID B. BOWMAN. 

David B. Bowman is a native of Rockingham county, Virginia. He 
was born April 22, 1817. He was raised on a farm, and, after he grew 
up, pursued the business of farming in his native county until the year 
1857. Early in the spring of that year he started to Missouri. He 
traveled with teams as far as Wheeling, Virginia, and came from there by 
river, landing at Lexington, Lafayette county, on the 4th day of May, 
1857. Soon after he came to Ray county, and located upon his present 
farm, in section thirty-two, township fifty-three, range twenty-six. He 
owns here two hundred and forty acres of prairie land, in a fine state of 
cultivation, well improved, and inclosed with hedge fences. He has, also, 
an excellent orchard. Besides this homestead, Mr. Bowman owns one 
hundred and thirty-one acres in Crooked river bottom, fifty acres of 
it timber land, and under fence. Mr. Bowman is engaged, also, in raising 
and feeding a superior grade of cattle for market. He was married in 
1840, to Miss Anna Showalter, also a native of Rockingham county, 
Virginia. They became the parents of twelve children, all now living 
but one. Their names follow: John H., Elizabeth C, wife of D. H. 
Stratton; Ann E., wife of J. Vantrump; Jacob F., Rebecca, wife of Oscar 
Dana; Virginia F., David B., Benjamin D., Sarah M., Ida F.,and Emma. 

Mrs. Bowman died January 23, 1878, at the age of about fifty-six years. 
She was an estimable lady, greatly esteemed during life, and her death 
was much lamented throughout a large circle of friends. Mr. Bowman 
is a consistent member of the German Baptist Church, as was, also, his 
wife. 

JOHN H. EVANS. 

Was born in Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1838. He received his 
education in the district schools of his native county, after the manner 
usual with other farmers' boys at that time. His father, Lorenzo D. 



740 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Evans, is a native of Tennessee. He immigrated to Missouri at an early- 
day, and is now living here at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. 
His mother, Susan, is also a native of Tennessee, and is yet living. After 
our subject attained his majority, he engaged in farming in this county 
until the outbreaking of the civil war. He enlisted June 4, 1861, in com- 
pany F, 4th Missouri regiment of General Sterling Price's command. He 
was engaged in the battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek and Lexington. 
Having taken sick, he was left at Rose Hill, Johnson county, Missouri, 
where he remained until the time for which he enlisted had expired. 
He was slightly wounded twice in battle. From Rose Hill after his 
recovery, he came home to Ray county, but remaining only a short time 
went to Illinois, and remained in that state about a year. Returning again 
to his home, he resumed the business of farming, and in the month of 
February, 1866, removed to his present location, section thirty-five, town- 
ship fifty-three, range twenty-six. Here he owns one hundred and 
four acres of farming and timber lands, well improved and watered by 
running streams. Mr. Evans gives special attention to raising good breeds 
of hogs and cattle. He has been twice married, first in February, 1866, 
to Miss Mary A. Long, a native of Missouri. The issue of this marriage 
was four children: Effie F., Robert S., Fannie E., and Susan Estella. 
His wife died July 13, 1877, and Mr. Evans was again married November 
3, 1878, to Miss Alice E. Chrisman. They have one child, Henry L. 
Mrs. Evans is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. Mr. Evans 
has been, for three years past, secretary .of Prairie Grange, No. 1084, 
P. of H. 

DAVID B. RHODES. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, 
in 1828. He received his education in the common schools, and grew up 
in his native county. At the age of eighteen years he learned the carpen- 
tering trade, and pursued that calling, constantly for ten years afterwards. 
Mr. Rhodes was married in the year 1856, to Miss Sarah Zigler, a native 
of Rockingham county, Virginia. In the year, 1858, he partly quit car- 
pentering and engaged in farming, which business he followed, in his 
native state until 1868. He then left Virginia, and came to his present 
farm, (section 35, township 53, range 26), in Ray county, Missouri, where 
he has ever since resided. He owns a neat place of ninety-six acres, of 
good land, well watered by a running stream and spring. He has a com- 
fortable residence, a conveniently arranged barn, and a fine young orchard. 
He is engaged, also, in raising and feeding stock, chiefly cattle. During 
the war, Mr. Rhodes was living in the *' burnt district " of the Shenan- 
doah valley, and in consequence, suffered considerable loss of property. 
Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes became the parents of eight children : Minnie, wife 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 741 

of Samuel A. Sandy; Emily F., wife of John Vantrump; Laura A., wife 
of Samuel K. Rhodes; Lizzie A., wife of Samuel Hogan;John M., S3'dney 
A., Jacob S. and Iva May. Both Mr. Rhodes and wife, with three of 
their daughters, are members of the German Baptist Church. 

SAMUEL B. SHIRKY. 

Was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, on the 1st day of Septem- 
ber 1840. He attended the common schools of the neighborhood, and 
after he grew up remained at home, working on the farm until the begin- 
ning of the war between the states. He enlisted in the Confederate army 
in August, 1861, company H, 10th Virginia cavalry, Hampton's brigade. 
He was engaged in the battle of Gettysburg, the seven da3's fight around 
Richmond and at Spottsylvania court house. He was paroled after the 
surrender of General Lee, at Appomattox court house, and returning 
home resumed the business of farming. In the spring of 1869, he came 
to Missouri and located where he now resides, section twenty-six, town- 
ship fifty-three, range twenty-six, in Ray county. He owns one hundred 
and sixty acres of very productive land, all in a high state of cultivation 
except about twenty acres of timber land. Upon this land is a large spring 
affording water sufficient for hundreds of head of stock. He has two 
thrifty young orchards, besides small fruits and grapes in great abundance. 
He has a handsome commodious residence, and a barn unusually large, 
well arranged and convenient for the accommodation of all his live stock, 
hay, grain and agricultural implements. For the past four years Mr. 
Shirky has been seeding his fields successfully in blue grass, timothy and 
clover, in order to convert them into a stock farm exclusively. He now 
handles all the live stock the size of his farm will allow. He has some 
very fine graded cattle and is constantly improving his herd. Samuel B. 
Shirky was married in the year 1865, to Miss Catharine Zigler, a native 
of Rockingham county, Virginia. They are the parents of eight children, 
six of whom are now living: John H., Anna C, Gideon E., Joseph B., 
Sallie v., and Emma F. Mr. Shirky and his wife are both members of 
the German Baptist Church. His parents, David and Catharine Shirky, 
are both natives of Rockingham county, Virginia, and both still living. 
Mr. Shirky has a model farm, and he conducts it very successfully. 

THOMAS H. WOLLARD. 

Thomas H. Wollard was born in Ray county, Missouri, in the year 
1827, upon the land whereon the town of Richmond is now situated. His 
father, John Wollard, a native of the state of North Carolina, came to 
Ray county when it was almost a wilderness, and pre-empted and 
improved the land where Richmond now stands. He died in May, 1877, 
aged seventy-six years. Our subject's mother, Mrs. Nancy Wollard, was 



742 HISTORY OP' RAY COUNTY. 

a native of Tennessee, she died in 1873, aged seventy years. Thomas H. 
Wollard grew up on a farm immediately east of Richmond, and lived 
there until he enlisted in the army for the war against Mexico. He 
started out in Captain Israel Henley's company, with Colonel Sterhng 
Price's regiment. They marched from Richmond to Sante Fe and 
thence to El Paso, Chihuahua. In the meantime, however, the company 
had been organized and placed under command of Captain Thomas 
Hudson, and assigned to Colonel A, W. Doniphan's regiment. Mr. Wol- 
lard engaged in the battles of Brazito and Sacramento, then marched to 
Buena Vista and Monterey, thence to New Orleans, where he was dis- 
charged from service. From New Orleans he returned home, in July, 

1849. In the year 1849, he came to his present location, section 28, 
township 53, range 26, and has lived there ever since. He owns more 
than 1,300 acres of most excellent land in one body, besides other farms 
adjacent, amounting in the aggregate to about 2,000 acres. His home place 
is in a very fine state of cultivation, improved with excellent buildings, hand- 
somely appointed for comfort and convenience. He has about 1,000 
acres of blue grass and timothy, enclosed with good hedge fences, chiefly 
in 40 acre fields. He has three large orchards bearing the best kinds 
of fruit, and berries and the smaller fruits in almost endless variety and 
profusion. Mr. Wollard has, for twenty-five years, been making a 
specialty of raising cattle and mules. At present he is giving his atten- 
tion almost entirely to cattle. He was married in the month of January, 

1850, to Miss N. C. Prichard, a native of Ray county, Missouri. They 
are the parents of five children: Huldah F., wife of J. M. Pugh; Mary 
J., wife of John H. McCuistion; John M., Laura I. and Thomas J. Mr. 
Wollard is one of the best and most successful farmers, as well as one of 
the most prominent and influential citizens of Ray county. 

WILLIAM W. NELSON. 

Was born in Lafayette county, Missouri, October, 1825. His father, 
John Nelson, a native of East Tennessee, came to Missouri in a very early 
day and settled in Lafayette county, before Lexington was laid out. He 
died about four years ago, aged eighty-four years. Our subject attended 
the district schools and lived in Lafayette county until the beginning of 
the war with Mexico. On the 6th day of June, 1846, he enlisted in com- 
pany B, Captain William Walton, of Colonel Doniphan's regiment, and 
marched from Lafayette county to the seat of war in Mexico. He was 
engaged in the battles of Brazito and Sacramento, and, after doing much 
hard marching, was discharged at New Orleans, about the 1st of July, 
1847, and returned home. He staid in Lafayette county until the spring 
of 1848, and then went again to Mexico. He remained only a short time 
and came back to Missouri. In the month of August, 1849, he started 



HISTORY OP^ RAY COUNTY. 748 

to California, by the southern route, and, after traveling nearly all winter, 
reached there on the 22d of January, 1S50. He lived there, engaged in 
mining for nearly four years, and then returned, by water, to Lafayette 
county. After remaining one year longer in his native county, he came, 
in 1855, to Ray county, and settled where he now lives, section thirty- 
one, township fifty-three, range twenty-six. He is the possessor of two 
hundred and sixty acres of fertile land, in a fine state of cultivation, 
improved with good buildings and well watered by living springs. Mr. 
Nelson was married in the month of June, 1856, to Miss Keziah S. Grant, 
a native of Daviess county, Missouri. The issue of this marriage was 
nine children: John W., George C, Sterling P., Leonidas, Cora A., 
Lavina B., Franklin Y., Leila and Clarence. Mrs. Nelson is a member 
of the Presbyterian Church. 

MOODY MANSUR, M. D. 

Dr. Moody Mansur was born in the township of Temple, Hillsboro 
county, New Hampshire, on the 3d day of February, 1808. In the win- 
ter of 1813, his parents removed to Windsor county, Vermont, where he 
remained on a farm until the month of November, 1827. He then went 
to Boston, Massachusetts, and engaged as clerk in a hotel with his older 
brother, Stephen, where he remained about two years. In February, 
1829, he engaged with his brother Alvah, and one Ransom Reed, in a 
wholesale store, at Lowell, Massachusetts. Here he remained nearly 
three years. From 1832 to 1835, during the scholastic year, he attended 
an academy at Hampton, New Hampshire, making great advancement in 
English literature and the classics. After leaving this school, he went to 
Lowell and commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Elisha Bartlett, 
as preceptor. He continued with Dr. Bartlett for three years, and in the 
meantime attended three courses of lectures in Boston, at the medical 
college of Harvard University. In August, 1836, he received his diploma 
from this institution, conferring upon him the graduates' degree of Doctor 
of Medicine, and entitling him to membership in the Massachusetts Med- 
ical Society. He returned to Lowell and began the practice of his pro- 
fession there, which he continued until September, 1837, and then went to 
Philadelphia. From there he went out as physician and surgeon, to the 
army in the Florida war. So efficient were the services he rendered, 
that not a man whom he treated died from sickness. The army was dis- 
banded at New Orleans, and Dr. Mansur reported at Washington City 
for settlement of his claim for professional services. In October, 1838, he 
established himself in Jefferson City, Missouri, and the next year opened 
a drug store in connection with his practice. He continued this business 
there until 1841, and then went to Weston, in Platte county. There he 
remained until the autumn of 1844. He suffered greatly from the flood 



744 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

of that year, both in property and the health of his family. In me month 
of November, the health of his family being sufficiently restored, he 
removed to Liberty, Clay county, Missouri. Here he remained until the 
spring of 1845, and then removed to Ray county and settled upon a part 
of the lands he owns at present. In 1849, he went to California, over- 
land, with an ox team. So great were the hardships he endured on this 
trip, that his health was entirely destroyed, and he was prostrated with a 
long spell of sickness after reaching San Francisco. He remained in 
California until 1851, and his experiences there were varied and interest- 
ing, but our space will not permit our recounting them here. In Febru- 
ary, 1851, he started home by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New 
Orleans. He spent forty days on an ocean sail vessel between San Fran- 
cisco and the Isthmus. He crossed Panama on foot, and shipped in a 
steamer for home via New Orleans, arriving in Ray county, in the month 
of May. He soon after removed to his present location, section eighteen, 
township fifty-three, range twenty-six, and has, ever since, lived there. 
He owns two hundred and thirty-eight acres of good land, about half of 
which is in a fine state of cultivation, well improved, with handsome, 
comfortable residence, fine orchard and small fruits etc., of great variety 
and abundance. Dr. Mansur was married in the month of June, 1839, at 
Jefferson City, Missouri, to Miss Mary M. Basye, a native of the state of 
Missouri, and the daughter of Major Alfred and Frances R. Basye. Her 
father was a native of Kentucky, and her mother of South Carolina. 
Eleven children have been born to Doctor and Mrs. Mansur. Seven of 
them are now living, named as follows: Louisa Frances, wife of James 
Tinsley; George G., Elismon, Basye Gertrude, David A., Richard H., 
and Edward A. In politics Dr. Mansur, for twenty-nine years prior to 
the civil war, was a democrat. When the war broke out he sided with 
the cause of the Union, and since that time, until 1876, he affiliated with 
the republican party. Since 1876, he has been an active promulgator 
and supporter of the principles of the greenback-labor party. In religion 
Dr. Mansur is, and has been for fifty-four years, a member of the Baptist 
Church. His wife, one daughter and two sons, belong to the Christian 
Church. 

LEONARD G. OSTER. 

Was born in Richland county, Ohio, in October, 1838. When he was 
but two years of age, his parents removed with him to Caldwell county, 
Missouri. Here he was educated and grew up. In 1857 he went to the 
state of Kansas, but, remaining only a short time, removed from there to 
Santa Fe, New Mexico. From there he soon returned to Missouri, and 
remained here until 1860, when he went to Colorado, and engaged 
in mining for about six months. Then came back again to Mis- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 745 

souri, and remained here until the beginning of the civil war. About the 
first of December, 1861, he enlisted in company K, 22d regiment of Mis- 
souri volunteers, Union army. He was twice wounded and finally cap- 
tured by the enemy, at the battle of Shiloh. After remaining a prisoner 
in the hands of the Confederates for some days he was re-taken by the 
Union troops. He was discharged, January 22d, 1863, at Benton bar- 
racks, St. Louis, and immediately returned home. He joined the army 
again, in 1864, and was engaged in the fight near Albany, Ray county. 
Soon afterward he was discharged from the service, and returned to farm- 
ing in Caldwell county, Missouri. In 1873 he made a trip to Arkansas, 
and brought back with him a herd of cattle. In the year 1874 he sold his 
properly in Caldwell county, and removed to his present location in Ray 
county (section thirty, township fifty-four, range twenty-six). He owns 
three hundred and sixteen acres of productive land, improved with a hand- 
some new residence and other buildings, also a thrifty orchard. In addi- 
tion to farming he is engaged in raising, feeding, and shipping live-stock. 
Mr. Oster was married, in the month of January, 1864, to Miss Rebecca 
A. Phillips, a native of Indiani, but reared chiefly in the state of Illinois. 
They have eight children living: Ada D., Anna M., Herbert U., Charles, 
Daniel, Myrtle, Daisy, and Rosa B. Mr. Oster is a member of Myrtle 
Lodge, No. 338, A. F. & A. M., at Millville. Mrs. Oster is a member of 
the Christian Church. 

JOHN A. ROSS. 

The subject of this article was born in Kosciusko county, Ohio, on the 
11th day of February, 1839. While he was in infancy his parents 
removed with him to Brown county, Ohio, and there he lived until he was 
nineteen years old. In the month of April, 1858, he came to Ray county, 
Missouri. While at St. Louis, on his way from Ohio, he attended the 
tuneral of the distinguished Missouri senator and statesman, Thomas 
H. Benton. He taught school for a short time soon after his arrival in 
the county. In the spring of 1859 he started to Pike's Peak, Colorado, 
but, on arriving at St. Joseph, changed his mind and went to Des Moines, 
Iowa. After visiting several places in that state, he returned to Missouri, 
and taught school for a short time in Mercer county. From that time 
until the beginning of the civil war he traveled through western Mis- 
souri, pursuing the business of sign writing. On the 19th day of June, 
1861, he enlisted in company A, 1st Missouri battalion mounted infantry, 
8th division, Missouri state guards, captain, David Boone; lieutenant-col- 
onel, John W. Pa3'ne; division commander. General James Raines. He 
was engaged in the battles of Dug Spring, Wilson's Creek, Dry Wood, 
and Lexington. At the latter place, after the battle, the command was 
47 



746 HISTORY OF RAY COUNli. 

re-organized, called the 6th cavalry, and placed under the command of 
Golonel John T. Colfee. Mr, Ross was appointed ordnance master, in 
which position he continued until he was discharged from the service. He 
was engaged in the battles of Pea Ridge, Shiloh, and Farmington. Mr. 
Ross was the first to reach and raise the Union general Lyon after he 
was shot, at the battle of Wilson's Creek, early in the war. Having been 
sick and unable to do duty, and, in consequence, committed to the hospital 
at Mobile, Alabama, Mr. Ross was discharged from that institution in the 
summer of 1863, and went to Fort Laramie, to Denver, and to Montana, 
where he engaged for about two years in mining. From there he went 
to Nevada, thence to California, from California to Mexico, and from 
there to Central America, and thence into South America, where he 
remained, in Quito, a short time; thence he came back to the coast, and 
from the coast to the West Indies. Here he remained a short time, and 
then sailed for New York, Arriving there, he spent some time in that 
city. Then he came west, and stopped for a short time in Brown county, 
Ohio. From there he came to Ra}- county, Missouri, arriving in the 
month of March, 1866. The succeeding year he started again to Cali- 
fornia, but being taken sick at Rock Blutf, he returned to Lafayette 
county, Missouri, and remained there about three years. In the fall of 
1869 he came to his present location in this county, section 22, township 
54, range 26. He owns a fine, fertile farm of four hundred acres, all 
inclosed by good fences, and well improved. Mr. Ross was married in 
1876, to Miss Sarah I. Cato, a native of the state of Alabama. They 
have three children: John A., Anna, and Samuel R. Mr. Ross is a mem- 
ber of Dover Lodge No. 122, A. F. & A. M. 

JACOB VANTRUMP. 

Jacob Vantrump was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, in the 
year 1845. He lived there on a farm until 1859, and then came to Ray 
county, Missouri. In 1867 he moved to his present location, (section 
23, township 53, range 26,) where he owns ninety acres of excellent 
land, enclosed with good hedges, and well improved. He has a 
very fine orchard, two good wells, and an unfaihng spring. He enlisted 
August 1, 1864, in company F, 44th Missouri infantry, Union arm v. He 
participated in the battle of Mobile, Alabama. In November, 1864, he was 
attacked by sickness, and lay in the hospital for several months. He was 
discharged from the army August 1, 1865, at St. Louis, and at once 
returned home to Ray county. Mr. Vantrump was married June 10, 
1866, to Miss Eliza Ann Bowman, a native of Rockingham county, Vir- 
ginia. They became the parents of six children, named as follows: 
Mary E,, John H., Sarah A., Rebecca F., Temperance M., and Madissa 



, HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 747 

Belle. Both Mr. and Mrs. Vantrump are members of the German Bap- 
tist Church. He is a valuable citizen, and an enterprising and prosperous 
farmer. 

W. T. WILSON. 

This gentleman was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, on the 10th 
day of July, 1822. There he was educated, and lived upon a farm until 
he was twenty years old. In 1842 he came to Ray county, Missouri, and 
settled on a farm about two miles south of Richmond. He was living 
there during the flood of 1844, and sustained great damage from the 
overflow of the river. In the month of March, 1855, he moved to his 
present farm, section thirty-four, township fifty-three, range twenty-six, 
and has continued to live there ever since. He owns one hundred and 
fifty-seven acres of good land, well fenced and improved. It is watered 
by the Wakanda. He has a large orchard of some seven hundred bear- 
ing trees. This orchard yields an immense and valuable crop. Mr. Wil- 
son was married July 4, 1844, to Miss Nancy E. Pritchard,a native of the 
state of Tennessee, but came to Missouri early in life. They became the 
parents of seven children: Sarah J., Robert (died in 1872, aged twenty- 
five years), Virginia F., the wife of George W. Temple ; Mary E, (died 
in May, 1878), Ida, Lee, and Oleita. Both Mr. Wilson and his wife are 
leading members of the Christian Church, and he is also lecturer of 
Prairie Grange, No. 1084, P. of H. Mr. Wilson's farm is particularly 
well adapted to raising tobacco and hemp. He has produced some as 
large crops of these commodities as have ever been grown in the county. 
Mr. Wilson is a leading, prosperous farmer, and an influential and valua- 
ble citizen of Grape Grove township. 

HENRY RENFRO. 

Henry Renfro is a native of Ray county, Missouri. He was born on 
the 5th day of February, 1835. His father, Mr. John Renfro, came from 
Kentucky in 1833, and settled on a farm about four miles north of Mill- 
ville. When our subject was fifteen years old, his father sold this place, 
and removed upon the one he now owns, a mile or two east of the former 
place. Here Henry attended school in his youth, and worked on the 
farm until he was twenty-two years old, and then went to Chillicothe, 
Missouri, where he spent a year. Returning home, he took entire man- 
agement of his father's place, and conducted the farm for two years. He 
then went to Colorado, and, after spending six months, mining for gold 
there, he returned home in the autumn of 1859. The following winter 
he was married, at the age of twenty-five years, to Miss Martha xMcCuis- 
tion. After his marriage he was engaged in farming until the beginning 
of the civil war. Leaving his young wife and infant daughter in the care 



748 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

of his father-in-law, Mr. Renfro joined his fortunes with the cause of the 
south, and enlisted for three years in the Confederate army, company C, 
Colonel Reeves' 3d Missouri volunteers. Before the expiration of the 
time for which he had entered the army he enlisted for the whole war. 
His experiences were interesting and varied, but the scope of this work 
will not admit of following him through them all. At the siege of Vicks- 
burg, Mississippi, he received a wound, which necessitated the amputa- 
tion of his left leg below the knee. After the surrender he was paroled, 
June 26, 1865, and returned home to Ray county, arriving July 19, 1865. 
His wife had managed to save about five hundred dollars from the wreck 
of his property by the war, and on this amount he again began the life of 
a peaceful, law-abiding citizen. During the first three years after his return 
from the war he farmed, and then, going to Millville, entered the drug 
trade with Doctor W. M. Quarles. In 1873 he bought Doctor Quarles* 
interest in the business and has ever since conducted the business very 
successfully alone. Mr. and Mrs. Renfro are the parents of nine children, 
seven girls and two boys, all living at home with their parents. Mr. 
Renfro is a worthy member of the Christian Church, at Millville. 

JAMES B. NOEL. 

This gentleman is a native of Monroe county, Missouri. He was born 
on the 1st day of March, 1840, and spent the first twenty years of his life 
in that county, at home with his parents, in the manner usual with the 
sons of farmers. In 1861 he enlisted, at Governor Jackson's first call, in 
the army of the Confederacy, joining the company of Captain James John- 
son, who had been a soldier in the war with Mexico. After the battle of 
Springfield, Missouri, the term of service for which he had enlisted having 
expired, Mr. Noel returned to his home, but was compelled to flee the 
same night of his arrival at home, to escape being killed by bitter partisans 
of the other side. He went to Arkansas and enlisted in the state guards. 
He subsequently left Arkansas, and during the remainder of the war, 
lived a " life on the wing," going from point to point in the states of Mis- 
souri, Iowa and Nebraska. He was compelled to live in this migratory 
manner to avoid entering the Union service. After the war was over he 
kept a feed and sale stable one year at Nebraska City. He has been 
engaged, at different times in life, in a variety of employments. The most 
profitable of these was freighting goods between Canon City and Lead- 
ville, Colorado, soon after the opening of the latter place. Mr. Noel had 
previously (1862) made his home in Ray county, and he returned here in 
the autumn of 1879, and has since that time been engaged here in farming, 
trading and freighting. He was first married in the spring of 1863, in 
Ray county, to Miss Alice Davis, daughter of Mr. Van. Davis. Three 
children were born of this marriage, but only one, Hiram Tucker, is now 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 749 

living. Mrs. Noel died in April, 1870, and Mr. Noel was married again 
in September, 1872, to Miss Sarah Risley, of Ray county. The issue 6i 
this union was three children, two boys and a girl, all now living. Mr. 
Noel is now (April, 1881,) proprietor of the onl}- hotel at Millville. 

RICHARD C. CRAVEN. 
Richard C. Craven was born in Ray county, on the 21st day of August, 
1843. His father, Solomon Craven, was an early settler of that county, 
having come from Tennessee here in 1829, and settled upon a farm near 
Knoxville, where our subject was born, and where he lived until twenty- 
two years of age. He attended the district schools of his father's neigh- 
borhood during the winter season, and assisted with the farm work in 
summer. In 1865 he went to Colorado, and was there occupied in min- 
ing for about three years in the locality of Central City. He then removed 
to a ranch, in the southern part of Colorado, and lived there for one year. 
After spending the succeeding summer in the Indian Territory, he returned 
to Ray county, Missouri, and engaged in farming for three years. He 
then, in 1873, began merchandising at Millville, in partnership with Mr. 
Graham Fletcher. They continued in the business together, until the 
month of May, 1880, when Mr. Fletcher sold his interest to W. R. Cra- 
ven, and the brothers have since conducted the business together, under 
the title of R. C. & W. R. Craven. Mr. Craven was married on the 9th 
day of January, 1870, to Miss Emma Wood, daughter of Robert A. 
Wood, who resides near Millville. They became the parents of seven 
children, two of whom died in infancy. The others are now living Mr, 
Craven became a member of the M. E. Church South, in 1871, and is also 
a member of the Masonic order. He w^as, for six years prior to 1880, 
master of lodge No. 338, at Millville. He joined the I. O. G. T. lodge 
when it was organized in 1879. He is a prosperous business man and a 
good citizen. 

J. F. CRAMER. 

Is a native of Ray county, Missouri. He was born on the 4th day of 
March, 1856. He worked on his father's farm in summer, and attended 
school in the winter, until he had completed the course usually taught in 
the common schools. He then entered Central College at Fayette, Mis- 
souri, and remained a student in that excellent institution for two years. 
After returning home from college, he began merchandising, in 1878, with 
his brother-^n-law, Mr. John P. Grimes, under the firm name of Grimes & 
Cramer, at Millville, Ray county, Missouri. In this business, Mr. Cramer 
is, at present engaged. He was enumerator, in his locality, of the tenth 
United States census. He is a gentleman of steady business habits,' and a 
member of the Good Templar lodge at Millville. Grimes & Cramer are 
very popular, and they are doing a lively and prosperous business. 



750 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

JOHN P. GRIMES. 

Was born in Campbell county, East Tennessee, June 3, 1838. His 
father, Henry C. Grimes, was a farmer, and raised a family of seven 
children, of whom our subject was the third in order of birth, and the first 
son. His father first came to Ray county, Missouri, in 1836, but remain- 
ing only one year, went back to Tennessee and remained there five years 
longer. He came back to Missouri, and settled in Ray count}', in the 
year 18.51. John was then in his fourteenth year, and he spent the suc- 
ceeding eleven years on the farm, with his father, about ten miles from 
Richmond. The principal part of his education he obtained in Tennessee,, 
though he attended school after coming to this county until he was 
grown. In the spring of 1864, he bought a farm ab©ut seven miles north- 
west of Knoxville, and lived there four years. He then sold this farm and 
began merchandising at Knoxville, and continued the business until Feb- 
ruar}^, 1870, when he traded his stock of goods for a farm near Millville, 
and lived there, until the following August, raising one crop. He then 
bought the store of Carter & Davis, at Millville, and removed thither with 
his family. In August, 1878, J. F. Cramer became a partner in the busi- 
ness, and the firm is styled Grimes & Cramer. They continue to do a 
thriving business at Millville. Mr. Grimes was married in the month of 
October, 1860, to Miss Mary E. Cramer, daughter of Judge David 
Cramer, of Ray county. Seven children have been born of this union, all 
now living at home with their parents. Mr. Grimes is a member of the 
Masonic lodge at Millville, and has several times served his lodge in an 
official capacity. He is also a Good Templar, having been a charter 
member of the lodge where he lives. He has belonged to the Methodist 
Episcopal Church South since 1868. He has frequently represented his 
church as a delegate to conference, etc. 

J. M. CARTER. 

The subject of this sketch was born in St. Lawrence county. New 
York, January 3, 183(>. His father, Mr. Ira Carter, was a farmer and 
stock-raiser of that county, and the possessor of considerable property. 
Ira Carter removed with his family to the state of Illinois, and there our 
subject was educated. His father died when James was sixteen years of 
age, and the next year he came to Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, and 
began clerking in the general merchandise store of Carter & McGhee. 
The senior partner of this firm was his half-brother. After remaining in 
this position for about eighteen months, he went, at the heat of the gold 
excitement in 1849, to California, where he spent a year at mining, and 
then went to Oregon, and engaged in the lumber business. This enter- 
prise was very successful, and in ]852 Mr. Carter returned to Missouri. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 751 

He located at Albany, Ray county, and engaged in merchandising and 
milling with his brother, Mr. Eli Carter. He continued the business until 
1859, when J. M. Carter sold his interest to his brother and others, and 
bought, in partnership with Mr. W. R. Shotwell, the mill located at the 
town of Millville. They operated this mill together until Mr. Carter 
went to Colorado, in 1860. In Colorado, Mr. Carter operated a saw-mill 
for another party, for about one year, and then came for his famil}', and 
took them to Colorado with him, leaving Mr. Shotwell again in charge 
of the mill they owned in partnership. During the time he was in the 
state of Colorado Mr. Carter engaged in farming and stock-raising, and 
by his industry and enterprise made the business very successful. He 
returned to Millville, Ray county, Missouri, in the autumn of 1865. Mr. 
Carter was married on the Ith da}^ of May, 1854, to Miss Susan R. Har- 
rison. They became the parents of seven children, two sons and five 
daughters, all now living. One daughter, Ida B., is the wife of Mr. John 
A. Fletcher. The others are at home with their parents. Mr. Carter 
resides at Millville, where he owns and operates a large flouring-mill. He 
is a leading member of the M. E. Church South, and belongs to the 
Masonic lodge at Millville. His business is very prosperous, and he has 
a handsome home, surrounded by modern conveniences and comforts. 
As a man and a citizen he is highly esteemed and respected by all who 
know him. 

W. M. QUARLES, M. D. 

William M. Quarles was born in Wilson count}-, Tennessee, on the 19th 
day of September, 1840, and lived there until he was eleven years of age. 
He then came with his father in March, 1851, to Ray county. Missouri, 
and has lived here ever since. His father received the appointment of 
postmaster at Richmond, and lived there until the outbreak of the civil 
war, conducting a small farm half a mile from town, in connection with 
the postoffice. Our subject worked on this farm during summer, and 
attended Richmond College in winter. He received the greater part of 
his education at this school. In the year 1856, he began clerking in the 
dry goods store of Hughes, Wasson & Stewart, at Richmond, and con- 
tinued with them for two years. Becoming imbued with the determina- 
tion to fit himself for the practice of medicine, he entered the drug store 
of Dr. Mosby, and remaining with him two years, devoted the time to 
studying his chosen profession. At the beginning of the civil war he 
espoused the cause of the south, and responded promptly to Governor 
Jackson's call for volunteers by enlisting in the 1st Missouri cavalry. At 
the expiration of the time, six months, for which he had enlisted in the 
state guards, he entered the regular Confederate service for three years, 
in Colonel Reeves' 3d Missouri regiment of volunteers. In the spring of 



752 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

1862 he was sergeant and ensign, and afterwards was promoted to a first 
lieutenantcy. He served with great credit throughout the entire war, and 
was paroled after the surrender, on the 16th day of May, 1865. He at 
once returned to his home in Richmond, Missouri, and again entered Dr. 
Mosby's drug store as clerk, and resumed the study of medicine. By 
close economy he after awhile, saved money enough from his salary to 
defray the expense of a course of lectures. He accordingly entered the 
St. Louis Medical College for the term of 1866-7. At the expiration of 
the lecture course in the spring of 1867, he went to Millville, Ray county, 
and began the practice of his profession with such success that in about a 
3'ear and a half he had secured means enough to return to college, which 
he did, graduating in the spring of 1869, from the St. Louis Medical Col- 
lege with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Dr. Quarles was married on 
the 17th day of March, 1868, to Miss Octavia Fowler, daughter of T. B. 
Fowler, Esq. Five children have been born of this union, two sons and 
three daughters. Their first son and one daughter, died in infancy, the 
others are living at this time, April, 1881. In 1874 Dr. Quarles engaged 
in partnership with his father-in-law, in the dry goods business at Mill- 
ville. He employed a clerk in the store to enable him to give his indivi- 
dual attention to his professional labors. Mr. Fowler was soon after 
elected to the office of county collector, and they sold the dry goods store 
to John P. Grimes. Dr. Quarles then went to Richmond, and engaged in 
the drug business with Dr. Holman, in connection with the practice of his 
profession. This partnership was broken up by the election of Dr. Hol- 
man county treasurer, and Dr. Quarles returned to Millville. Here he 
now enjoys a large and remunerative practice. 

AMI HUGHES. 

The gentleman whose name heads this sketch is a native of Ray 
county, Missouri, and was born on the old homestead of the Hughes fam- 
ily, June 5, 1857. He laid the foundation of his education in the common 
schools of his neighborhood, and then entered Richmond College, from 
which institution he graduated, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, on 
his birthday, 1877. He spent the first year after leaving college, at home 
with his father, in Richmond, occasionally assisting with work on the 
farm in the county. In March, 1879, then in his twenty-second year, was 
given the entire management and control of the large farm owned by his 
father, Mr. James S. Hughes, of Richmond. He conducted the business 
of this place alone, until his brother, Allen, who had been doing busines 
in St. Louis, came to his assistance, and they now operate the farm 
together. This place, consisting of 880 acres of excellent land, is situ- 
ated eight miles northeast of the town of Richmond. In fertility of soii» 
abundance of water, woodland and pasture, it is not surpassed by any in 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 753 

the county. It is well improved, havincr a commodious and handsome 
brick dwelling house, a large, roomy and conveniently constructed barn, 
and a tine, thrifty bearing orchard. Mr. Hughes and his brother are 
devoting special attention to stock raising, and have now some of the best 
varieties of fine-bred stock upon their farm. Mr. Hughes, though young 
in years, is a practical farmer, and bids fair to gain, in after years, wealth, 
and a position of great usefulness in the community. He is a courteous, 
afiable gentleman, and highly esteemed by all who know him, for his 
many excellent qualities of head and heart. 

JULIUS A. MADDUX. 

Julius Augustus Maddux was born in Ray county, Missouri, three 
miles southeast of Millville. His father had been a farmer in Ray 
county some fort3^-four years at the time of his death. Mr. Maddux was 
educated in the district schools and grew up on his father's farm, and has 
ever since followed the business of farming. He was married in the 
year 1860, to Miss Mary Fields. The issue of this union was one child 
Nancy W., now the wife of Mr. John Manley. Mrs. Maddux died when 
her child was but ten days old, and, in the spring of 1863, Mr. Maddux 
was married to Martha J. Turnadge, daughter of John Turnadge. 
They became the parents of seven children, five of whom, one girl and 
four boys, are living at this time, April, 1881. Four years after his mar- 
riage, Mr, Maddux bought a farm on Crooked river, and lived upon it 
three years. He then traded it for a place near where he was born. 
After living there for about three years, he removed to his present loca- 
tion, sectiorfs fifteen and twenty-two, township fifty-three, range twenty- 
eight. Mr. Maddux is a member of Charter Oak Grange, Patrons of 
Husbandry, and also of the Farmers' Club. He is a practical farmer, 
and takes great interest in everything pertaining to agriculture. 

R. B. ELLIS, M. D. 

Robert B. Ellis was born in Sussex county, Virginia, December 4, 
1812. When but six years old his father removed with him to Kentucky. 
Here he was educated, chiefly in Transylvania University, at Lexington, 
from the literary and classical department of which institution he gradu- 
ated with high honor. After leaving college he began the study of medi- 
cine, with the distinguished Doctor Benjamin Dudley for preceptor. He 
subsequently went through the usual course of instruction, and received 
the degree of doctor of medicine from the Pennsylvania Medical College. 
He soon after began to practice the healing art. Doctor Ellis came to 
Ray county in the year 1837, and, locating at Richmond, opened his doc- 
tor's ofhce there. Here he soon made a host of friends, and rapidly built 
up a good practice. His success as a physician was such that he gained 



754 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the conlidence of the people all over the county, and his services were in 
almost constant demand. He possessed the happy faculty of making 
himself pleasant and agreeable to all classes, and rapidly rose in the popu- 
lar esteem in consequence. His fame as a physician spread throughout 
the state, and the extent of his practice was not excelled, perhaps, by that 
of any physician, at that time, in Missouri. After staying at Richmond 
for four years. Doctor Ellis removed to the suburbs of the town of Galla- 
tin, Missouri, at that time just being built up, and improving a fine farm, 
established his home upon it, and always afterward, during his residence 
in northwest Missouri, though frequently away traveling with his wife for 
the benefit of her health, he kept his home upon this farm. Doctor Ellis 
was twice elected to the higher branch of the general assembly of Mis- 
souri, and was a member of the national democratic convention that nom- 
inated James K. Polk for the presidency, at Baltimore, in 1844. His first 
wife died at Jefferson City, in 1842, whither she had accompanied her 
husband, who was there in attendance, as a member, upon the session of 
the state senate. During his second term as state senator. Doctor Ellis 
was married again, at Jefferson City. The lady becoming his wife this 
time, was a daughter of Hiram P. Goodrich, D. D., a distinguished 
educator and divine ot Missouri. After the expiration of the senatorial 
session, Dr. Ellis returned, with his bride, to his home at Gallatin. Here 
he remained for one year, and then moved to St. Louis, and practiced his 
profession in that city for some time. During his residence there, he 
delivered a course of lectures to the students of the McDowell Medical 
College, upon "Cholera; its Origin, Progress, and Treatment," with partic- 
ular reference to its ravages, at that time, in this country. These lectures 
were delivered during the years 1848-9. As an evidence of appreciation 
of his valuable services, the college conferred the honorary degree of M. D. 
upon Doctor E., already a graduate of two popular institutions. In 1849 he 
went to California, and pursued the practice of medicine at the city of Sacra- 
mento. Here the second Mrs. Ellis died. The doctor remained at Sacra- 
mento until about the year 1860. During this time he was married again, 
to Miss Sarah J. Buckner. About the year 1860, Doctor Ellis removed 
from Sacramento to Carson City, Nevada. Here, eight years after her 
marriage, the third Mrs. Ellis died, and her husband was again left alone, and 
remained unmarried until his death. He was a member of the California 
legislature, and, at one time, was president of the medical university of 
that state. The issue of his first marriage was three children: Robert H., 
Mary E., and Adrian C; of his second, two: Sallie and Rosa G.; and of 
the third, four: Paris B., Ada M., John G., and William W. Dr. R. B. 
Ellis died at Carson City, Nevada, in the month of January, 1873, and was 
buried with Masonic honors, and the legislature adjourned out of respect 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 755 

to the memory of the man who had figured so prominently in the affairs 
of the state, and attended the funeral in a body. 

ROBERT H. ELLIS. 

Is the eldest son of Doctor R. B. Ellis, whose biography appears in 
this work, and was born near Paris, in Bourbon county, Kentucky, Janu- 
ary 8, 1836. His father removed with him to Missouri in 1837, and he 
received his early education at the towns of Richmond and Gallatin. 
When his father went to live in St. Louis, he was placed under the charge 
and instruction of Doctor Goodrich, then a prominent educator of that 
city. In 1850 he accompanied his father to California, and there finished 
his education. After spending seven years in the state of California, he 
returned to Richmond, Missouri, and engaged in merchandising until the 
war began, in 1861. He enhsted under the first call of Governor C. F. 
Jackson, and remained as long as General Sterling Price was in Missouri, 
though he did not, after the state guard w^as disbanded enter the regular 
Confederate service. In 1860 Captain Ellis was a candidate on the Breck- 
enridge democratic ticket for representative of Ray county in the general 
assembly, and was defeated by a majority of only thirty-five votes. 
Except four years spent in the state of California, Mr. Ellis has lived con- 
tinuously, since the war, in Ray county. In i860 he was married to Miss 
Emma Mansur, daughter of Charles Mansur, Esq., of Ray county. Five 
children are the result of this imion, all of whom are now living. Mr» 
Ellis was admitted to practice law at the bar of Richmond in 1867, and 
pursued the legal calling for about two years, but preferring a farmer's 
life, he quit the law and became a tiller of the soil. Captain Ellis is des- 
cended from one of the best of old Virginia's families, and is a gentleman 
in every way worthy of his ancestry. 

LEONIDAS DUVALL. 

Is descended from the early French settlers of the "Old Dominion state.'* 
He was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, on the 26th day of September, 
1838. His father, Isaac Duvall, removed with him to Ray county, Mis- 
souri, in the fall of ISM. He received his early education at the common 
schools, attending, as was the custom of the boys of the neighborhood, 
during the winter months, and assisting his father on the farm through the 
summer. In 1859, he entered the new college at the town of Richmond, 
and here completed his education. Mr. Duvall was married on the 26th 
day of November, 1865, to Mrs. Mary Gross, a widow lady, w'hose 
maiden name was Nuckols. She only lived about a year, and in Septem- 
ber, 1871, Mr. Duvall was again married to Miss Virginia M. Payne, of 
Clinton county, Missouri. Of this union two children, twins, were born, 
on the 9th day of February, 1877. They were named respectively i 



756 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Albert Payne and Willie Payne, in honor of their grandfather. Mr. 
Duvall owns a fine farm of 200 acres of good, fertile, land, chiefly devoted 
to growing grass, and raising cattle and fine stock. He has been a 
trader in mules since 1860, and in this business has accumulated the prin- 
cipal part of his property. He owns the fine draft stallion, Loch Fergus 
Chief, of the celebrated Clydesdale stock, imported from Scotland in 1879, 
at a cost of more than a thousand dollars, and also is the owner of the 
large black jack, Bourbon Chief, purchased in Kentucky, at a cost of one 
thousand dollars. Mr. Duvall is making laudable efforts for the improve- 
ment of the live stock of the county. Mr. Duvall's farm lies near the 
old oil wells of the St. Louis Petroleum Company, and the entire place 
and adjacent lands were pronounced by Prof. Swallow, then state geolo- 
gist, to be underlaid with coal. He is a member in good standing of the 
Richmond Lodge, of the order of Free Masons, and one of Ray's most 
progressive, practical and successful farmers, and occupies an enviable 
position in the respect of the good people of the section in which he 
resides. 

J. F. DUVALL. 

Was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, on the 20th day of February, 
1840. He came to Missouri with his father who immigrated to Ra}' 
county in the year 1844. Mr. Duvall obtained the greater part of his 
education in the common schools of his neighborhood; he did, however, 
attend the college at Richmond for the space of eighteen months. After 
leaving this institution, Mr. Duvall began working at the saddle-maker's 
trade at Richmond, and continued in this work for four years. At the 
outbreak of the great civil war, he responded to the first call of Gov- 
ernor Jackson for volunteers, and when the six months for which he 
joined the state guards had expired, he entered the regular Confederate 
army for the war, in the Third regiment of Missouri infantry. He 
fought in every battle in which his regiment was engaged, except two. 
After the surrender of the Confederate army in 1865, Mr. Duvall 
returned to Ray county and resumed work on the farm with his father, 
until he was married. His marriage to Miss Kate Forbes, daughter of 
John Forbes, Esq., of Ray county, Missouri, took place on the 20th of 
February, 1873. Of this union three children, Isaac, Fannie and Bettie, 
have been born to them. Mr. Duvall occupies and owns a farm of one 
hundred and twenty acres, all in an excellent state of cultivation, 
except about twenty acres of woodland. He is also a stock raiser and 
takes great pride in his good breed of live stock, more especially of hogs 
and cattle. He is not a member of any religious denomination, but he 
belongs to the brotherhood of A. F. & A. M. He has held the position 
of worshipful master of his lodge at Millville for some years. Mrs. Duvall 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 757 

belongs to the congregation of the Mount Hope M. E. Church. Mr. 
Duvall is a prosperous farmer, a highly respected citizen, a kind neigh- 
bor and an honorable gentleman. 

ANDREW WELLS. 

A native of Ray county, Missouri, was born six miles south of the 
town of Richmond, on the 10th day of November, 1833. He lived here 
and continued at work on the farm with his father until the outbreak of 
the gold fever, and consequent rush to California. Our subject left home 
in 1853, and went to the gold fields of the great west. In California, Mr. 
Wells was chiefly engaged in mining, though he also operated a saw mill 
and possessed a hog ranch while there. He returned home in 1857, hav- 
ing been so successful in his quest of wealth as to enable him to buy a 
comfortable home. On the 9th day of December of the same year, he 
was married to Miss Susan F. Endsley, a daughter of Mr. John Endsley, 
of Ray county. Mr. Wells remained on his farm in Ray county until 
1864, when he removed to Virginia City, Montana territory. While 
there he engaged in a trade in flour during the winter season, and mined 
in summer. Mrs. Wells accompanied him in his travels through the west, 
and they finally returned to Ray county and spent some months at the 
home of her father, after which they again took possession of their old 
home near Millville. Mr. Wells has been a member of the A. F. & A. 
M. Lodge at Millville since 1870. He is a highly respected citizen, and a 
good, practical farmer. 

J. H. HAYNES. 

J. H. Haynes was born in Ray county, Missouri, five miles north of 
Richmond, August 29, 1849. He is a son of J. P. Haynes, Esq., whose 
biography we give elsewhere in this work. Mr. Haynes received his 
education, chiefly, in the common schools of his native county. In 1872, 
Mr. Haynes was married to Miss Sophronia E. McCuistion, daughter of 
William McCuistion, Esq., of Ray county. She was born upon the place 
where they now reside, in 1856. Their union has been blessed by the 
birth of two children: Bessie Ethel and William Elbert. Mr. Haynes is 
a member of Crooked River Grange, No. 1005, Patrons of Husbandry, 
and has given his lifelong attention to agricultural pursuits. He is 
engaged to a considerable extent in raising fine stock. He feeds and ships 
to market large numbers of hogs and cattle. Mrs. Haynes is a consistent 
member of the Christian Church, and of the order of Patrons of Hus- 
bandry. She was elected to the office of " Ceres " in the grange to which 
she belongs, a year ago, and yet, April, 1881, occupies that position. Mr. 
Haynes has been very fortunate and successful in his business affairs, and 



75S HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

to-dav is in a highly prosperous condition. His excellent farm is well 
supplied with everything necessary to his comfort and happiness, and he 
is highly respected and esteemed by his fellow citizens. 

H. C. SMITH. 

Henry Clay Smith is a native of Kentucky, born in Woodford county, 
on the 1-ith day of October, 1820. His father emigrated from Maryland 
to Kentucky at an early day. He died soon after the birth of our sub- 
ject, leaving his widow, with seven young children, in very straitened 
circumstances. Henry's advantages for obtaining an education were, in 
consequence of his father's death and the family's poverty, quite limited. 
He remained with his mother, working for the common support of the 
family, until his twenty-first year, when the whole family removed to 
Ray county, Missouri, and stopped for about a year on a farm near Rich- 
mond. This was in 1841. In 1842 Mr. Smith and his brother, B. F., 
bought a tract of land near the town of Millville. This land was in a 
wild state, covered with dense forest and underbrush. By their indomit- 
able industry the brothers cleared and inproved this place, and made 
a living for themselves and their mother's family. They continued to 
clear and improve the place until, in 1849, Henry bought out the interest 
of his brother, and thus gained entire control of the place. His mother 
continued to reside with him until her death, which occurred in 1859. 
Mr. Smith was married in the autumn of 1870 to Miss Cynthia A. Smith, 
daughter of Peyton T. Smith, a prominent farmer of Ray county. 
Though their names were the samt, they are not in anyway related to 
one another by ties of consanguinity. Two children were born of this 
union: Nora Belle and Lucy Rachel. Mr. Smith still resides on the 
farm which himself and brother improved. He has added to it from 
time to time until it now comprises some four hundred and forty acres. 
His residence, a large and handsome frame building, occupies a conspicu- 
ous location near the point where the Richmond, Russell ville, Millville, 
and Tinney's Point roads intersect one another. Since the war Mr. 
Smith has turned his attention mostly to the raising of stock. Mrs. Smith 
is a member of the Millville M. E. Church. Mr. Smith is a self-made 
man, and one of the most properous and successful farmers in the county. 

J. S. MATHENA. 

Jeptha S. Mathena was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 17th of 
September, 1847. His father was Robert Mathena, a native of Ken- 
tucky, who had emigrated to Missouri in the early historv of Ray county. 
Our subject was educated in the common schools of Ray county. Mr. 
Mathena was married on the eighth day of February, 1877, to Miss Mol- 
lie Hutchinson, daughter of William J. Hutchinson, of Ray county. The 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 759 

issue of this union is one child, Eva, born November 35, 1878, He is not 
a member of any church or secret organization except the Patrons of 
Husbandry, which order he joined in January, 1874. Mrs. Mathena is a 
member of the Missionary Baptist Church, which worships at Liberty 
school house. Mr. Mathena is a thriving, prosperous young farmer, and 
contemplates soon the purchase of an addition to his already valuable 
farm, from a neighbor. He is a good, kind-hearted, accommodating 
neighbor, and a highly esteemed citizen of Grape Grove township. 

JOHN GUY. 

This gentleman, one of the most successful farmers and stock-raisers of 
his neighborhood, was born in Anderson county, Kentucky, in the year 
1829. When he was but ten years old his father moved to Missouri, and 
settled in Ray county, and two years later died, leaving a widow and 
seven children. John continued living with his mother for about two 
3'-ears after his father's death, and then he began to work for one John 
McGhee, for the purpose of learning the tinner's trade. McGhee subse- 
quently failed, and young Guy was thrown out of work. In his nineteenth 
year he commenced to learn the trade of a blacksmith, under John Light- 
ner, at Richmond. He mastered this trade, and in the year 1850, went with 
Mr. Lightner to the state of California. Here Mr. Guy mined for a short 
time, and then, going to Sacramento City, he again engaged at his trade, 
and continued it during the remainder of his sojourn in the Golden State. 
Having accumulated some money, he returned in 1858, to Richmond, Ray 
county, and entered the seminary to finish his education. Leaving school 
he opened a shop in the town of Richmond, and w^orked at his trade for 
about a year. He then moved upon a farm in the county, near Liberty 
school house, and erecting a shop continued the work of a neighborhood 
blacksmith, with farming. Here he lived until 1863, when, to avoid the 
war troubles with which the country was at that time rife, he went to 
Colorado, where he worked for a while at his trade, and then commenced 
freighting with wagons between Atchison, Kansas, and Denver, Colorado, 
This business was very remunerative, but Mr. Guy was compelled to 
abandon it on account of the hostility of Indians. He sold his wagons and 
teams at a very handsome profit over the amount paid for them, and 
returning to Ray county, bought a farm with the proceeds of his labors 
in the west. Mr. Guy was married in the month of March, 1853, to Miss 
Susan B. Mizner, daughter of Jerry Mizner, Esq., formerly of Ray county, 
now deceased. Nine children were born of this union, seven of whom 
are still living. Mrs. Guy died from the result of injuries received by a 
fall through a bridge over a small stream near Millville. Mrs. Guy was 
in a wagon with seven other persons, and as they were crossing the 
bridge, it gave way, precipitating the wagon and its load of human 



760 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

freight to the bottom of the stream. Several of the party were severely 
injured, though none mortally but the wife of Mr. Guy. This accident 
occurred on the 4th of August, 1874. Mr. Guy was married again, April 
30, 1878, to Miss Susan C. Mathena. By her he has one child, an infant 
son. Mr. Guy has been a consistent member of the M. E. Church 
South, for about six yearrs, and the present Mrs. Guy for twelve years. 
Mr. Guy has a good farm, and is pleasantly and happily situated to enjoy a 
long life and green old age. 

W. H. BRIGHT. 

William H. Bright was born in Lincoln county, Kentucky, October 10, 
1839. His father was a farmer, and young Bright was reared on a farm 
and taught to work. His education was acquired in the manner common 
with so many farmers' sons, by attending school during the winter and 
working on the farm in the summer. When he reached his twenty-first 
year, Mr. Bright left Kentucky, in company with two brothers and a 
number of other persons, to come to Missouri. They came overland 
with a train of wagons direct to Ray county, and here our subject com- 
menced farming for himself. Mr. Bright was not engaged on either side 
during the war of the rebellion. He was drafted for the Union service 
just before the close of the war, but was never ordered out for duty. He 
was married in the year 1864, to Miss Nannie Frazier, daughter of Mr. 
James Frazier, a resident of Ray county. The issue of this union was 
seven children, five of whom, four girls and one boy, are now living. Mr. 
Bright and his excellent lady are both worthy members, and ha;ve been 
for many years, of the Christian Church. Mr. Bright is a good, prac- 
tical, intelligent, and industrious farmer, and has done much toward the 
improvement of that branch of industry to which he belongs. 

ISAIAH MANSUR. 

This gentleman is one of the largest land owners, and was one of the 
earliest settlers of this county. He was born in Ludlow, Windsor county, 
Vermont, February 19, 1815. His father, Stephen Mansur, was a native 
of New Hampshire, born December 18, 1773. The grandfather of our 
subject was a soldier in the old French and Indian wars, and also the war 
of the Revolution, entering the latter war with the battle of Lexington, 
and fighting until peace was declared and the freedom of the American 
states established. The maiden name of Isaiah Mansur's mother was 
Miss Hannah Felt. His parents were of Scotch-English descent, and 
their family consisted of eight sons and four daughters, whose names with 
dates of birth follow: Stephen, born August 25, 1799; Alvah, born 
March 25, 1801; J. T. Gilman, March 12, 1803; Charles, November 24, 
1805, Moody, February 3, 1808; Harriet Augusta, May 22, 1811; Isaiah, 




(ri^ ^ 



O. 



t/rvtUf, 



t^^^^i^f-^ 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 761 

February 19, 1815; Mary Catherine, June 12, 1817; Stilman January 17, 
1820; Porter, April 4, 1822, and Harriet Newell, August 17, 1826. Five 
only of these are now (April, 1881) living, of whom Dr. Moody Mansur is the 
oldest. Isaiah Mansur received his education in the country schools of 
Vermont and New Hampshire. He removed to St. Louis, Missouri, in 
1836, and for about one year was in charge of his brother Charles' drug 
store there. This was the first drug store opened on Third street, in that 
city. The business was very prosperous under Mr. Mansur's manage- 
ment, but the brothers, preferring life in the country, sold out their busi- 
ness in St. Louis, and removing to Ray county, began merchandising in a 
country store, located upon what is now known as the " old Nuckols 
place. " The brothers continued this business till 1842, when they dis- 
solved partnership, and divided the lands, which they had entered, and 
purchased during their association in business. To Isaiah's share, fell 
chiefly, the unimproved lands, and he was compelled to clear the timber 
and brush away, in order to make fields, and build a home. Mr. Mansur 
farmed until about the year 1849, when he again opened a store on the 
farm now owned by Mr. R. H. Ellis. He conducted this store until 1852 
when he built a store house in the town of Millville, and removed his 
stock of goods to it. This store he operated until the war, keeping a 
clerk in the store, while he remained on the farm. During the war, Mr. 
Mansur was a Union man, and voted for delegates to the Union conven- 
tion held at Jefferson City. Though strongly opposed to the rebellion, he 
took no active part in the war, and did all in his power to preserve peace 
and harmony among his neighbors and friends, and keep them out of diffi- 
culties arising from their strong partisans feelings and sentiments. Mr. 
Mansur was married, first, in the year 1844, in Ra}' county, Missouri, to 
Miss Susan Smith. They became the parents of seven children, four sons 
and three daughters, six of whom are still living, and all but one married. 
Mrs. Mansur died on the first day of June, 1856, and Mr. Mansur was; 
married again, on the 3d day of January, 1871, to Miss Mary E. Lane, of 
Atchison, Kansas. By her he is the father of three children, Julia, Har- 
riet and Isaiah. Mr. Mansur has been a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church for the space of thirty-five years. His first wife also 
belonged to that church. The present Mrs. Mansur belongs to the 
Episcopal Church. Mr. Mansur is a prominent citizen of his community, 
a successful business man, and is highly esteemed for his good qualities as 
a neighbor and a gentleman. 



48 



762 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTV 

RALPH OLIPHANT. 

A native of Ray county, Missouri, was born on the 20th day of Septem- 
ber, 1840. He is of Scotch-Irish extraction, his father having been born in 
Scotland and his mother in Ireland. His father, Alexander Oliphant, came 
to Ray countv in the vear 1838. His business in the Old World not pay- 
ing as he desired, he resolved to emigrate to the United States. Land- 
ing at New Orleans, he at once turned his face toward the great north- 
west, and coming to Ray county bought the farm upon which our subject 
at this time resides. Here he planted a vineyard which was the second in 
the county, only one having been previously planted within its borders 
Upon this farm Mr. Alexander Oliphant died, in the year 1878, and his 
son, Ralph, who had finished his education and been for some years in 
charge of the place, succeeded him as its owner. Here he still continues 
to reside, cultivating and improving his fine place of four hundred acres. 
Mr. Oliphant was married on the 7th day of December, 1869, to Miss 
Catharine Mansur, daughter of Isaiah Mansur, a prominent farmer of the 
county. The result of this marriage has been four children, two boys and 
two girls. Their parents take great pride in these children, and intend 
having them well educated and trained, especially in that much neglected 
accomplishment, the knowledge of music. Mr. Oliphant's aged mother 
resides with her son upon the old homestead. He is one of Ray's most 
sterhng citizens, and a successful, prosperous farmer, blessed with a prom- 
ising happy family, and a handsome, comfortable home. 

MICHAEL W. CRISPIN. 

Was born in Fayette county, Ohio, September 4, 1844. His father 
removed, when he was five years of age, to Highland county, in the same 
state, and engaged there in farming and operating a distillery. In this 
part of the state Mr. Crispin acquired his education in the common 
schools. At the age of tifteen years our subject began the battle of life 
for himself, working for various farmers until the beginning of the war of 
the rebellion. In 1863 he enlisted in the 2d Ohio regiment of Union 
troops. Colonel Gibson commanding, and served until after the surrender 
of the Confederate armies. After the war he again returned to Ohio, 
and continued farming. Mr. Crispin was married on the 14th day of 
February, 1867, to Miss Eliza E. White, daughter of Mr. Joseph L. 
White, of Highland county, Ohio. Determined to try his fortune in the 
new country west of the Mississippi river, Mr. Crispin, immediately after 
his marriage, started with his bride to Missouri. He landed from a steamboat 
at Lexington, Missouri, and rented a farm about seven miles northeast of 
Richmond, in Ray county. The following summer he bought land on 
the road from Richmond to Utica, which he soon after sold and purchased 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 763 

the place upon which he now resides, two and a half miles southeast of 
the town of Millville. This place Mr. Crispin has improved until it is 
one of the best farms and most pleasant and comfortable homes in the 
county. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Crispin, three of 
each sex, all now living. Mr. Crispin was one of the charter members of 
the Ray Grange, P. of H., which was afterward consolidated with 
Crooked River and Morton Granges. Mrs. Crispin is a worthy member 
of the M. E. Church. Mr. Crispin owns three hundred acres of well- 
improved land, and is one of the most energetic, industrious, and success- 
ful farmers and stock-raisers in Grape Grove township. He is also a 
practical and experienced trader and dealer in live stock. 

CHARLES F. BATES, SR. 

The subject of the following sketch was born in Halifax county, Vir- 
ginia, on the 6th day of June, 1830. His father died when Charles was 
but four years of age, and in 1838, the whole family removed Missouri, set- 
tling in Ray county, where his mother purchased a farm, three and a 
half miles west of Richmond. This farm young Charles and his brothers 
worked, maintaining the family. Their mother died here about 1847, 
and the brothers continued to conduct the place and support the family 
for about two years longer, when our subject went to live with a brother- 
in-law. Himself and this brother-in-law, Mr. Henry E. Owen, pur- 
chased the old homestead and farmed there, in partnership, until Mr. 
Bates was married. His marriage took place November 18, 1852, 
Miss Melissa A. Elliott, daughter of Richard S. Elliott, of Ray county, 
becoming his bride. He remained on the old homestead one year after 
marriage, and then seUing his interest to Mr. Owen, he rented a farm for 
one year. At the expiration of this time he purchased and improved the 
place upon which he has since lived. This farm is seven miles north of 
Richmond. Mrs. Bates, after becoming the mother of three children, 
died in 1868, and Mr. Bates was subsequently married to Miss Mary V. 
Lamar, by whom he is the father of three children. Mr. and Mrs. Bates 
are both members of the M. E. Church South. When he was nineteen 
years old Mr. Bates gave ten dollars, half of all he had in the world, to 
help in building Todd's Chapel. Mr. Bates has been a hard worker, and 
justl}?^ merits the success in his business that he has achieved. He is a 
kind husband and an indulgent parent, greatly interested in the educa- 
tion of his children, to whom it is his chief desire to leave the priceless 
inheritance of a thorough education. 



764 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 



KEDAR WALL. 



An old settler and prominent farmer of Ray county. Was born in 
Anderson county, Kentucky, on the 26th of July, 1830. His father, who 
was a farmer, sold his property and removed to Ray county, Missouri, in 
1833, and settled on a farm two miles and a half northeast of Richmond. 
Here he lived for about two years, and then removed to the farm upon 
which Kedar Wall now lives, seven miles northeast of Richmond. Mr. 
Wall enjoyed such opportunities as the schools of the neighborhood at 
that time afforded, for acquiring an education. He inherited the old 
homestead at his mother's death, and has worked industriously to improve 
it, and to enhance its value. The original tract contained about fwo hun- 
dred and forty acres, but he has continued to extend it by purchasing 
additional land from time to time, and it now comprises about four hun- 
dred acres of most excellent farming lands. In December, 1855, Mr. 
Wall was married to Miss Sarah E. Pugh, a daughter of Henry H. 
Pugh, Esq., of Ray county. Of this union eleven children have been 
born, only seven of whom are now living. The eldest child, Henry, is 
now in his twenty-third year Mr. Wall was one of the charter mem- 
bers of the Millville Lodge, No. 338, of the order of A. F. and A. M. 
Mrs. Wall is a very worthy member of the M. E. Church South, and 
worships with the congregation at Liberty school house. Mr. Wall has 
never taken much interest or a prominent part in politics, preferring to 
live quietly in the discharge of his domestic duties. 

AMBROSE YOUNG. 

Ambrose Young was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 16th day 
of May, 1831, and has always been a resident of his native county. He 
was educated in the common schools, often walking the distance of four 
or five miles to reach the school-house, and frequently not reaching home 
on his return until long after dark. Mr. Young lived on the place that his 
father settled until his marriage. He was married on the 29th day of 
September, 1853, to Miss Frances Graham, daughter of William Graham, 
Esq., a resident of Carroll county. Five children were born to bless this 
union; three boys and one girl are yet living, Odus G. Young, the eldest 
son, is a practicing attorney-at-law in Carrollton, Missouri, and Alonzo F., 
the second. son, is in charge of his father's farm, both doing well. Mr. 
Young is a member of the A. F. & A. M. Lodge at Millville, and both 
himself and his wife are members of the M. E. Church South at that 
place. He was for three years postmaster at Millville, and was also, 
during the same time, engaged with Fletcher Graham in merchandising 
there. His fine farm of three hundred acres of good land lies two and a 
half miles south of Millville, on the Richmond road. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 765 

SEBRON S. YOUNG. 

This gentleman was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 8th day of 
February, 1829, about two miles from the present town of Morton. Soon 
after his birth his father entered a large tract of land, something over 
eleven hundred acres, eight miles north of the town of Richmond, and 
moved upon it. Mr. Young received his education in the log school- 
houses of that primitive time in the manner common with the sons of 
farmers. He spent about sixteen years on the farm with his father, and 
then went to Richmond and began clerking in the dry goods store of J. 
S. Lightner. He remained in this position about three years, and then, in 
1849, he went with a party of gold hunters to California. He lived in 
California only about a year, and then returned home to Ray county. His 
father and Isaiah Mansur formed apartnership about this time, and began 
selling goods at Millville, and he was employed as clerk in their store. 
At this business he continued for about three years, and until the death of 
his father, when he gave his attention to farming, and this has been his 
principal occupation ever since. He has taught school some during the 
winter in connection with his farming. Mr. Young was married on the 
16th of November, 1851, at Millville, to Miss Catherine C. Rainwater, 
■daughter of Rev. Moses F. Rainwater, now of St. Louis. They became 
the parents of ten children, all but one of whom still live. He is a mem- 
ber of the order of Free Masons, and both himself and Mrs. Young 
belong to the M. E. Church South, at Millville. In 1862 he took the 
contract for carrying the mails between Richmond and Utica, which was, 
on account of the war troubles, a perilous undertaking, but Mr. Young 
accomplished the task, and discharged every duty in a manner highly sat- 
isfactory to the officials of the national postal service. Since the war Mr. 
Young has given his undivided attention to farming, and is to-day a pros- 
perous business man and a useful citizen. 

JOHN TAYLOR YOUNG. 

Although the gentleman whose name heads this page has been dead 
for nearly twenty-seven years, the part that he so well performed in the 
early settlement and improvement of the county, justly claims a place in 
her history. John Taylor Young was born in Fayette county, Kentuck}-, 
January 12, 1800, and lived in his native state until he was cfbout twenty- 
seven years of age, when he resolved to seek a home in Missouri, at that 
time comparatively a new state. He first came to Independence, in Jackson 
county, and remained there for about a year, when he removed to the Ray 
county bottom, and entering a small body of land, improved it and estab- 
lished his home, for a short time, upon it, In 1829, he removed about 
€ight miles north of Richmond to a tract of about eleven hundred and 



766 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

sixty acres of land which he had acquired by entry and purchase. Here, 
after greatly improving his farm, Mr. Young continued to reside until the 
time of his death. He was married on the 10th day of May, 1828, to 
Miss Louisa, daughter of John Sneed, Esq., of Clay county. Eight chil- 
dren were born to them, but only four are now living: Sebron, Ambrose, 
Eliza, wife of H. C. Kell, and Warren, who lives with his family on the 
old homestead. Mr. Young was, for a number of years prior to his 
death, a consistent and worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. He died on the 7th of August, 1854, loved and honored by his 
children, and respected by his neighbors and friends. 

MARION M. CRITHFIELD. 

Is a native of Tennessee, born in Claiborne county, on the 8th day of 
August, 1827. His father, Joshua Crithfield, removed to Ra}' county, 
Missouri, in the year 1844, and settled on a farm about three miles west of 
Millville. Mr. Crithfield received only limited opportunities for obtaining 
an education, being compelled, as soon as he was large enough, to work 
upon the farm. When the storm of civil war broke over the land Mr. 
Crithfield left home to espouse the cause of the land of his birth. He 
enlisted in the 11th Missouri regiment of Confederate infantry, and 
fought throughout the entire war. After peace was declared he returned 
to his old home in Ray county. In the month of February, 1870, Mr. 
Crithfield was married to Miss Lizzie J. Hanna. Three children were 
born from this union, only one of whom, a bright little girl of eight years, 
named Ruth Ezzado, now lives. Immediately after his marriage Mr. 
Crithfield removed with his bride to a place he had purchased, one mile 
from Millville, and here he has made his home ever since. Mrs. Crith- 
field lived only five years after her marriage, dying May 12, 1875, and 
Mr. Crithfield has never married again. His sister, Mrs. Schooler, lives 
with and keeps house for him. She and her brother are both members 
of the M. E. Church South. Mr. Crithfield, like many another of Ray's 
best citizens, has, by his own efforts and industry, acquired a good home, 
and everything necessary to spending his life in comfort, and with the 
esteem and respect of his neighbors. 

NATHAN H. SCHOOLER. 

A prominent farmer and old settler of this county. Was born in Bed- 
ford county, Tennessee, on the 31st day of March, 1828. Eight years 
afterward his father, Nathan H. Schooler, Sr., emigrated from Tennessee 
to Missouri, locating on a farm one mile and a half west of Millville, Ray 
county. Upon this farm our subject spent the time until the year 1850, 
when, fired by the gold excitement, he went to California. Here and in 



. HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. • 767 

Oregon, together, he spent about two years, and then returned to his 
father's farm in Ray county, where he lived until the death of his father, 
which occurred in the month of July, 1854. In November, of the 
same year, Mr. Schooler was united in marriage with Miss Sarah, daugh- 
ter of Henry F. Graham, Esq., of Ray county. The issue of this mar- 
riage was four children: Luther Scott, Altie, Addie, and Ella. The last 
named died in infancy. The others are yet living, and all of them are 
married. Mrs. Schooler died on the 17th of July, 1861, and the war being- 
then in progress, Mr. Schooler determined to drown the poignancy of his 
grief for her loss in the activity and excitement of the soldier's life. He 
joined the Confederate army, and remained in the war until its close, 
receiving a wound, the effects of which he still feels at times. After the 
surrender of the southern forces Mr. Schooler returned to Ray county, 
and resumed the management of his farm. Mr. Schooler is a member of 
the order of Patrons of Husbandry, and. also a Good Templar. He con- 
tinues to reside upon and superintend operations upon his farm, which he 
has finely improved and stocked with everything necessary to successful 
farming. He enjo3^s the esteem and respect of his neighbors, and is a 
good citizen, and an honorable, upright gentleman. 

WARREN YOUNG. 

Warren Young is the youngest living son of John T. Young, a pioneer 
settler of Ray county, whose biograph}^ is given upon another page of 
this work. He was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 22d day of 
September, 1838, and received such an education as the schools of the 
times afforded. He earl}' began work on his father's large farm, about 
eight miles north of Richmond, and has been all his life engaged in the 
same occupation. Mr. Young was married November 26, 1865, to Miss 
Harriet, daughter of Mr. William Foushee, now a resident of Richmond. 
The issue of this marriage was seven children, all of whom are now, 
April, 1881, living. Mr. Young's mother, now quite old, resides with her 
son on the old homestead, which he inherited from his father's estate. 
Mr, Young has been in every way successful in the management of his 
business affairs, and is doing a good work for the advancement and 
improvement of the agricultural interests of the grand old county of Ray- 

ROBERT A. WOOD. 

The subject of this sketch is a Kentuckian. He was born in Woodford 
county on the 26th da}- of September, 1821. His father was Edward B. 
Wood, an extensive farmer and slave owner, who had emigrated from 
Virginia to Kentucky. He acquired his education in the schools of his 
native state. His father died while he was a small boy, and after his 
death our subject resided upon the plantation, assisting his mother in its 



768 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

management until her death in 1836. Then when but seventeen years of 
age, with the consent of his guardian and his relatives who were inter- 
ested, he rented the homestead from the other heirs, and began its man- 
agement for himself. When he attained his majority, Mr. Wood purchased 
several of the interests of his brothers and sisters, and thus gained control 
of the estate and greatly improved and beautified his home. Mr. Wood 
inherited a number of slaves from his father's estate, and purchased others 
whom he brought with him when he came to Missouri, and of course lost 
them, with the exception of a few who died, and some sold under the 
amnesty proclamation of 1863. Mr. Wood was married on the 15th day 
of October, 1844, to Miss Sarah A., daughter of James L. Keas, Esq., of 
dark county, Kentucky. Twelve children were born of this marriage, 
five sons and seven daughters, all now living. Four daughters and two 
sons are married, and Mr. Wood is the happy grandfather of some twelve 
children, the issue of their marriages. In the spring of 1852, Mr. Wood 
came to Missouri on a visit and prospecting tour, and he was so well 
pleased with what he saw of the country, especially of Ray county, that 
on his return to Kentucky he closed up his business there, and the follow- 
ing summer removed with his family and slaves to this county. He rented 
land when he first came while looking around for a suitable and available 
place to buy. His wife's health failing she grew dissatisfied and despon- 
dent, and longed for a return to the old Kentucky home, and Mr. Wood 
after having been but about a year here, returned to Kentuck}'. But his 
heart was fixed upon making his home in Missouri, and in the autumn 
following his return to Kentucky, Mrs. Wood having recovered her 
wonted health and strength, Mr. Wood came again with his family 
to Ray county, and purchased the farm upon which he has ever since 
resided. This farm approaches within less than a mile of Millville on the 
west, and comprises five hundred and eighty acres, all inone body, of as 
fine, fertile, rolling upland as can be found any where else in the county. 
Since losing his slaves, Mr. Wood has turned his attention chiefly to stock- 
raising, and has converted his farm mostly into pasture lands. Mr. Wood 
is assisted in the management and direction of his large estate by his 
eldest son, James E., a well educated and intelligent young gentleman. 
Mr. Wood made a trip to the state of Texas, in 1879, on business »:on- 
nected with some land which his brother, Edward B., formerly a soldier of 
the Mexican war, now a prominent lawyer of Kentucky, possessed there. 
Both Mr. and Mrs. Woods were members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church South, before leaving Kentucky, and although they have never 
transferred their membership to any church here, they still cling firmly to 
the tenets of that denomination. Mr. Wood is one of the largest and most 
successful farmers and stock raisers in the county. Untiring industry and 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 769 

energy, unimpeachable honesty and veracity, boundless hospitality and gen- 
erosity, have characterized his life and made the name of John A. Wood 
to be honored among his fellow men. 

JACOB STANLEY. 

Jacob Stanley was born in Campbell county, East Tennessee, September 
15, 1806, and was educated in the schools of that state. His occupation has 
always been farming. Mr. Stanley was married in his native state, in his 
twenty-fifth year, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Moad, Esq., a near 
neighbor of Mr. Stanley's father. Soon after his marriage, our subject, in 
company with his father and father-in-law's families, removed to Ray 
county, Missouri, first stopping during the summer about two miles west 
of Richmond. Then he removed to a small farm two miles southwest of 
Millville. He has since greatly improved and extended his place by entry 
and purchase, until it now numbers some five hundred ?and twenty acres. 
Upon this farm Mr. Stanley lived until the day of his death, June 22, 
1879. Eleven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Stanley, six sons 
and five daughters, who are all living except one son, the eldest, and two 
daughters; and all but Thomas M. and Henry J. are married. Thomas 
M., the elder of the unmarried sons, has the management of the old 
homestead, and lives upon it with his mother. Mr. Stanley, at the time 
of his death, had been twenty-two years a consistent member of the 
M. E. Church South. He was a kind-hearted man, a good neighbor, and 
an upright, fair-minded, honest man. 

JOHN S. FLOURNOY. 

Well and prominently known throughout Ray county. Is of Scotch- 
Irish descent, his ancestors having emigrated from Scotland to America 
at a very early day. His father, James Flournoy, was a native of Mer- 
cer county, Kentucky, and a large farmer and slave-owner of that state. 
John S. Flournoy was born in Washington county, Kentucky, April 25, 
1823. The foundation of his education was laid in the common schools of 
his father's neighborhood, though he afterwards received the advantages 
of the more extended course taught at St. Mary's College, a Catholic 
institutition of Marion county. Mr. Flournoy's mind was early trained 
to receive the Protestant faith and religion, and he imbibed no Casholic doc- 
trines from his attendance upon their school. Mr. Flournoy's mother, 
whose maiden name was Martha O. Halloway, was a native of Jessamine 
county, Kentucky. She had been, at the time of her death, a devout 
Methodist for half a century. This excellent lady, who lived to the 
advanced age of eighty years, always exercised the greatest care in the 
intellectual and moral training of her children. To this early training of 
his mother, John S. Flournoy is indebted for the foundation of that ster- 



770 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

ling character, which, in after years, won for him the respect and support 
of his fellow citizens. After leaving college, Mr. F. taught school for 
several years during the winter months, and assisted upon the farm in 
summer. On the 28th day of February, 1851, John S. Flournoy was 
united in marriage to Miss Nancy C. M., daughter of Mr. James Keel, of 
Warren county, Kentucky, a lady of intelligence, culture and elegant 
taste. Two months after his marriage Mr. Flournoy removed, with his 
father-in-law, to Missouri, stopping temporarily in Clay county, but in the 
tbllowing October came to Ray county, and, in partnership with his 
brother-in-law, Mr. H. C. Keel, purchased what was known as Carpen- 
ter's mill, and farm consisting of 360 acres of land, situated on the east 
fork of Crooked river. Mr. Flournoy soon became possessed of the 
whole tract, by the purchase of his brother-in-law's interest, and subse- 
quently selling 100 acres of the north part of the farm, reduced its size to 
260 acres, which he soon improved into a productive and valuable farm, 
where he has since made his home. In 1858 Mr. Flournoy was appointed 
by the county court of Ray county, to assess range No. tiT. This duty 
he discharged in a very acceptable manner, and also made a perfect plat 
of the congressional townships in his territory, range 27. Mr. A. Spen- 
cer appointed him deputy assessor, and he assessed and made a plat, the 
first of the entire county. He afterwards served as deputy assessor for 
Lilburn McLaughlin, and also for A. P. Craven. In 1871 he was a can- 
didate before the democratic convention for the office of county assessor, 
but was defeated by Mr. Craven. Nothing daunted he ran again in 1876, 
and was elected. Bringing years of ripe experience to the discharge of 
the duties of the office, his official service met with universal satisfaction 
and approbation from his constituents and he was re-elected by a large 
majority. At the close of his second term the county official newspaper 
closed a very complimentary article upon him and his services with these 
words: " He retires with honors justly deserved." Mr. and Mrs. Flour- 
noy became the parents of ten children, all living but one, who died in 
infancy. Their son, Thomas M. is now, April, 1881, deputy county clerk, 
in the office at Richmond. Two daughters and the oldest son are mar- 
ried. John S. Flournoy is a model farmer, a devoted father, a firm friend 
and a highly respected and valuable citizen. 

ALEXANDER MAITLAND. 

Was born in Toronto, now Ontario, Canada, June 13, 1839. He is of 
Scotch extraction, both of his parents being natives of Scotland. His 
father, Alexander, sen., came first to the United States in the year 1835, 
but remaining only two years, returned to Canada. Here he was mar- 
ried to Miss Helen Skirring, about the year 1836. Our subject was the 
second child and oldest son of this union. He received his education in 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 771 

the excellent schools of Canada, finishing at Knox College, Toronto, with 
the exception of a short time he attended school at St. Louis, after coming 
to Missouri. In 1852 Mr. Maitland accompanied his father to the United 
States, and made his home for about a year in the city of St. Louis, Mis- 
souri. The next year his father moved to Ray county, and was employed 
for a year as business manager by Colonel William Moore. Colonel 
Moore died in 1854, and Mr. Maitland and J. Lightner, of Lexington, 
Missouri, rented his property and continued the business for another year. 
He then rented a farm in the Ray county bottom, upon which he resided 
with his family until the year 1860. In that year Alexander, Jr., left home 
and began life for himself. Going to the mountains of Colorado, he 
engaged in gold mining for about six months, but not meeting with 
encouraging "luck," he left ofl' mining and returned to Ray county. Not 
having been naturalized, he was yet a British subject, and in consequence, 
did not suffer molestation from any source during the stormy times 
after his return, until 1865. On the 4th day of March, 1865, Mr. 
Maitland was married to Miss Mary G. Oliphant, daughter of Alexander 
Oliphant, deceased, formerly of Ray county. Mr. Maitland continued the 
occupation of farming after his marriage, and has not since engaged in 
any other business. In 1867 he built a house upon a tract of land belong- 
ing to his wife, and, improving it also otherwise, made his residence upon 
it. To this tract he has continued to add purchases from time to time, 
until now his farm includes three hundred and twenty acres of excellent 
and very valuable land. Mr. Maitland is one of the leading stockmen of 
his section of the county, paying considerable attention to the breed- 
ing and raising of the better grades of live stock. He has some very 
fine pedigreed young heifers, and his Cotswold sheep are among the 
best in that locality. Mr. Maitland and wife have seven children, the eldest, 
a boy of fifteen years, the youngest an infant. All are bright, intelligent 
and promising children, and their parents are exercising great care and 
pains to have them properly and well educated. Though raised a Pres- 
byterian, Mr. Maitland is now a Methodist in religious belief. He is a 
genial, courteous, hospitable gentleman, a successful, prosperous business 
man and a good citizen. 

DANIEL CRAMER. 

A native of Germany, was born near the village of Geharde, in Hano- 
ver, May 16, 1817. His father was a farmer of that province and with 
him our subject lived, working on the farm, until he was about eighteen 
years of age. A short time previous his brother had gone to America, 
and wrote back such glowing accounts of the new world beyond the 
great waters, that young Daniel determined to go and try his fortune 
there, and at the same time escape military service in his native country. 



772 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

He sailed from Bremen in the month of April, 1835, and the following June 
landed on the American shore at Baltimore, where he worked in a cotton 
factory for two years. He then went to Pennsylvania and was employed 
on a boat plying the Schuylkill river, until the year 1844. In the spring 
of that year he came to Ray county, Missouri, and entering one hundred 
and sixty acres, two miles northwest of Millville, established his home 
there and has never removed from it, but has bought and improved more 
land, from time to time, until now he has a large farm of four hundred 
acres of very fertile land. Mr. Cramer was married in Pennsylvania, on 
the 19th day of December, 1841, to Miss Louisa Litzenger. They 
became the parents of live children, three girls and two boys. All are 
married except Frank, the \'oungest, now business partner of J. P. 
Grimes, at Millville. The youngest daughter, who was the wife of Mr. 
Owen, is dead, and her three boys live with their grandfather, Mr. Cramer. 
Our subject took no part in the war of the rebellion, and was bitter!}' 
opposed to it. He has always been a good, 103'al citizen of his adopted 
country. In 1864 Mr. Cramer was appointed justice of the peace by the 
county court, and served till 1866, when he was elected to that office, 
and discharged its duties until 1868, when he resigned to qualify for the 
office of judge of the county court, to which he had been elected by 
his fellow citizens. Mr. Cramer was reared in the faith of the Lutheran 
Church, but as there has been no organization of that denomination in 
his locality, has never connected himself with the church here. Mrs. 
Cramer is a worthy member of the M. E. Church at Millville. Mr. 
Cramer is a prosperous farmer, a good neighbor, and an honorable and a 
valuable citizen of his adopted county. 

JAMES VANBEBBER. 

This gentleman was born in East Tennessee, and spent the earlier part 
of his life in that state. Here he was engaged extensively in farming, and 
that was his lifelong occupation. When about twenty-five years of age 
he was married to Miss Elizabeth Yocum, daughter of Isaac Yocum, 
Esq., of Tennessee. Ten children, five of each sex, were born of this 
union. Eight of them are now living. In the year 1884, Mr. Vanbebber 
moved from Tennessee to Missouri, and settled in Ray county, in the 
river bottom near the present town of Hardin. Here he lived for about 
two years, and then buying and entering some two hundred acres of land 
thirteen miles north of Richmond, removed with his family to it, and lived 
there for the space of twenty-five years. He then sold his farm and 
removed to Caldwell county, Missouri, where he died in 1874. His widow 
is still living with her son in Caldwell county. The oldest son, William 
H. Vanbebber, is now living a short distance south of the place his father 
settled in Ray county. He has a good farm, a neat residence, and is 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 773 

doing well. He is the father of three promising boys. Himself and his 
excellent lady are both members of the Methodist Church at Millville. 

RICHIE KINCAID. 

Was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 15th day of March, 1839. 
He was educated in the common schools of his native county, and has 
always been, since leaving school, engaged in farming. He was married 
first on the 16th day of December, 1860. His wife, after becoming the 
mother of nine children, six boys and three girls, died August 4, 1879. 
Mr. Kincaid was married the second time, October 13, 1880, to Mrs. Eliz- 
abeth Wild, widow of Henry W. Wild, deceased. The present Mrs. 
Kincaid is a member of the Christian Church. The former wife was a 
Methodist. Mr. Kincaid owns a good farm of one hundred and four 
acres, with a neat, comfortable home, and is doing well in his business. 

JAMES KINCAID. 

James Kincaid was born in Greenbrier county, Virginia, on the 28th 
day of August, 1804. His father removed to Campbell county. East 
Tennessee, when he was but eight years old. Here he was educated, 
and worked with his father on the farm until he was twenty-four years of 
age. In the year 1828 he was married to Miss Sarah Craven, daughter 
of Richard Craven, Sr., and two years later he removed to Missouri, and 
settled in Ray county, four miles west of the town of Richmond. Enter- 
ing one hundred and sixty acres, eleven miles north of Richmond, he 
removed upon it the next year, and lived there until the time of his death. 
He subsequently purchased more land, and increased the size of his place 
to six hundred and forty acres. Grain and hemp were the principal pro- 
ducts of his farm. He lost several valuable slaves by the war. Mr. and 
Mrs. Kincaid were the parents of fourteen children, nine of whom, 
eight boys and one girl, are yet living. Mr. Kincaid, in religious belief, 
inclined to Methodism, though he was not a member of any church. He 
died December 14, 1868, deeply lamented by his family, and respected by 
all who had known him. 

ALFRED C. KINCAID. 

Was born in Ray county, Missouri, December 31, 1843, and educated 
and reared here. He began work on his father's farm early in life, and 
has followed farming ever since as the chosen calling of his life. He 
served thirteen months in the Federal army during the civil war, under 
compulsion, having been drafted. Alfred C. Kincaid was married on the 
16th day of April, 1866, to Miss Rachel Grimes. They became the 
parents of six children, only two of whom, both girls, are now living. 



774 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Kincaid are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
■Church South, at Millville. He is also a member of the King Hiram 
Lodge, A. F. & A. M., at Knoxviile. 

JAMES N. GRIMES. 

This gentleman is the son of Henry C. Grimes, and brother of J. P. 
Grimes, of Millville. He was born in Campbell county, Tennessee. He 
left his native state when eleven years old, and came to Ray county, Mis- 
souri, where he was married, on the 2d day of September, 1862, to Miss 
Abigail Stemley. The issue of this union was five children. Ten years 
after her marriage Mrs. Grimes died, and Mr. Grimes was married again, 
in January, 1873, to Miss Sophronia Magill, of Ray county. By her he 
has three children. Mr. Grimes belongs to the M. E. Church South, as 
did his former wife, and also his present lady. He is also a member of 
the Millville Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He was engaged for two years, 
1873-4, in merchandising, at Millville. Mr. Grimes has always been a 
farmer, in which occupation he has been very successful. 

JOSEPH PETTUS. 

Was born in the state of Virginia. When still a small boy, his parents 
removed to Lincoln county, Kentucky, and here Joseph grew up, work- 
ing on his father's farm. He was married in the month of October, 1829, 
to Miss Mary Ann Hamilton, daughter of Thomas Hamilton, Esq., now 
deceased. They became the parents of sixteen children, ten sons and six 
■daughters, fourteen of them, nine sons and five daughters, still survive. 
In October, 1833, Mr. Pettus left Kentucky and came to Ray county, 
Missouri, settling one and a half miles southeast of Elkhorn, in the then 
almost unbroken wilderness, where he had entered three hundred and 
sixty acres of land. He afterward bought eighty acres more, making in 
all four hundred and forty acres of rich land. Here he lived until the 
time of his death, 1857. He was occupied with his business, and took no 
active part in politics. In religion, both himself and his wife were what 
have been termed Kellyites. Mr. Pettus' remains were interred upon his 
farm. He was successful with his business, because he was industrious 
and economical. All that he acquired of wealth he made by his own 
indomitable pluck, perseverance, and unremitting labor. His eflforts were 
accredited their due measure of approbation, and he was greatly respected 
by his neighbors. 

JOHN H. CRAMER. 

This gentleman was born near the town of Geharde, in the province of 
Hanover, Germany, on the 15th day of May, 1810. He was educated at 
the schools of Geharde. His father was a farmer, and in the choice of a 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 775 

calling, the son followed his example. In 1834 our subject immigrated to 
the United States, landing at the port of Baltimore, in the month of May. 
In this city he remained eleven years, employed in a copirnission house. 
Here he was married the same year of his arrival, to Miss Ann A. Strodt- 
mann. Of this union one son was born, John Henry, now a practicing 
phvsician of Mandeville, in Carroll count}-, Missouri. Mr. Cramer came 
to Ray county in June, 1845, first landing at the town of Camden. Ten 
days after his arrival he bought the same farm upon which he now lives, 
except that he has since enlarged it by additional purchases. It numbers 
now five hundred and forty acres, with good, comfortable, and roomy 
house, large, substantial barn, and other necessary out-buildings, and a fine 
orchard. Mrs. Cramer died June 18,. 1858, and Mr. Cramer was subse- 
quently married to Miss Ruth E. Crithfield. Six children were the result 
of this union, but three of whom are now living with their father, the 
others having died. In religion, Mr. Cramer is a Lutheran, but as there 
has been no church convenient, he has never connected himself with his 
brethren in this county. Mrs. Cramer is a member of the M. E. Church 
South, at Knoxville. All his children are educated in English, and his eldest 
son, Doctor Cramer, in both German and English. Mr. Cramer is a suc- 
cessful farmer, a kind-hearted neighbor, and a good citizen of the county 
of Ray. 

WILLIAM M. SCHOOLER. 

Was born in the state of Tennessee, on the 2d day of January, 1818. 
During his infancy his parents removed to Madison county, Kentucky. 
Here our subject received his education, and learned the carpentering 
trade. In the year 1843 our subject made a tour of inspection through 
the state of Missouri, in search of a place to make his home. While in 
Chariton, Missouri, he met and wooed and won for his bride Miss Mildred 
Gooch, daughter of Gideon Gooch, Esq., a resident of that place. They 
were married, and Mr. Schooler took his bride back with him to Ken- 
tucky. But he was so well pleased with what he had seen of Missouri 
that he could not content himself to remain in Kentucky, and his wife 
was continually pining for her Missouri home. So, the verv next year, 
Mr. Schooler removed to Missouri, settling, when he first came, in Linn 
county, about nine miles from the town of Linneus, on the Chillicothe 
road. Here he continued to reside until the year 1847, when he came to 
Ray county, and located on a place about three miles west of Millville. 
Here Mr. Schooler continued to reside until his death. Thirteen children 
were born to Mr. Schooler and wife. Nine of them are now living, and 
five are married. Mr. John A. Schooler, who is yet unmarried, conducts 
the old homestead for his mother, the widow of our subject. Mrs. Cramer 
is a consistent and worthy member of the Christian Church, and most of 



776 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

the children belong to that church. One of the daughters is a regular 
Baptist. Mr. Cramer died January 22, 1869, and is buried in the ceme- 
tery near his old home, and men remember him as an upright, honorable 
man, a good neighbor, and an orderly citizen. 

REV. JAMES DUVAL. 

James Duval was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, on the 8th day 
of March, 1804. He was the second son and fourth child of a large 
family. He was educated in the schools of his native state, and was an 
apt and industrious pupil. Always passionately fond of books, and of 
research for knowledge, he never ceased, to the day of his death, being 
a hard student. Early in life Mr. Duval was converted to the Christian 
religion, and connected himself with the Old School Baptist Church. 
The conviction that it was his duty to "go into all the world and preach 
the gospel," was so strong upon him, that he, soon after his conversion, 
was ordained to the work of the gospel ministry, and gave his lifelong 
service to it. Mr. Duval was married in the month of November, 1836, 
to Miss Lydia Russell, of Frederick county, Virginia, and in the autumn 
of 1848, removed with his family to Missouri. He located in Ray county, 
SIX miles north of Richmond, where he purchased, and entered together, 
more than seven hundred acres of land, and when not engaged in his 
ministerial labors, Mr. Duval devoted his time to the successful manage- 
ment of his large farm. Mr. Duval was an inveterate reader, and pos- 
sessed a remarkable memory. He never forgot what he read, and was 
regarded as the best informed man in his section of the county. Eight 
children were born of his union with Miss Russell, seven sons and one 
daughter. Three sons were killed in battling for the south. Lieutenant 
William Duval was killed at Corinth, Mississippi, while gallantly planting 
the Confederate flag on the Union breastworks. He was the third man 
killed while trying to plant the southern colors on the defenses of the 
"boys in blue" in that sanguinary struggle. Thomas and Henderson 
were killed at the battle of Baker's Creek, Mississippi. Mr. Duval lost 
his wife in September, 1874. She was an excellent lady, and a fitting 
companion for her husband. Her death was deeply mourned by her 
many friends. James Duval died on the 6th day of April, 1881, after 
having been pastor of Marion Church, near Knoxville, for more than 
thirty years. His loss was greatly lamented by his congregation, and his 
memory is honored and revered by the entire community. He was a 
kind-hearted, modest, pious and godly ma.n, generous and charitable to 
the erring. His death leaves a void in the ministry and in the community 
not easy to be filled. 



HISTORY OP' RAY COUNTY. 777 

ISAAC DUVAL. 

Was a native of Virginia. He was born in Culpepper county, that 
state, July 16, 1806. Received the advantages of such schools as the 
times afforded, and was reared to be a farmer, and always pursued that 
calling. Isaac Duval was married in his native county, on the 6th day of 
November, 1837, to Miss Sarah M. Jeffreys. The issue of this marriage 
was three boys and one girl. He moved to Ray county, Missouri, in the 
year 1844, and settled in Richmond township. His wife died July 3, 
1845, and he was was afterwards married to Mrs. Rebecca Mausur, relict 
of Charles Mausur, Senior. Mr. Duval removed about the year 1849, to 
Grape Grove township, and purchased the farm upon which he lived at 
the time of his death. He was inclined to Lutheranism m religious 
views, though he was not a member of any denomination. He was a 
member of the Millville Lodge of A. F. & A. M. Isaac Duval died, 
November 17, 1879, highly respected by all who knew him. A good 
man and valuable citizen is gone. 

HIRAM P. SETTLE. 

Is a Virginian. He was born in Fauquier county, Virginia. When he 
was three months old his father died. His mother subsequently married 
and went to Ohio, and he was left to the care of his grandfather's family, 
by whom he was raised. After leaving school, at the age of about four- 
teen years, he began to learn the trade of a tailor, at Fairfax, in Culpep- 
per county. He served out his apprenticeship, and at the age of twenty- 
one commenced business for himself, and continued for a year or so work- 
ing at his trade, and then gave up tailoring for the more congenial occu- 
pation of farming, and has never since engaged in any other calling, 
Hiram P. Settle\vas married in the year 1834, to Miss Juliet A. DuvaL 
They became the parents of seven children, three only of whom, two 
sons and a daughter, survive. The latter, Elizabeth S., is now the wife 
of D. C. Allen, Esq., of Liberty, Missouri. In the year 1844 Mr. Settle 
came to Missouri in company with Isaac Duval, Esq. He first located 
near Richmond, and remained there about one year. In the month of 
March, 1846, he purchased part of the farm where he now lives, six miles 
northeast from Richmond, and moved his family to it. He extended this 
farm by entry and purchase, from time to time, until now it comprises five 
hundred and twenty acres of excellent land in a high state of cultivation, 
and well improved. Mr. Settle is in the front ranks of successful, prom- 
inent farmers and stock-raisers of Ray county. He claims to have raised 
the fastest horse ever bred in the county. This horse was sold and taken 
to New Mexico in the year 1878. Mr. Settle has now (April, 1881,) as 
fine a herd of blooded cattle as can be found in the county. Red Duke 
49 



778 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

a thoroutThbred bull, stands at the head of the herd. He is also largely 
engaged in breeding fine hogs and sheep. Of the latter he keeps the long 
wool Cotswold and Southdown varieties. His hogs are mostly of the 
Poland-China breed. For the trouble and expense he incurs in his laud- 
able efforts to improve the stock ol the county, great credit is due Mr. 
Settle. Hiram P. Settle is truly a self-made man. When he began life 
he had nothing, now he is the possessor of a competence, and continually 
growing wealthier. By his untiring energy and industry he has accom- 
plished it all. His example should be a valuable lesson to the youth of 
the land. For ten years prior to the civil war, Mr. Settle was one of the 
board of directors of the Ray county agricultural and mechanical asso- 
ciation. He is a member of the Richmond Lodge of A. F. & A. M. As 
a citizen and a farmer, Hiram P. Settle stands among the foremost of 
those interested in the development and progress of Ray county. He, 
the architect of his own fortune and character, truly builded well. 

DAVID A. THOMPSON. 

Was born in Russell county, Virginia, on the 25th day of February, 
1821. He was the youngest son of a family of nine children. His father, 
Richard Thompson, w^as an extensive property holder and farmer of his 
native countv. But before our subject was grown his father was entirely 
ruined financially, by the payment of large sums of money to discharge 
debts of some friends for whom he w as security. When young Thomp- 
son was eighteen years old, his father removed from Virginia with the 
hope of reviving his shattered fortunes in Missouri. He settled in Ray 
county, where he entered a tract of land. David A. Thompson soon after 
left home and began for himself the hard struggle of a poor boy for a 
livelihood. He first hired to chop wood in the river bottom opposite Lex- 
ington. He was economical and saved his wages so well that when he 
arrived at the age of twenty -two years, he had the neat sum of two hun- 
dred dollars. Young calves were cheap and Mr. Thompson invested the 
whole sum in them, buying fifty-two. He placed his calves upon good 
pasturage and allowed them to grow until they were three years old, and 
then sold them at a large profit and invested the proceeds of their sale in 
land. He continued at intervals to enter land until his farm now includes 
three hundred and seventy-four acres of valuable land. Mr. Thompson's 
early history teaches practically, how important it is to economize in small 
matters, and what good results may come from the judicious investment of 
even a small sum of money. David A. Thompson was married in the 
year 1854, to Miss EveUne Mayberry, of Ray county. Of this union one 
son was born: George W., yet living. Mrs. Thompson died about three 
years after her marriage, and Mr. Thompson was afterward married to 
Miss M. J. Lozier, of Ray county. By her he became the father of eleven 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 779 

children, seven boys and four j^irls. Two, George W., and David R., 
are married. Mr. Thompson is a worthy member of the Old School Bap- 
tist Church, as is the present Mrs. T.; his former wife was a Presbyterian. 
David A. Thompson has made all that he has, and accomplished all that 
he is, by his own efforts. Iron will, indomitable pluck, and ceaseless indus- 
try, have characterized his life work. He is highly respected tor his many 
excellent qualities by his fellow citizens. 

LORENZO S. MAGILL. 

Son of Judge L. H. Magill, was born April 2, 1856, and raised in Ray 
county, Missouri, near the town of Knoxville, on his father's farm. He 
finished his education at the Richmond College, and at the age of eigh- 
teen years engaged in teaching school for about three years, after which 
he went to farming. Mr. Magill was married on the 5th day of October, 
1880, to Miss Emma Dale, daughter of M. G. Dale, of Ray county. She 
was born in October, 1863. He and his father-in-law have recently pur- 
chased a farm of one hundred and seventy acres, about eight miles north 
of Richmond, and known as the Anderson place. Here Mr. Magill has 
established himself with his fair young bride, and here he will doubtless 
make a successful farmer and a valuable citizen. 

J. W. C. WILSON, Sr. 

James W. C. Wilson, Sr., was born in Campbell county, Tennessee, on 
the 16th day of February, 1808. His father, Levi Wilson, Esq., was a 
prominent farmer and large land owner of that state. Mr. Isaac Wilson, 
uncle of our subject, was one of Ray county's earliest pioneers, having 
come to the county more than sixty years ago. The subject of this arti- 
cle was reared and educated in his native state. In the year 1829, his 
father removed to Ray county, Missouri, but remaining then only tempo- 
rarily, went to Clay county and remained there for about four years. He 
then returned to Ray county and lived here, the remaindei- of his life. 
Mr. James W. C. Wilson has never had his home changed from Ray 
county since he first came here, at the age of twenty-two years, except 
during the year 1830, when he lived in Clay county, Missouri. When 
Mr. Wilson commenced life for himself, he had not a dollar in the world. 
He hired to work on the farm of William Carlisle, of Ray county, for 
ten dollars per month; at that time considered high wages, and only paid 
to the very best farm hands. At the end of two years Mr. Wilson had 
saved from his wages the sum of one hundred and one dollars. Of 
this sum he paid one hundred dollars, half its price, for a farm of eighty 
acres, for which he had bargained, the remaining one hundred dollars of 
the price of the farm, to be paid in less than eleven months from the time 



780 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY 

of ihe first payment. He now had just one dollar left. He possessed 
besides, five acres of corn, which he had ^rown in Clay county, and from 
the sale of it realized the sum of fifty dollars, selling at seventeen and a 
half cents per bushel of corn and fifty cents per hundred bundles for the 
fodder. This sum he also paid upon the price of the farm, and in consid- 
eration of paying in advance, of the stipulated time, received credit for 
sixty instead of fift}'^ dollars. Mr. Wilson worked until he had the 
remaining forty dollars, and then paying the balance due on the place, 
received a deed to it. Thus he first became a land-holder, and laid the 
foundation for his future success and usefulness. He now owns a farm of 
895 acres, ten miles north of Richmond, on the Kingston road; 800 acres 
of this place are under fence, about 340 acres of pasture lands, and 
460 acres in a high state of cultivation. This is the largest and most 
valuable farm in the township. Mr. Wilson has always been a Benton 
democrat, and formerly took considerable interest in politics. He has 
repeatedly been a delegate to the democratic convention of his county and 
congressional district. He has never sought or desired office at the hands 
of his party, though he has never failed to support the nominees of both 
state and national conventions, except the nomination of Horace Greeley 
for the presidency, in 1872. Mr. Wilson did not regard him as a proper 
choice for a democratic convention to make, and did not support him. Mr. 
Wilson has never married, and his mother, now ninety-four years of age, lives 
with him, and despite her son's efforts to restrain her from attempting any 
household cares, she insists still upon superintending the domestic affairs 
of the house. Her health is good, and for one so old, she is remarkably 
strong and active. Mr. Wilson is one of Ray county's most substantial 
farmers and best citizens, and the perusal of his life's history should 
inspire the poor youth of the county to emulate his example in the acqui- 
sition of property. . 

JOHN C. GARNER. 

John Campbell Garner was born in Clarke county, Kentucky, January 
21, 1811. His father. Colonel Jesse W. Garner, was a carpenter, archi- 
tect and draughtsman, and is known here as the original contractor and 
builder of the Missouri penitentiary at Jefferson City. His father came 
to Missouri some years before the subject of this article, and young John 
was reared by his uncle, John Campbell, after whom he was named. 
John Campbell was a revolutionary soldier and served through the 
entire war. He held the rank of lieutenant. Mr. Garner's uncle left his 
nephew, at his death, a handsome legacy, by will, of one hundred and 
sixty acres of land, and two valuable slaves. After the death of his uncle 
he took charge of the farm for his aunt. This aunt was the sister of 
Governor Clark, of Kentucky. Mr. Garner never married, and his aunt 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 781 

and a cousin were his housekeepers, until 1854, when the former died. 
He then sold his farm for seventy-five dollars per acre, and the next year 
came to Missouri. He had been very successful in dealing in horses, 
mules and cattle, in Kentuck\-, and he brought about twenty-five thou- 
sand dollars away with him from that state. After coming to Missouri 
he first stopped near Morton, in Ray county, but remaining there only a 
few months, he removed, in March, 1857, to the place where he now 
resides, on the Kingston road, nine miles north of Richmond. Here he 
purchased six hundred and forty acres of land, and at once began 
improving it by fencing and building a dwelling house and barn. Mr. 
Garner had just gotten his place improved, and was ready to commence 
business in earnest, when the war came and his slaves were taken from 
him. Mr. Garner spent most of his time during the war in Richmond. 
He has never engaged in any but agricultural pursuits, and owns now 
about nine hundred and thirty-eight acres of excellent land,' all lying near 
his homestead. Though Mr. Garner has never been a candidate for 
office, he has always taken a great interest, and kept himself well 
informed in political affairs. While he was living in Kentucky he 
organized the second Know-nothing council in Clarke county. Formerly 
he was a whig, but since dissolution of that party he has acted with the 
democracy. He has been, for a number of years, a member of the M. 
E. Church South, at Richmond. Although Mr. Garner did not enjoy 
many advantages for getting an education in his youth, he has read so 
much and so diligently and attentively, that his vigorous and retentive 
memory is well stored with valuable knowledge. His health has not 
been good for some time, and he is kept much indoors. This gives him 
a better opportunity to indulge his taste for reading. Mrs. Smith, his 
sister, keeps house for him. John C. Garner has been very successful as 
a farmer and stock raiser; he is an obliging neighbor, an honorable gen- 
tleman, and a highly respected citizen of the county of Ray. 

A. D. CLARK, M.D. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Clay county, Kentucky, on the 
7th day of February, 1827. When he was four years of age his father 
removed to Ray county, Missouri, and he received his education partly 
in the common schools and partly at Richmond College. He began the 
study of medicine in the office of his father, Doctor Hiram Clark, at the 
age of nineteen years. Four years later, 1851, at the age of twenty- 
three, he began to practice his profession in Knoxville township. The 
next year he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, about a mile 
and three-quarters north of Knoxville, where he resided until 1859. Then 
he moved a short distance south of his former home, to a farm he had 
purchased, and there he has since resided. This farm now comprises 420 



782 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

acres. Dr. Clark was married in August, 1852, to Miss Amanda Jones, 
daughter of Solomon Jones, Esq., of Ray county. The issue of this 
union was seven children, only three of whom, one son and two daugh- 
ters, are now living. The son and one daughter are married; the other 
still lives with her father. Mrs. Clark is a member of the M. E. Church 
South, at Knoxville. Doctor Clark is a member of the order of A. F. & 
A. M., and was one ot the charter members of King Hiram Lodge No. 
309, of Knoxville. He continues to live upon his farm and superintend 
its management in connection with the practice of his profession. He is 
a very successful and popular ph^^sician, and enjoys a large practice. 

HIRAM J. CLARK. 

Was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the farm where he now resides 
in the year 1843. His father was Dr. Hiram Clark, a practicing physi- 
cian of Knoxville, and the father of a family of five children, of whom our 
subject is the youngest. Mr. Clark received his education in the schools 
of Ray county. His father having died, he bought the interests of the 
other heirs, and became the sole possessor of the old homestead at the 
age of nineteen years. Soon after, in 1862, he started west and went to 
Oregon, where he remained about five months, and then came back as 
far as Idaho territory. Here he lived about the same length of time as in 
Oregon, and then returned to Ray county. During the first year after 
his return he was engaged very profitably, trading in cattle. The next 
year he took possession of his farm, and has made his home there ever 
since. Mr. Clark w^as married on the 28th day of June, 1865, to Miss 
Elizabeth Thomas, daughter of Mr. John Thomas, a resident of Ray 
county. Seven children were bore to them, five boys and two girls, all 
now living. Since the war, Mr. Clark has prospered greatly with his 
farming, and has extended his landed possessions, until now he is the 
owner of the north half of section one, township 53, range twenty-eight, 
He is a member of the old school Baptist Church, and also of lodge No. 
309, A. F. & A. M., at Knoxville. 

JACOB T. CRAVEN. 

Is a native of North Carolina. He was born in Randolph county, that 
state, in the month of May, 1831. He was educated in the district schools 
of his father's neighborhood, and, after leaving school, began the work of 
farming, and this has been his chief occupation. In 1853 Mr. Craven was 
married to Miss Sarah Wright, also of Randolph county, North Carolina. 
They became the parents of four children, all now living, and two mar- 
ried. Three years after his marriage he removed to Nodaway county, 
Missouri, and entering and improving a farm there, lived upon it till the 
outbreak of the great civi! war. Mr. Craven was among the first to 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 783 

respond to Governor Jackson's call for state troops, and, when the time 
for which he had enlisted in the Missouri guard had expired, he joined 
the regular Confederate army, and went to the war with Colonel Gates* 
first regiment of Missouri cavalry. He was in every battle and skir- 
mish in which his regiment was engaged, till he was wounded at the 
battle of Peach Tree Creek, in 1863. After the fight of Pea Ridge his 
brigade was transferred to the department of war east of the Mississippi, 
and here Mr. Craven followed all the movements of the army. He was 
twice wounded and once taken prisoner. When the war was over, Mr. 
Craven went to the state of Illinois, where his wife joined him, and lived 
there for four years. In 1869, having sold his farm in Nodaway county^ 
Missouri, he came to Ray county, and has ever since lived here, upon a 
farm he bought, south of the town of Knoxville. Mr. Craven is a mem- 
ber of Marion (Baptist) Church, and also a member of the Masonic 
Lodge, at Knoxville, which he joined by demit fi-om the lodge of which 
he had been a member, in North Carolina. Mr. Craven was a brave sol- 
dier, has been a successful farmer, and is now a useful and highly 
respected citizen of the community in which he lives. 

JEREMIAH CAMPBELL. 

Was born in Campbell county, Tennessee, in the year 1802. He 
received the advantages of such schools as his native county at that time 
aflbrded. He was married at about the age of twenty-two years, to Miss 
Elizabeth Vanderpool. Eight children were born to them as the result of 
this union, four of each sex. Five of them are still living. Jeremiah 
Campbell was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. He removed from Ten- 
nessee to Ray county, Missouri, in the year, 1S36, and settled about ten 
miles northeast of Richmond. Both Mr. and Mrs. Campbell were con- 
sistent members of the " old school " Baptist Church. Mr. Campbell died 
in July, 1875. In life he was greatly respected by all who knew him. 

JAMES G. COLLIER. 

J. G. Collier was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, March 6, 184L 
Here he received the principal part of his education. When he was four- 
teen years of age, his parents came to Missouri and located, for a time, in 
Saline county, where he engaged in farming. He went mto the Confed- 
erate army from Sahne county, with General Marmaduke, in the autumn 
of 1864. He was at the battle oi Independence, Missouri, and also 
engaged in several minor battles during the war. He received his dis- 
charge from the army at Shreveport, Louisiana, and returned to farming, 
in Saline county, Missouri. He was, at one time, the owner of the 
" Bruce farm, " one of the best in the county of Sahne. Moved to Car- 
roll count}', in 1876, and remained one year there. Then he came to Ray 



784 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

county, and has ever since lived here. Mr. Collier was married on the 
14th day of May, 1871, to Miss Kate Miles, of Ray county. They 
became the parents of four children, John U., William K., Lizzie and an 
infant, which has not yet (April, 1881) been named. He owns a fine 
farm, of rich land, well improved. His residence is a brick house, dis- 
tmguished from the fact of its being the only one of that character in 
Crooked River township. He is a practical, successful farmer, and an 
intelligent and prominent citizen of his community. 

EPHRAIM D. FERREE. 

Is a blacksmith and wagon-maker, and was born on the 10th day of 
April, 1827, in Franklin county, Pennsylvania. He received the privileges 
of the public schools of his native state, and in them acquired his educa- 
tion. He served an apprenticeship of two years and a half in the shop of 
his brother, in Franklin county, three miles west of Greencastle, Pa. At 
, the expiration of this time he immigrated to Missouri, arriving at Lexing- 
ton, Lafayette county, on the 20th day of October, 1846. Here he went 
to work at his trade and remained five years. He then came to Rich- 
mond, Ray county, and continued the business of blacksmithing and 
wagon-making. In the spring of 1857 he went to Daviess county, Mis- 
souri, but the following year came back to Ray county and located at 
what was then called " Shaw's Shop," now the enterprising town of Mor- 
ton. Mr. Ferree was married in December, of the year 1850, to Miss 
Mary A. Griffin, of Lafayette county, a native of the state of Kentucky. 
The issue of this union is six children: William W., Margaret A., 
Charles W., John W., Frank Y., and George C, now living. Mr. Ferree 
is a most excellent workman in his branch of business, and is the recipi- 
ent of a large and lucrative custom. He is a good and substantial citi- 
zen, and one that the people of Morton and vicinity would be very sorry 
to lose from their midst. 

JAMES JOHNSON. 

The subject of this sketch was born two miles north of the town of 
Richmond, in Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1833. He received his 
<;ducation in the common schools, and after leaving school began work on 
his father's farm. He purchased the farm upon which he now lives, in 1861. 
This land was originally entered for twelve and a half cents per acre. It is 
now worth at least forty dollars per acre. Mr. Johnson spent most of the 
time during the civil war in the state of Illinois. He was married on the 
3d day of March, 1861, to Miss Mollie Pugh, an excellent lady and a 
good wife. He has travelled extensively through the south and west, and 
visited almost every point of interest in these sections of the country. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 785 

Mr. Johnson owns a farm of one hundred and ninety acres, which, in the 
quality and value of the land is absolutely unsurpassed by any in the 
county. 

SAMUEL O. McGUIRE. 

A native of Kentucky, was born in Anderson county, January 22, 1843, 
and received his education there. He was employed as a clerk at Law- 
renceburg, Kentucky, after leaving school for two years. He left Ken- 
tucky in 1801, and came to Ray count}-, Missouri, and in the month of 
June, the same year, he enlisted under Colonel Reeves in the Confederate 
army. He was at the battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, 
luka, Corinth, Champion Hills and Big Black River. At the last men- 
tioned fight he was captured by the enemy and taken to Ft. Delaware 
and thence to Point Lookout, Mar3dand. Here he was kept six months, 
and then having been exchanged, he again entered the regular service. 
He made the trip from Independence, Missouri, to the Red River of the 
south, in 1864, with neither salt nor bread with his rations. Mr. McGuire 
was paroled at Alexandria, Louisiana, in July, 1865. After the war he 
went out on the plains of Nebraska and Dakota, and engaged at teaming 
for four years. He was in a battle with the Indians in Dakota. Four hun- 
dred of the savages surrounding the party's camp to which Mr. McGuire 
belonged, setting fire to the long dry prairie grass, attacked the train and 
killed four of his comrades, besides wounding and killing stock. Mr. Mc- 
Guire fortunately escaped without a scratch, and returned to Missouri. 
He stopped in Kansas City for about a year, and then going to Vernon 
county, Missouri, was employed herding cattle for about eighteen months. 
At the expiration of that time he returned to Ray county, Missouri, and 
has made his home here ever since. Mr. McGuire was married Decem- 
ber 22, 1870, to Miss Frances Wall, of Ray county, Missouri. They have 
two children living: James B. and Claude O. Mr. McGuire has mingled 
much with the world, and is an intelligent, practical minded man, a sub- 
stantial farmer and an influential citizen. 

JEREMIAH H. BRYAN. 

Jeremiah H. Bryan is a native of Virginia. He was born in Green 
county, on the 18th day of December, 1840, and received his education in 
the schools of Rockingham county, near Harrisburg. He followed farm- 
ing for awhile, and also taught school for about three years in Virginia. 
He then learned the carpentering trade, at which he still works at inter- 
vals. He was a soldier in the army of Virginia, under General Stonewall 
Jackson, and participated in the following named battles: Second Man- 
assas, Gettysburg, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Port Republic, Cross Keys, 



786 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Seven Pines, Petersburg, Hatcher's Run, Richmond, and Appomattox, 
besides many other minor engagements. Mr. Bryan was wounded at 
the battle of Jourdan Ridge. He surrendered with the army ol Virginia 
at Appomattox court house, April 9, 1865, having served bravely 
and well in defense of the cause he believed to be just and right. Per- 
haps no other man now living in this section of the country was in so 
many of the principal and hard-fought battles of the war, and followed 
so closely the fortunes of the side he had espoused. When the banner of 
"stars and bars" he had followed to so many battle-fields, and learned to 
love so well, was " furled forever," Mr. Bryan returned to the quiet walks 
of peaceful life, and resumed the cultivation of his farm. He was mar- 
ried in the month of April, 1867, to Miss Fannie Fridley, of Rockingham 
county, Virginia. Three children were the issue of this marriage, but 
one of whom, Birdie, is now living. Mr. Bryan owns a fine farm of one 
hundred acres in Crooked River township, Ray county. He is a sub- 
stantial and prosperous farmer, and enjoys the universal esteem and 
respect of all who know him. 

JOHN F. CUNNINGHAM. 

The gentleman whose history follows is a native of Muskingum county, 
Ohio, and was born on the 14th day of March, 1848. His parents immi- 
grated to Missouri in 1854, stopping in Chariton county, where he made 
his home until 1879. His educational advantages were unusually good, 
being given a five years' course in the literary department of the Wes- 
leyan University of Ohio. After leaving school he returned to Chariton 
county, Missouri, and entered the drug busmess. He was also engaged 
at the railroad business for about twelve years, being station agent and 
telegraph operator at different points. He was operator in the office at 
Hardin for about a year, and then established the drug and grocery trade, 
in which he is now engaged. He entered the Union army from Chariton 
county, in 1861, and was with General Grant at the battle of Shiloh, 
where he was so severely wounded as to necessitate his discharge from 
the service. This was in April, 1862. He came home, and, recovering 
from the effects of his injury, joined the state militia, and participated in 
several skirmishes. He was discharged with the 35th regiment of Mis- 
souri volunteers, at Laclede, Missouri, and returning home again, resumed 
the business that was broken off by his going to the war. Mr. Cunning- 
ham was married, June 14, 1868, at Keytesville, Chariton county, Mis- 
souri, to Miss Bettie L. Grubbs. Their union is blessed by four children : 
Arthur W., Jennie E., John F., Jr., and an infant. Mr. Cunningham's 
father, a native of New York, is yet living in Chariton county, Missouri. 
He, too, is a druggist, as well as an extensive land owner there. In poli- 
tics, our subject is a prominent republican, and raised the first republican 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY, 787 

banner in the county after the war. He is a leadin^j member of the I. O. 
O. F., Lodge No. 134, Brunswick, and also of the Encampment. He is 
highly respected by the good citizens of Hardin, among whom he lives, 
and is well and favorably known throughout the county. 

L. B. WRIGHT. 

Few indeed, are those who accord to the man who spends his life in the 
cause of common education, his due measure of credit and praise. L. B. 
Wright was born in Owen county, Kentucky, December 5, 1838, about 
twenty miles northeast of Frankfort. His parents came to Missouri, in 
1849, and settled in Lafayette county. Here he finished the course 
taught in the neighboring schools, and then entering Nelson's Commercial 
College at Cincinnati, graduated in 1864. He returned home, and lived 
with his parents until his 21st year. Since then he has been engaged in 
teaching, and other branches of work connected with schools. He was 
commissioner of public schools of Ray county for four years. He has 
taught during almost every winter, for twenty-two years, engaging m- 
" That delightful task, to rear the tender thoughts, 
To teach the young- idea how to shoot, 
x\nd pour fresh instructions o'er the mind, " 
from four to nine months in each year. He has taught in Lafayette, Carroll 
and Ray counties, and also in Kentucky. Taught live years in the schools of 
Morton. During the civil war he was attending commercial schools at 
Cincinnati, Ohio, and was in consequence, engaged but a short time in the 
Confederate service. After he left school there he was book-keeper for a 
time in the establishment of Messrs. Smith & Shaw, wholesale grocers, of 
Cincinnati. He left that city in April, 1866, and spent the following sum- 
mer traveling, principally on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. Mr. 
Wright came from Lafayette county to Ray, m the fall of 1869, and has 
had his home here since that time. He was married October 11, 1868, to 
Miss Kittie Renick, of Lafayette county. They became the parents of 
four promising children: James S., Kate R., John A. and Ora E. Mr. 
Wright enlisted under General Sterling Price, in the Confederate army, 
in July, 1862, and belonged to General Raines' division. He was taken 
prisoner at the battle of Lexington, Missouri, and placed at the disposal 
of General Lane, who banished him to Indiana, from whence, having 
obtained a pass from the governor, he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, until after 
the cessation of hostilities, when he returned home to Missouri. Mr. 
Wright owns and conducts a good farm in conjunction with his teaching* 
He has done a good work for the upbuilding of schools, and educational 
advancement in this, the county of his adoption. 



788 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

JOHN H. BOWMAN. 

Was born in Rockingham county, Virginia, on the 8th day of x\pril, 
1845. His father left Virginia in 1857, coming directly to Ray county, 
Missouri. He was principally educated in the schools of his native state. 
He is now, and always has been, a farmer. In 1864, he enlisted in the 
Union army, under General Smith, from Ray county, and engaged in the 
battles of Franklin and Nashville, Tennessee, and Mobile, Alabama. He 
was discharged from the service at St. Louis, Missouri, August 15, 1865. 
Miss Fannie Vantrump, of Ray county, a native of Rockingham county, 
Virginia, became the wife of Mr. Bowman, on the 3d day of June, 1866. 
She is the mother of three children: Joseph F., John D. and Ida Virginia. 
Mr. Bowman owns a good farm of ninety acres, well improved, a fine 
residence, good outbuildings and fences, and a young and thrifty orchard 
of bearing trees. His farm is in a most excellent state of cultivation. 
Mr. Bowman is a good man and a worthy citizen. 

THOMAS H. KEYES. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Ray county, Missouri, in the 
year 1849, and educated in the schools of his native county. Since he 
attained to manhood's estate, his occupation for the greater part of the 
time has been farming and stock-raising. During two years he was 
engaged in the nursery business. Mr. Keyes owns a farm of one hun- 
dred and twenty acres of excellent land, well improved and cultivated, 
with a neat, comfortable dwelling house, good barn and thrifty orchard. 
He was married, in the month of November, 1870, to Miss Sarah C. King, 
of this county. They have four children, named as follows, viz: Thomas 
A., John C, Laertis B. and Allen T. Mr. Keyes is a leading member 
of the Masonic Lodge at Hardin, and is a highly respected and valuable 
citizen. 

ISAIAH METTS. 

Isaiah Metts was born in the year 1822, in Champaign county, Ohio. 
He attended the district schools of his father's neighborhood, and after 
leaving school engaged in farming in his native state, until 1868, when he 
came to Missouri and settled in Ray county, where he has ever since 
resided, occupied in the avocation of farming and stock-raising. Mr. 
Metts owns a neat, comfortable homestead on Crooked river, and is doing 
well in business. He was married in Ohio, in the month of August, 1847, 
to Miss Elizabeth Boothe, a native of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Metts 
have eight children, viz: Laurette, Sarah C, Samantha I., Jeanette, 
Lemuel, Mary E., Ara and Martha H. Mr. Metts is an industrious man 
of steady habits and good morals, and is much esteemed by his neighbors. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 789 

JOHN T. BANKSTON. 

John T. Bankston was born in the state of Tennessee, January 26, 1835. 
At the age ©£ sixteen years he came to Missouri, and settled near the town 
of Carthage, where he lived during seven years, engaged in farming. In 
1859 he went to Jackson county, Missouri, and lived there on a farm until 
1863, and then came to this county. The first year, after coming to Ray 
county, he lived in the city of Richmond; the next three years on a farm 
about two miles northeast of that place. At the expiration of that time he 
purchased and removed to his present place, where he has since resided, 
occupied in farming and stock-raising. Mr. Bankston was married in 
Jasper county, Missouri, in 1854, to Miss Mary M. Peak. The issue of 
this union has been eleven children: George N., Giles B., Sarah E., John S., 
Hettie A., Austin G., James P., Charles A., Mary E., William F., Emily 
P. Mr. Bankston owns a good farm and is a prosperous, well-to-do 
farmer, and a useful citizen. 

H. J. SITTERMAN. 

Henry J. Sitterman is a native of Franklin county, Missouri, and was 
born on the 5th day of March, 1850. In 1865 he went to St. Louis, and 
learned the trade of carriage making, which business he still follows to 
some extent. He staid in the city of St. Louis until 1873, and then went 
to Kansas City, Missouri, and thence to Johnson county, working all the 
time at his trade. From Johnson county he came to this county, and 
engaged in the Sharondale mills, at Richmond and Lexington Junction of 
the Wabash railroad, and continued in the milling business until the year 
1878, since which time he has been actively occupied in buying and ship- 
ping grain. This business he has made very successful and profitable by 
his sound judgment and good management. Mr. Sitterman was married 
October 14, 1873, to Miss Minnie Voss, of Wyandotte, Kansas, a native 
of Franklin county, Missouri, They have two children: Ida K. and John 
H. Mr. Sitterman's parents are natives of Germany. They are both yet 
living in Franklin county, Missouri. His father was born February 7, 
1800, and is now the oldest settler living in Franklin county. Mr. Sitter- 
man is a good business man and a valuable citizen. 

W. A. WILLIAMS. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Ray county, Missouri. He 
was born in the town of Camden, August 16, 1856. He received his 
education here, and has resided all his life in this county. He was reared 
on a farm, and spent the earlier part of his life in farming. In the year 
1874 he entered the drug trade at the town of Hardin, and continued it 
there until 1879, when he removed to R. &. L. Junction. He has been 



790 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

conducting a drug store very successfully, in that place ever since. His 
is the only business of its character at the junction, and he receives all the 
patronage that comes to the town. Mr. Williams is an intelligent, active, 
voung gentleman, and the outlook for him is one of great promise. 

R. H. GEORGE. 

Reuben H. George was born in Iredell county, North Carolina, June 
16, 1847. His parents were natives of North Carolina, and his father 
represented Iredell county in the general assembl}^ during two terms of 
office, and was also a member of the state constitutional convention after 
the war. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, and received 
his education in his native county. In the year 1867, he engaged in mer- 
cantile business in the town of Wilkesborough, Wilkes county, North 
Carolina, and remained in that place until 1869, when he immigrated to 
Missouri, and settled in Ray county, where he has since resided. He 
engaged at R. & L. Junction in merchandising, in company with Mr. 
Chenault, during two years, and then his partner having withdrawn, he 
continued the business for a number of years alone. Mr. Chenault again 
entered the business and they now conduct the store in partnership, and 
do a fine business. Mr. George was married in the month of July, 1872, 
to Miss Eucy Campbell, of Ray county. They have three children: 
William Everett, Joseph Clinton, Julia. Mr. George is a rising young 
merchant, a good business man, and a popular gentleman. 

ALEXANDER STARR. 

Was born December 1.5, 1823, in Highland county, Ohio, and received 
his education there. He early began the work of a farmer, and has 
always followed that calling. He removed from Ohio to Illinois, and 
lived there for about sixteen 3'ears. He came from Illinois to Missouri in 
1865, and settled in Ray county, where he has always since lived. He 
was married in the year 1812, to Miss Isabella A. Campbell, a native of 
the state of Pennsylvania. They became the parents of six children, now 
living: James C, John A., Marilla J., Rebecca A., Mattie, and Anna 
Belle. Mr. Starr took no active part in the civil war, preferring to remain 
quietly at home in the discharge of his domestic duties. His oldest son, 
James C, was in the Union army for about eighteen months. Mr. Starr 
owns a comfortable home of seventy acres, well improved and stocked 
with good breeds of the different varieties of live stock. He is a good 
citizen, and a highly respected man. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 791 

JOHN A. STARR. 

Is a native of Illinois. He was born in Knox county, that state, on the 
8th day of December, 1857. His father, Alexander Starr, removed to 
Ray county before he was ten years old, and in the excellent public 
schools of this county he received his education. Mr. Starr is now (April, 
1881), engaged at work on his father's farm. He is a very intelligent and 
promising young man. 

F. J. WALKER. 

F. J. Walker was born in Woodford county, Kentucky, on the 25th 
day of September, 1843. His father removed to Missouri, when he was 
but twelve years old, stopping for a time in Clay county, but afterwards 
settling permanently in Ray county. Here he received his education, 
and has since made his home. He enlisted in the Confederate army at 
Lexington, Missouri, December 10, 1861, and was with General Price for 
nearly two years, then crossing the Mississippi he was engaged,, under 
General Van Dorn and others, in the battles of the eastern campaign. 
Mr. Walker participated in the battles of Elkhorn, Corinth, luka, 
Baker's Creek and Grand Gulf Mississippi, at Farmington and many 
other points. He was engaged for three months in the closely contested 
campaign of Georgia. Received a severe wound at Corinth, Mississippi, 
in 1862. He was discharged, when the war was over, at Meridian, 
Mississippi, May 4, 1865, and returned home to Ray county, Missouri, 
where he has ever since made his home and occupied his time in farming 
and stock raising. Mr. F. J. Walker was married on the 9th day of 
February, 1870, to Miss Martha J. Hudson, of Ray county. Their chil- 
dren are three: Albert Curry, Emma Lelia and Alice. This gentleman 
is the owner of one hundred and eighty acres of good land, has a com- 
fortable home, is a very successful and prosperous farmer, and a pro- 
gressive, spirited and highly respected citizen. 

JOHN R. GOSNEY. 

Is a Kentuckian, born in the year 1841, in Kenton county. He 
received a common school education in the neighborhood of his birth. 
Soon after leaving school he entered the Confederate army for the great 
civil war, enlisting in September, 1862, under General Buckner. This 
division of the Confederate forces was ordered east to West Virginia, 
and was chiefly occupied with operations in that state. Mr. Gosney was 
engaged in the battles of Chicamauga, Blountsville, Jonesville, and a great 
many minor engagements, sometimes skirmishing for many days. He 
was a member of company C, Third Kentucky cavalry, and was 
paroled at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, in the month of April, 1865. Imme- 



792 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

diately he returned to Kenton county and began to farm, in which occu- 
pation he continued there for about four years. In the fall of 1869, he 
immigrated to Lafayette county, Missouri, and soon after to Ray, loca- 
tinir about one mile from the town of Hardin, where he lived for ten 
years. He then moved into Hardin and yet lives there. In the year 
1865, Mr. Gosney was married to Miss Arabella Daugherty, a native of 
Kenton county, Kentucky. The progeny of this union is three children, 
living: Olive May, Franklin R. and Charles. Mr. Gosney is the happy 
possessor of a fine, fertile farm of two hundred and forty acres, well 
improved and stocked, and is one of the best and most substantial men of 
his community. 

GEORGE W. LAVELOCK. 

Was born in Ray county, Missouri, on the 15th day of January, 1860. 
He attended the common schools of his native county until he completed 
the course usually taught in them, and then entered the State University 
at Columbia, Missouri. He is now a member of the class of 1882, in the 
law department of that excellent institution. When he has finished his 
legal studies he will enter the office of his brother, F. M. Lavelock, Esq., 
who is a prominent attorney of Richmond. Mr. Lavelock is an intelligent 
industrious student, and his future is bright and promising. No doubt he 
will rise to a position of distinction in his chosen profession, and be a credit 
and honor to his family and to his county in the years to come. 

WILLIAM W. FERREE. 

Was born in Lafayette county, Missouri, November 18, 1851. His 
parents came to Richmond, Ray county, when he was yet a small child. 
They lived at Richmond for about five years, and then moved to Daviess 
county, Missouri, where they remained for two years. They then came 
again to Ray county and located in the town of Morton, then known as 
Shaw's Shop, where Mr. Ferree was educated. After leaving school he 
learned the trade of blacksmithing, and has always worked at that busi- 
ness since. Mr. Ferree was married on the 3d day of February, 1876, to 
Miss Louise J. Weeks, a resident of Caldwell county, Missouri, and a 
native of Virginia. The offspring of this marriage is two children: Fred 
W., and Urah Pearl. Mr. Ferree is an excellent mechanic, and enjoys the 
proceeds of a large and constantly increasing patronage. He also con- 
ducts a wagon manufactory' in connection with his blacksmith shop. He 
is a good citizen, and an indispensable adjunct to the town of Morton. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 795 

OLIVER S. CUNNINGHAM. 

This gentleman is one of Missouri's sons, born in Clay county, on the 
30th day of October, 1845. He finished his education at the schools of 
Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, and after leaving there, taught school 
for three years. In the year 1866 he began the work of a farmer, and has 
ever since devoted his time to that branch of industry. He was married 
in December, 1865, to Miss Martha L. Martin, of Ray county. The 
issue of this marriage is one child, Hving: William Edward. In 1881 
Mr. Cunningham purchased the farm upon which he has established a 
comfortable home, and is prospering finely. He is a rising farmer, and a 
valuable accession to the reliable, industrious and substantial men of the 
neighborhood. 

AUSTIN THOMPSON. 

Was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, in the month of November, 
1836, and received his education there in the common schools. After 
growing up he was, for some time, a trader in live stock. Leaving his 
native state, he spent about six months in Richmond, Virginia. He came 
to Missouri in November, 1856, landing at Lexington, Lafayette county. 
He engaged with Thomas A. Brown, of Ray county, as an overseer of 
negroes and general farm manager for two years, after which he pur- 
chased the place upon which he has since been engaged in farming. Mr. 
Thompson was in the Missouri state guard, under command of General 
Sterling Price, for six months, at the beginning of the rebellion. During 
this time he participated i n the battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek and 
Dry Wood. He was discharged at Osceola, Missouri, in the fall of 1861,, 
having served the time for which he enlisted. Austin Thompson was 
married on the 2d day of November, 1861, to Miss Adelia T. Hudson, of 
Ray county. The issue of this union is three children: Leonora, Wil- 
liam K. and Lula M. Mr. Thompson traveled extensively through the 
west, in the years 1864 and 1865. He was, during this time, " boss " of 
several large wagon trains*. He now owns a farm of 200 acres of rich, 
productive soil in Crooked River township, in this county, and is in a 
very prosperous condition. He is well esteemed and respected among his 
fellow men. 

NATHAN A. LENTZ. 

Is a farmer and stock-raiser. He was born in May, 1836, in Bedford 
county, Tennessee, and was educated in the common schools, and trained 
to the farmer's vocation. His parents removed from Tennessee to Ray 
county, Missouri, in the year 1850, and settled the homestead now owned 
and occupied by our subject. Mr. Lentz continued his farming until the 
50 



7I>J- HISTORY OP^ RAY COUNTY. 

summer of 1861, when he entered the Confederate army under Colonel 
Slack, who was commanding at that time a regiment of state troops, Mr. 
L. was at the battles of Carthage, Springfield, and Lexington, and then, 
the six months for which he had enlisted having expired, he was dis- 
charged at Osceola, Missouri. Going south to Fort Smith, he volunteered 
for the war, entering General Parsons' division of the regular Confederate 
army. This was in June, 1862. He was engaged at the siege of Little 
Rock, Arkansas, in the autumn of 1863; at Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, and 
at Jenkins' Ferry. At the latter battle he suffered an accident which dis- 
abled and rendered him unfit for active service with the army. He was, 
in consequence, given work in the blacksmithing department of the mili- 
tary laboratory near Marshall, Texas. Recovering his wonted strength, 
he returned to the army. The division to which Mr. Lentz belonged 
o-ave up their arms to the Union commander at Shreveport, Louisiana, 
and were ordered to report at Alexandria, Louisiana, where the con- 
ditions of their surrender were entered- into June, 1865. He took the 
oath of allegiance to the Union at St. Louis, Missouri, and returned home 
to Ray county. Mr. Lentz was married on the 16th day of January, 
1860, to Miss Mildred Cox, daughter of Mr. L. Cox, of Ray county. 
They have four children living: May, Minnie, Ella, and Neva. Since 
returning fron*i the war, Mr. Lentz has devoted himself to his farming, 
and is now the owner of a farm of one hundred and eight acres, with a 
nice residence, good fences, and other valuable improvements. He is one 
of the most substantial farmers and oldest citizens of his community. 

MARSHALL M. SPURLOCK, 

A prominent farmer of Ray county, was born in Cabell county, Vir- 
ginia (now West Virginia), in the year, 1826. He was educated in the 
common schools of his father's neighborhood, and spent his vacations 
working on the farm. In 1833 both his father and mother died, with 
cholera, which was, at that time, sweeping through the country, carrying 
death and desolation to many a happy home. Six years afterward he left 
Virginia, with his brother-in-law's family, and came to Ray county, Mis- 
souri, where he has, all the time since, been engaged in farming, with the 
exception of a few years given to merchandising, in the town of Morton. 
Mr. Spurlock was first married, in 1845, to Miss Eliza Bates, then liv- 
ing in Ray county, Missouri, but who had been reared and educated in 
the state of Kentucky. They became the parents of four children: John 
W., James IL, Onysky, and Urmanella, all of whom are still living except 
John W., who died on the 17th day of April, 1881. He had been circuit 
clerk of Ray county for the space of six years, and his memory is held in 
universal respect and honor by all who knew him. Mrs. Eliza Spurlock 
died, deeply lamented b\- a large circle of relatives and friends, and Mr. S. 



HISTORY OF RAV COUNTY. 795 

was again married, in 1S5H. The lady becoming his bride this time, was 
Miss Margaret Morris, a native of Ray county. By her he became the 
father of five children. Their names are: Kate, Mattie, Virginia, Lucy, 
and Benjamin. Mr. Spurlock owns a good farm of two hundred acres of 
very productive land, with a fine residence and other substantial improve- 
ments. He also deals quite e:^tensively in live stock. He is one of Ray's 
most enterprising men and best citizens. 

JAMES F. BATES. 

Was born in Ray county, Missouri, in the year 1851. He attended the 
public schools of his native county, and in them received his education. 
His father owned a large farm, the same upon which Mr. Bates now lives, 
and after leaving school he commenced work on his father's farm, in 
which business he has ever since continued. He was married in 1876, to 
Miss Ella Morrison, a native of Ray county, and a most excellent young 
lady. The issue of this marriage is two children: Edward T. and Emily 
V. Mr. Bates owns one of the very best farms in the county of Ray, 
comprising four hundred acres of most excellent land, highly improved, 
having a handsome, commodious dwelling house, a good roomy barn, a 
fine orchard, and all in a fine state of cultivation, under good and substan- 
tial fencing. He is also extensively engaged in breeding and raising fine 
stock, and yearly feeds and ships large numbers of cattle and hogs to the 
eastern markets. Mr. Bates is highly esteemed in the community in 
which he lives, for his many excellent qualities as a neighbor and a citi- 
zen. He has done a good work tor the improvement and advancement 
of the agricultural interests of the count\\ 

JAMES T. YATES. 

The subject of this article is a Kentuckian, having been born at Shelby- 
ville, in that state, on the 15th day of November, 1851. His parents 
removed from Shelby county to Scott county, when he was quite young. 
He attended school for a time at Stamping Ground, in his native state. 
Then his parents immigrated to Ray county, Missouri, and located upon 
the same farm where Mr. Yates now resides. He has been a farmer all 
his life, and is now the owner of a fine and v^ry valuable farm upon which 
he is at present making great improvements, which will add much to the 
beauty and comfort of his home, as well as very greatly enhancing its 
value. James T. Yates was married on the 8th day of February, 1876, 
to Miss Janie Richardson, a native of Hart county, Kentucky. This 
union is blessed with two promising children: William F. and Mary E. 
Mr. Yates is a brother of Doctor Yates, of this county, and is rapidly 
advancing to the front ranks among the substantial farmers and promi- 
nent citizens of his adopted county. 



796 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

JOHN C. PORTER. 

John C. Porter is a native of Lexington, Lafayette county, Missouri, 
where he was born on the 12th day of December, 1854. He had the 
advantages of the excellent public schools of his native state for the 
acquirement of an education. He entered upon the work of farming, 
and, after some time spent in pursuit of this calling, he went west with the 
tide of emigration in 1874, and was engaged for about two years in the 
cattle business in Colorado. He afterward returned to Missouri, to the 
county of his birth, and, becoming the possessor of a fine farm, again 
went to farming, in Clay township, near Wellington. He removed to Ray 
county in 1880, and has since made his home and been engaged in farm- 
ing here. Mr. Porter was married on the 23d day of September, 1880, 
to Miss Mary D. Mallory. He is, a rising, prosperous young farmer, an 
industrious and honorable man, well thought of and popular among his 
friends, of whom he has scores. 

ROSS P. BELL. 

The gentleman whose name heads this article is a native of the Old 
Dominion state. He was born at Harper's Ferry, Jefferson county, Vir- 
ginia, in the year 1852. His parents removed with him to Ray county, 
Missouri, in 1860, and here he acquired his education in the public schools. 
After attaining his majority he was occupied for a considerable time in 
farming. Then he went to Texas, and, during the years 1872-'73 and '74, 
was engaged in the cattle trade in that state. Returning to Ray county, 
he again devoted his time and attention to farming for the space of about 
two years. Subsequently he went into the mercantile business in the 
town of Hardin, where he is yet engaged in a prosperous and lucrative 
trade. Mr. Bell was married to Miss Ella Johnson, a native of Ray 
county, on the 24th day of Februarv, 1879. They have two children, 
Frank and Susan, who are twins. He is a rising, public-spirited, and pop- 
ular young man. 

JOHN H. GROVE. 

John H. Grove is a farmer and stock-raiser. He was born in Highland 
county, Ohio, in the year 1839. He received the advantages of a com- 
mon school education in his youth, at home, and was reared in the man 
ner usual with the sons of farmers in those days; and followed in after- 
life, of choice, the avocation to which he had been reared. He owned a 
fine, well-stocked farm in Ohio, and was also engaged for a number of 
-years as a stock-dealer. Mr. Grove was married in the year 1859, to 
Miss Lydia R. Cownlan, also a native of Ohio. They became the happy 
parents of six children: Laura V., Eva M., Charles Grant, Maggie, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 797 

Mattie, and John, who are at present living. He removed to Ray county, 
Missouri, in 1871, purchased land, improved and beautified his home, and 
has lived here ever since in the enjoyment of the fruits of his industry, 
surrounded by a happy family and many warm friends. Mr. Grove has 
been justice of the peace for several years, and yet holds that office in his 
township. He is one of Ray's best and most substantial farmers. 

GEORGE H. BUSH. 

A native of the state of Kentucky. Was born in the month of Sep- 
tember, 1847, in Hart county. He attended the schools of his father's 
neighborhood, and in them received his education. After he was grown 
he devoted his time to farming in his native state until about the year 
1864. In the month of October of that year he emigrated from Kentucky 
to Missouri, and estabhshed his home in Ray county, since which time he 
has been engaged in his favorite avocation of farming. Miss Amy D. 
Lentz, of Ray county, became the wife of Mr. Bush on the 27th day of 
September, 1866. The result of this union is nine children, still living. 
Their names are as follows: Mary L., James H., George E., Elmer N., 
Myrtie A., Charles T., Philip W., Houston A., and Monroe P. Mr. 
Bush received the substantial evidence of his popularity among the peo- 
ple of his township by receiving their almost unanimous support for the 
office of constable, which position he now holds. Mr. Bush has a good, 
comfortable, and handsome home, a fine productive farm, and is highly 
regarded by his friends and neighbors. 

GEORGE B. HINMAN. 

George B. Hinman is a native of the state of Illinois, born in Pike 
county, in the year 1839. His early education was received in the district 
schools, and in the schools of Quincy, and finished by a commercial 
course in one of the best business colleges of Chicago. After leaving 
school he was occupied for some time in buying and shipping stock from 
Pike county, Illinois, to St. Louis. Subsequently he came to Ray county 
and bought the farm where he now lives, and where he has been engaged 
since, in tilling the soil, and in feeding and shipping live stock to market. 
Mr. Hinman was married on the 9th day of April, 1863, to Miss Arabella 
Lindsay, of Elizabethtown, Hardin county, Kentucky. The issue of this 
marriage was seven children: Arthur B., Anna M., George W., Fred L., 
Lena B., Ella M. and Mary F., now living. Mr. Hinman owns one of 
the largest, best, and most desirable farms in Ray county. It is well sit- 
uated, high, rolling and fertile, in a healthful section of the country, with 
a fine large residence, and other necessary improvements upon it. He is 
a good neighbor, an honorable man, and a good citizen. 



'98 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY 



THOMAS M. DEACY 



The subject of this sketch is a public school teacher, and a native of 
Ray county, Missouri. He was born on the 3d day of March, 1851. 
The foundation of his education was laid in the common schools of this 
county, where he early evinced a fondness for books, and established a 
reputation for studious habits. After leaving school he entered the pro- 
fession of teaching and continued his studies unaided by teacher, during 
tlie evenings and such leisure times as he could find to devote to them. 
He has ever since, engaged almost constantly, at his chosen profession in 
his native county. The fact that he has taught school almost interrupt- 
edly, in one district for eight years, and is now engaged for the succeed- 
ing year, is a strong proof of his popularity and efficiency as a teacher. 
He was, in 1877, elected to the honorable and responsible office of com- 
missioner of public schools for Ray county, and discharged the duties so 
well and so acceptably that he was re-elected in 1879, and again, by a 
handsome majority, in 1881. Mr. Deacy was married December 23, 
1875, to Miss E. Hawkins, a native of Ray county, and a lady in 
every way worthy of her excellent husband. They are the parents of 
one child, named James M. Mr. Deacy is a rising, justly popular, and 
highly esteemed young man, with a bright future ahead of him. 

WM. H. FLOURNOY. 

Was born on the 23d day of December, 1824, in Washington county, 
Kentucky. He received his education at Springfield Seminary, and spent 
his youth and early manhood in his native state. In the spring 1843 he 
immigrated to Missouri, settled in Ray county, and engaged in the pursuit 
of farming. About two years and a half afterwards he returned to Ken- 
tucky and remained there for some time. Again in 1846, he left Kentuck}'^ 
and came back to Ray county, Missouri. In the summer of the same 
year, he volunteered under Colonel Price, in the American army for the 
war against Mexico. After arriving in Mexico, General Price ordered a 
detail of one hundred men as escort to conduct him to conference with 
General Wool, supposed to be at that time quartered at Chihuahua. 
Ten of these men were from the company to which Mr. Flournoy 
belonged, and he himself was one of them. This little band met with 
General Doniphan, then their commander-in-chief, one hundred and fifty 
miles south of Santa Fe, who ordered them to halt and wait for him to 
tlnish preparations to join them. Proceeding on with Doniphan they 
fought two battles, one at Brazito, near El Paso, and the other at Sacra- 
mento, near Chihuahua. When they reached the last named place, they 
found that General Wool had not arrived there, and sent to General Tay- 
lor at Monterey, for further orders, which when received, were found to 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 799 

the effect that they should report as soon as possible to him at that place. 
From there Mr. F.'s company was sent to New Orleans, Louisiana, and 
discharged. Chartering Captain Chamber's boat, they came up the Mis- 
sissippi to St, Louis, and thence Mr. Flournoy returned to Ray county by 
river. The company to which he belonged captured nine peices of artil- 
lery at the battle of Chihuahua, which were afterwards distributed to dif- 
ferent points on the Missouri river. One of them, a nine pound gun, was 
bored out and made a twelve pounder for use in the civil war. It was 
called the Sacramento, from the name of the place where it was captured. 
One of the ingredients in its composition was $8,000 worth of silver. It 
was cast in Spain more than 300 years ago. To prevent the enemy from 
capturing it at the battle of Corinth, the Confederates, then its owners, 
dismounted and sunk it in the river, and it has never been recovered. Mr. 
Flournoy was married in the year 1849, to Miss Malinda Clark, a niece of 
the late General John B. Clark; two children, the result of this union, are 
yet living: Matthias and HughC. After the Mexican war Mr. Flournoy 
was engaged in farming until the breaking out of the rebellion in 1861, 
when he volunteered under the "stars and bars," entering General Price's 
army to battle for the cause of the south. His health failing, he, was not 
kept regularly on duty, but engaged in some battles, and remained in the 
service to the end of the war, being discharged at St. Louis, Missouri, in 
1865. Returning home to Ray county, he found his house had been 
burned, and his fine farm of three hundred and sixty acres, confiscated. 
He then went west and spent one year upon the plains of Nebraska, after 
which he came back to Ray county, and has been farming here ever since. 
He was married the second time, in 1868, to Mrs. Louisa Hawkins, of Ray 
county. The}" have one child: Nannie F. Mr. Flournov now owns a 
fine farm, and is in a highly prosperous condition. 

HENRY BOGGESS. 

A native of Kentuck\^, was born twelve miles southwest of Frankfort, 
Anderson county, on the 23d day of February, 1805. His advantages for 
early education were limited to the common schools, but being possessed 
of a strong intellect, a practical turn of mind, and gifted with the facult}^ 
of imbibing knowledge from passing events, from mingling with men and 
intercourse with the world, Mr. Boggess has become more thoroughly 
educated than would have been possible, perhaps, by the superficial 
course usually taught in our high schools and colleges. He followed the 
business of farming, to which he was reared, and in the year 1833, came 
to Ray county, Missouri, where, purchasing a farm, he settled, and has 
continued ever since to live, except one 3'ear he spent in the state of Illi- 
nois. Mr. Boggess was -married before leaving Kentucky, in the year 
1830, to Miss Lucinda Wall, also a native of Anderson count}-, that state. 



800 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

Five children came to biess this union, Wade, Thomas A., William V., 
Nancy and Sallie. Mr. B. lived for twenty-one years in the river bottom, 
seven miles below Lexington, occupying the farm now owned by Mr. G. 
Frazier. He owned eight hundred and seventy acres of land, in township 
54, range 27, upon which the great oil well was situated. Mr. Boggess 
is .one of the oldest and best farmers in his section of the county, and 
owns one of the best and most highly improved farms in the county. 
Although now advanced in years, he is still strong and active, and his 
memory remarkably good. He yet retains a vivid recollection of many 
incidents of interest connected with the war of 1812. In politics Mr. 
Boggess is a staunch and life long democrat. He voted for General 
Jackson both times he was a candidate, and was elected to the presidency 
of the United States. He is highly esteemed, and regarded for his 
* excellent qualities of head and heart, " by all who know him. 

LOUIS C. BOHANNON. 

Louis C. Bohannon was born October 24, 1812, in Green county, Ken- 
tucky, but his father removing to Woodford county when he was quite 
3'-oung, the greater part of his early life was spent in the latter county. 
He received his education chiefly at Pisgah, which was the oldest high 
school in the state of Kentucky, afterwards called Transylvania Univer- 
ty, and now located at Lexington. He afterwards began a course of 
study with the view of entering the legal profession, but, becoming dis- 
gusted with some forms of malpractice that came under his observation, 
he renounced all connection with the practice of law, and determined to 
become a farmer. He at once threw away his law books, and turned his 
attention to farming, and salt making. This business he followed for a 
number of years, and was also, during this time, justice of the peace. 
He was afterwards appointed, by the governor, brigadier general of the 
18th brigade of Kentucky militia; raised a regiment for the Mexican war, 
and, reporting with them for duty, was informed that the requisition had 
been filled by the call for twelve months men. The governor bade him 
hold his regiment in order, and at the next call he should have preference. 
The next proclamation was issued for volunteers for three years, and as Mr. 
Bohannon's regiment had only enlisted for twelve months he could not, of 
course, force them into three years service, so he did not go to the war at 
all. Colonel Bohannon was married in 1833, to Miss Cynthia Haddix, of 
Kentucky. From this union seven children were born, five of whom, 
Sarah A., Mary D., Nancy D., Simeon and Susan, are now living. In the 
3''ear 1847 he removed to Missouri, stopping for a short time in Pettis 
county, but in the latter part of the same year settling in Ray county, upon 
the farm where he now resides. He has been three times elected to rep- 
resent Kay county in the state legislature. In the political canvass of his 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 801 

adopted county, he has been very successful, once beating the distin- 
guished Governor King for representative. He served through six ses- 
sions of the legislature, one adjourned and two called sessions in addition 
to the regular work of the legislature. When the troubles of 1861 came, 
he joined his fortunes with the cause of the south, entering the Confeder- 
ate service in the Missouri state guard, with the rank of captain. He 
was soon promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and when the time for which he 
first enlisted, six months, had expired, he entered the regular service as 
colonel, and remained to the close of the war. He was engaged in many 
battles, the hardest fought being those at Independence and Lone Jack. 
Subsequently he was sent from Arkansas as one of a party of six recruit- 
ing officers, to Missouri, four of whom. Colonel J. T. Hughes, Major 
Hart, Colonel Boyd and Captain Clark, were killed; and one, Colonel 
Thompson, wounded; Colonel Bohannon himself being the only one of 
the party to escape unhurt. Finally he was wounded in an engagement 
in Arkansas, and was, in consequence, discharged at Little Rock, from 
the service. He went from there to Texas until after the surrender and 
restoration of the country to peace, when he came back home to Ray 
county, and has ever since occupied and tilled his farm here. Colonel 
Bohannon owns about 440 acres of excellent land, a finely improved home, 
and is one of the oldest and most highly influential and respected citizens 
of Ray county, and has done much to assist in her upbuilding and 
advancement. 

CHARLES W. BROWN. 

Was born in Carroll county, Missouri, on the 9th day of January, 1831. 
He received his education in the district schools of his native state, and 
early began the occupation of farming with his father, then a prominent 
farmer of Carroll county. This vocation he followed for some years. 
He removed to Breckenridge, Caldwell county, Missouri, in 1875, and 
engaged in merchandising with Messrs. McWilliams & Russell. Three 
years later he left Caldwell county, going to Kansas City, and entered the 
wholesale hat and cap business, with McWilliams, Crook & Co. He 
-afterwards bought Defevers & Sons' dry goods store in the town of 
Morton, four miles north of the line of the Wabash, St. Louis and 
Pacific Railroad, and has ever since conducted that branch of business 
there. Mr. Brown was married on the 24th of February, 1881, to Miss 
Rosie E. Keyes, of Ray county, Missouri. Mr. Brown is doing a large 
and lucrative business at Morton, and is highly respected for the fair, 
hon{»rable and impartial treatment he gives to all alike, and for his many 
good qualities as a man. 



802 HISTORY OF RAY COUNT V 

ROBERT V. WALL. 

The subject of this sketch is a native Missourian. He was born July 
1, 1849, in Ray county. His father owned a large farm four miles north of 
Morton, where the son was raised with the advantages of the schools of 
the neighborhood for getting an education. Here he worked on the 
farm for a number of years. In the month of June, 1874, he came to 
Morton and entered the drug business, in which he is at present engaged. 
Mr. Wall owns the only drug store in the town of Morton, and is doing 
a flourishing business. He was married in September of the year of 
1876, to Miss Ella B. Yates, daughter of Dr. Yates. This union has 
been blessed by the birth of one child, Donald Leslie by name. Mr. 
Wall holds the position of postmaster at Morton, the duties of which 
office he has discharged very efficiently and satisfactorily for the last 
seven years. He has always been a resident of Ray count}', and by his 
industry and close attention to business, has built up a good and lucrative 
trade. He is one of the prominent and influential citizens of his section 
of the county. 

WM. F. YATES. 

To the honest, efficient, able, and thoroughly qualified man, of what- 
ever profession, the respect and gratitude of the people of the commu- 
nity in which he moves, is due. This is particularly true of the physician^ 
and of none more so than of Wm. F. Yates, who is a native of the state 
of Kentucky, and was born on the 5th day of March, 1833. He received 
an academic education at Shelbyville, in his native state, and then began 
the study of medicine with Dr. George S. Burbridge, of Scott county,, 
Kentuck}', for his preceptor. Entering the Louisville College of Medicine, 
he finished the course, graduating with honor in 1854, when not yet quite 
twenty-one years of age. After leaving college he practiced his profes- 
sion some two or three years in Kentucky, then came to Missouri and 
established himself where he now resides, in Ray county. Dr. Yates was 
married the first time, on the 13th day of December, 1856, to Miss Susan 
J. Nelson, a native of Kentuck3^ Of this union were born three chil- 
dren: Ella B., Maggie B., and Flora C, who are still Hving. Mrs. 
Yates died, greatly lamented by her numerous friends, and the doctor was 
subsequently married, November 1, 1876, to Mrs. Mary R. Mayfield, 
a very estimable, intelligent, and accomplished lady of St. Joseph, Mis- 
souri. Dr. Yates owns a fine farm near Morton, and upon it has erected a 
large, commodious and beautiful residence. His farm is in a high state of 
cultivation, finely improved, well stocked with horses, cattle, hogs, and 
sheep, of the best breeds, and equipped with all necessary machinery of 
approved and modern kind. He devotes his attention chiefly to the prac- 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 803 

tice of his profession, in which he is so successful and popular that his 
constant efforts can hardly meet the demand for his services. The doc- 
tor is just in the prime of life now, and his active outdoor exercise and 
horseback riding, in going about among his patients, joined with a natu- 
rally strong and robust constitution, will, no doubt, prolong his life even 
past the three score and ten years allotted to man to live, and give the 
benefits and blessings of his professional skill and experience to the sick 
of his commnnity. Dr. Yates is one of the very best phj'^sicians in Ray 
county, and well and favorably known far and wide. As a man and a 
citizen his character is irreproachable. 

RILEY V. SEWARD. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Indiana, having been born in 
Mt. Vernon, Posey county, in the year 1850. His parents immigrated to 
Missouri when he was but three years old. After growing up he was 
engaged in farming until 1873, when he entered the State Normal School 
at Kirksville, in which excellent institution he spent two consecutive years. 
At the end of that time he was, like many another worthy young man 
has been, compelled to leave and teach school to secure the money neces- 
sary to finish his education. He taught for a year, and then return- 
ing to Kirksville, graduated in 1877, with honor. Afterwards he went 
to California, and was for two years principal of the graded school 
in Trinity county, that state. Returning to Missouri, he settled at Har- 
din, in Ray county, and opened a drug store. Here, by strict attention to 
business, polite, gentlemanly bearing, and fair and honorable dealing withal, 
his business has rapidly grown in extent, and he, to-day, though yet a 
young man, is one of the leading business men of the county, and highly 
esteemed for his many excellent qualities as a citizen and a man. Mr. 
Seward may properly be termed a self-made man, and with the enviable 
position he has already won for himself, his future can be but pregnant 
with abundant success. 

JAMES H. LENTZ. 

A native of Ray county, Missouri. Was born October 21, 1850. He 
was reared on a farm, and, until he attained his majority, was engaged in 
the performance of the duties common to the sons of farmers. He was 
educated at Carrollton, and, after leaving school, taught for four years in 
the common schools of Ray county, receiving a salary of fifty dollars per 
month. After serving an apprenticeship with Rogers & Co., apothe- 
caries, of Carrollton, he became a retailer of dry goods for two years. 
He then entered the drug business at Hardin, Ray county, where he still 
conducts a drug store. Mr. Lentz was united in marriage to Miss Katie 



804 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

E. Sinclair, of Ray county, February 18, 1877. Two children, Myrtle 
and Hale, have been sent to bless their lives, both of whom still live. Mr. 
L,entz is rapidly winning a position in the front ranks of the staunch busi- 
ness men and respected citizens of his native county. 

JOHN S. KING. 

John S. King was born in Ray county, Missouri, September 5, 1852. 
His early life was spent on a farm, and his education acquired in the dis- 
trict schools of his father's neighborhood. He followed farming for some 
time, and then turned his attention to buying and selling grain. Later he 
entered the dry goods and general merchandise trade at Hardin, in which 
he is now engaged. Mr. King was married in the year 1876, to Miss 
Theodosia Happ}-. One child, named Ford, is the result of this union. 
The subject of this article is one of the first business men of the town of 
Hardin, and is held in high esteem for his many good qualities by those 
who know him. He is comparatively a young man, and his past achieve- 
ments show that he will fight well and truly the battle of life, which opens 
before him. 

ROBERT A. KING. 

This gentleman is a native of Missouri, born in Ray county, July 22, 
1854, where he has ever since resided. Mr. King early displayed a taste 
for books, and rapidly progressed with his studies when at school. After 
finishing the course as usually taught in the common schools of the 
county, he continued his studies without the aid of a teacher, and in this 
way acquired a good, practical education. He has taught school at Mor- 
ton, Hardin, and various other places in the county. Mr. King is now 
connected with his brother in running a grocery store at Hardin, under 
the firm name of King Bros. Mr. King, being engaged in the high and 
honorable vocation of teaching, is one of Ray's most worthy sons, and in 
future years will, no doubt, win for himself, by his energy and industry, a 
high position among her citizens. 

JAMES B. PROCTOR. 

In the year 1843, this gentleman was born, in Hendricks county, 
Indiana. He was educated at the Northwestern Christian University at 
IndianapoHs, When the great civil war commenced, in 1861, Mr. Proc- 
tor enlisted under the "stars and stripes" to do battle for the Union. He 
was assigned to duty in Colonel A. D. Streight's regiment, which was 
engaged at Murfreesboro and Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as in 
several other battles. He was finally taken prisoner at Rome, Georgia, 
by Generals Forrest and Roudy, the 3d of May, 1863. From there he 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 805 

was taken to Atlanta, Georgia, thence to Belle Island, and from there to 
Annapolis, Maryland, where he was exchanged. He then embarked for 
Baltimore, and from that point he went to Columbus, Ohio, whence he 
soon returned home to Indiana. From there he was ordered south, first 
to Nashville, Tennessee, then to New Orleans, and from there to the 
state of Texas. After the return of his regiment from the south, he was 
discharged at Indianapolis, Indiana. Mr. Proctor was married on the 
19th of May, 1868, to Miss Jennie Voorhees, a cousin of the distinguished 
United States Senator Voorhees, of Indiana. Our subject, soon after his 
marriage, immigrated with his young bride, to Missouri, settling in Ray 
county, where he has ever since resided. For a number of years he 
farmed, then entered the drug business, in which he is at present engaged. 
He is also postmaster at Hardin, the village where he lives. Mr. Proctor 
is a prominent citizen, ripe in experience and in years, and highly esteemed 
and honored by all. 

WILLIAM J. ROACH. 

Is a native of England, having been born in London, in the year 1841. 
He left home at the early age of nine years, immigrating to the new 
world, and settling in Canada. Here he lived to his eighteenth year. 
Then, crossing into the United States, he remained for a time in Michi- 
gan. Leaving there, he came to Ray county, Missouri, 1870, where he 
has since made his home. His occupation is that of a shoemaker, and at 
his present location, Hardin, he finds his trade sufficiently lucrative to 
support his family in comfortable style. Mr. Roach was educated in the 
schools of London, England. He is a prominent member of the Masonic 
fraternity, being at present secretary of his lodge. He was married in 
1870, to Miss Margaret Wilson. They have four children: Elizabeth 
A., Margaret M., WiUiam C, and James A., all of whom still live. Mr. 
Roach is a ver}'^ industrious man, a good citizen, and a credit to the town 
in which he lives. 

JOHN W. HALL, 

Is a Virginian. He was born in Rockingham county, October 21, 
1832. His education was limited to the advantages to be derived from 
the common schools of his native state. His father owned an extensive 
farm in the Blue Ridge mountains, and the son was early, trained to that 
vocation. Our subject immigrated to Ray county, Missouri, in the year 
1857. He was married, in the autumn of 1859, to Miss Mary C. Ware. 
Their union has resulted in the birth of nine children. In 1879 Mrs. Hall 
died, leaving this large family to mourn the loss of a kind and loving 
mother. Mr. Hall has followed his favorite occupation, that of farming,. 



g06 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. . 

ever since he has been in Ray county. He owns a good farm and com- 
fortable home, about a mile and a half west of the town of Hardin. He 
is one of the best and most substantial farmers of the county. 

B. B. BABCOCK. 

An enterprising and progressive man is respected and honored in what- 
ever sphere or walk of life he may be found. B. B. Babcock was born in 
Ohio, in March, 1832. Educated at Woodward College, Cincinnati. He 
was married to Miss Lucetta V. Fillmore, whose father was a cousin of 
Millard Fillmore, at Cincinnati, in the year 1858. Mrs. Babcock is the 
mother of six children, only three of whom, Elizabeth J., Mattie F., and 
Lucetta V., survive to bless the declining years of their parents' lives. 
Mr. B. immigrated to Illinois in 1859, and followed the trade of a carpen- 
ter for awhile, and afterward, he was for three years in charge of Reed 
& Mann's extensive foundry and machine shops, at Cairo, Illinois. From 
there he went to Decatur, in the same state, where he was engaged for 
ten years in the Union Iron Works. From 1875 to 1880, he w^as travel- 
ing contractor for the last named firm, for mills and elevators, taking ten 
contracts in Missouri, and three in Illinois, during four months in the fall 
of 1880. This is a strong evidence of his industry and enterprise. Mr. 
Babcock came to Ray county, Missouri, in June, 1880, buying the eleva- 
tor and other property at Hardin, where he is now in business as a grain 
dealer. He ships on an average ten thousand bushels of wheat per month, 
and corn and other grains in proportion. Since he has taken charge he 
has made some veiv valuable and permanent improvements in the eleva- 
vator and other property at Hardin. He contemplates making other and 
extensive improvements at an early day, which, when done, will make 
him the owner of the model elevator on the Wabash road. Mr. B. favors 
improvement and progression, and leaves nothing in his power undone in 
favor of their furtherance. He has done as much, perhaps, as any other 
man, for the improveinent of the localit}' in which he lives. 

THOMAS J. PORTERFIELD. 

Has been a life-long farmer. He was born on the 8th day of February, 
1844, in Jackson county, Missouri. He was afforded no other advantages 
for getting an education than those of the district schools in his native 
county. He was born and reared on a farm, and became, when quite 
young, so much attached to that kind of life that no other calling has ever 
had any attractions for him. He removed to Ray county in 1862, and has 
never changed his home from that time to the present (April, 1881). 
Loving peace rather than war, he remained quietly on his farm, and took 
no active part in the civil war. Mr. Porterfield was married, in 1867, to 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 807 

Miss Mary E. Johnson, of Lafayette county, Missouri. They became the 
parents of four children, only two of whom are yet alive: Thomas E. 
and Arry B. He owns a fine farm, one mile south of Hardin, and is one 
of the best farmers of Ray county. 

HENRY C. BOGGESS. 

A native of the state of Kentucky, was born in December, of the year 

1835. When he was but three years old his father moved to Ra}- county, 
Missouri, and purchased a farm. His grandfather, Bilas Boggess, also 
purchased a farm of four hundred acres in Ray county, the same year, 
1838. A part of this same tract is now owned by the subject of this 
sketch. Mr. Boggess received the advantages of a common school edu- 
cation, and followed the vocation of farming. In 1867, he was married 
to Miss Laurinda Frazier, of Ray county, a daughter of Mr. George 
Frazier, and a most estimable lady. They have but one child, "Viro-ie, 
who is yet living. Mr. Boggess has always had his home in Ray county, 
and been constantly engaged in his favorite occupation of farming. He 
took no active part in the late civil war. B3- strict attention to businesi, 
proverbial honesty and hospitality, and confirmed habits of industry- and 
economy, he has become justly popular, and has surrounded his home 
with comforts and conveniences. He is a highly influential and substan- 
tial citizen in his neighborhood. 

WILLIAM B. CREER. 

A native of Liverpool, England, was born the 9th day of February, 

1836. He received a good education in his native country. He left home 
for the west, landing at New Orleans, w^hen seventeen years of age. 
From there he came to St. Louis, Missouri, by boat, and was employed 
with Messrs. Stone & Boorner, who were at that time engaged in build- 
ing bridges for various railroads. In this work he continued for three 
years. He then went for a short time to Lafayette county, thence to 
Carroll county, and from there came to Ray county, in the spring of 
1856, working in these various localities, all the time at his occupation, 
which is that of carpentering. At the breaking out of the late civil war, 
he was enrolled in the Missouri state guard for six months, at the expira- 
tion of which time he enlisted under General Sterling Price, and fought, 
throughout the war, the battles of the south. In Missouri he was engaged 
in the battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Dry Wood and Lexington, 
In 1862, under Van Horn, he fought at Pea Ridge, Arkansas, Bruett, 
luka and Corinth, Mississippi. Again in 1863, on the 7th of March, at 
Thompson Station, Middle Tennessee. On the 26th of April, he engaged 
with the Federal gunboats, in command of General Elliott, on the Ten- 
nessee river. Then with General Johnson, at Jackson, Mississippi. After 



808 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

• 

the fall of Vicksburg and the siege of Jackson, fought Sherman from 
Jackson to Brandon. The next engagement was in the celebrated raid 
across the state, in the month of August, against General Sherman. He 
was then sent to Dalton, Georgia. He fought through the campaign in 
that state, with General Johnson. He was then transferred to the com- 
mand of General Hood, and did meritorious service and hard fighting at 
the siege of Atlanta. Was with General Hardee at the battle of Jones- 
boro, where the army fell back to Lovejoy, and were, in the words of Mr. 
Creer himself, " knocked about hke a ship in a storm." The next and 
last battle of importance in which Mr. Creer was engaged, was with 
General Forrest at Egypt Station, on the Ohio & Mobile railroad, in Jan- 
uary, 1865. After this engagement Mr. C. was given a furlough for 
ninety days. Before his leave expired, the war had ended, and peace was 
declared. Mr. Creer was paroled with General Dick Taylor's command, 
by General Canby, at Jackson, Mississippi. It is worthy of remark that 
though Mr. Creer was in the war from its very beginning to the last, 
and was in the thickest of the fight on some of the most closely con- 
tested and bloody battle fields, he came out of it without a wound. Per- 
haps his experience in this respect is without a parallel. In the army Mr. 
Creer held the rank of sergeant. He was married on the 4th of Decem- 
ber, 1870, to Miss Sarah M. Mallory. The result of this union has been 
five children, four of whom are living. Their names are as follows: Wal- 
ter I., Hugh E., Paul C. and Ralph E. Mr. C. has been in Ray county 
ever since the war, except during the time of a visit to Colorado in 1879. 
He is the best carpenter in his section of the country, a highly respected 
gentleman and a good citizen. 

JOHN F. BRUMFIELD. 

Is a native Missourian, born in Pulaski county, on the 14th day of 
December, 1854. His parents came to Ray county, when he was but 
two years old. Mr. Brumfield received a good education in the district 
schools of his father's neighborhood, and since leaving school has been 
occupied entirely in milling. He was engaged for four years in the Egypt 
mills at Norborne, Carroll county, Missouri. Returning to Ray county 
he formed a partnership with Mr. Moore, and they became the proprie- 
tors of the Telegraph mills at Hardin, under the firm name of Brumfield 
& Moore. Mr. Brumfield is universally popular, a very good miller, 
especially for so young a man, and an excellent citizen. 

JOHN J. MOORE. 

Is a Virginian, having been born in Washington county, in May, 1834. 
He was educated in the common schools. By occupation he is a carpen- 
ter and miller. On leaving Virginia he went, first, to Alabama, in the 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 809 

year 1857, and remained four years, engaged in milling. In 1861 became 
to Missouri, and settled in Ra}^ county, where he immediately engaged ir> 
his customary occupation of milling. His home has been here ever since, 
though he spent one year subsequently in Kansas City, from which place 
he returned to Richmond, and was employed by Houston & Gates, 
owners of the old Davis mill. After the close of this engagement he 
operated a saw mill for Messrs. Harbison & Moore for two years. After- 
ward he built a flouring mill at Camden ; thence he went to Norborne, 
Carroll county, and engaged in the Egypt mills at that place. Returning 
to Ray county, he formed a co-partnership with Mr. Brumfield, and they 
purchased the property known as the Telegraph mills, and one of the 
best, if not the ver}^ best mills north of the Missouri river. Mr. Moore 
was married to Miss Alice Harbison, of Ray county. They are the parents 
of five children : Linea, Laura, Jessie, Bessie, and Sallie. The last two 
are twins. Mr. Moore is an enterprising and prosperous business man, 
and a high credit to the county of his adoption. 

LEWIS H. NOBLE. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Indiana, on the 19th day of 
September, 1849, His father immigrated to Ray county, Missouri, in 
1854:. Shortly after his arrival here, the elder Mr. Noble died, and the 
son was left to the care of his uncle, who trained him to the business of 
farming. His education was acquired in the common schools of Ray 
county. At the age of twenty-three years he left his uncle's home, and 
started out to travel in the west with the hope of improving his health 
which had begun to fail. He visited Kansas, the Indian Territory, 
"Wyoming and Idaho, spending three years altogether in his wanderings 
out west. He became possessed of a claim in the state of Kansas, and 
occupied some time in improving it; later he sold out his propertv there 
and returned to Ray county, which he always regarded as his home. 
He made several successive trips through the territories named above, 
and thus became familiar with those sections of the great west. On the 
26th day of March, 1876, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Campbell, of 
Ray county. The result of this union was three children, all of whom 
are still living. Their names are: Annie A., Charles W. and Susan M. 
The last named two are twins. Mr. Noble has had many and varied 
experiences during his wild life in the west, which the limits of this work 
will not admit of mentioning. He is a prominent and ver}^ influential 
citizen of the section in which he lives, being at present, marshal of the 
town of Hardin. He is highly esteemed by all who know him, for his 
sterling qualities of heart and head. 

51 



SIO HISTORY OF RAY COUM'i. 

CYRUS W. CLAMPITT. 

This <rentleman was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, October 
24, 1828. His father moved to Indiana when he was very young, and he 
received his education at Franklin, Johnson county, that state. After 
leavin<;f school he remained on the farm with his father, who had again 
removed, going this time to Hamilton county, about fifteen miles north of 
Indianapolis, for several years. In 1852 he left Indiana to seek a home in 
Missouri, first stopping in Caldwell county for a short while; thence, he 
went to Clay county, and engaged in teaching school, about two and a 
half miles north of Missouri City, where he continued for about two years. 
From thence he came to Ray county, and has ev^er since been engaged 
almost constantly in teaching in the schools of this county. Owing to his 
holding the office of postmaster, he was exempt from military service dur- 
ing the late war. In 1856 he was married to Miss Martha F. Gant, of 
Crab Orchard, Ray county. They have five children, all living, named 
as follows: William C, Mary W., Victoria R., Cyrus R., and George B. 
Mr. Clampitt is a good practical teacher, and has, by his efficient labors, 
greatl}'^ benefited the rising generations of this county. He has been 
principal of the school at Hardin for a number of years, and occupies an 
enviable position in the esteem and regard of the people of that place. 

ELIJAH T. MAPEL. 

Elijah T. Mapel is a Kentuckian. He was born in Jefferson county, in 
that state October 29, 1825. He was educated at Bardstown, Spencer 
county, in his native state. After leaving school he served an appren- 
ticeship of seven years under one Wm. Dye, of Jefferson county, Ken- 
tucky, spending most of the time at Louisville. Here he was married on 
the 18th day of January, 1851, to Miss Amanda S. Beckley, a native of 
the city of Louisville. She gave birth to seven children, only three of 
whom, Elijah T., John W., and Amanda S., are yet living. Soon after his 
marriage, Mr. Mapel operated a mill at Brandonburg for a time, then 
he owned, and for two years operated a three-run mill in the city of Lou- 
isville. Emigrating from Kentucky in 1854, he landed in Lexington, 
Missouri, whence he came to Ray county, where he has since made his 
home. When he first came here there were but four runs of mill-burrs 
in the entire county. Since that time, he "alone has put in fourteen runs, 
more than any other one man in the county. He built and owned the 
Richmond mills, as well as the Telegraph mills at Hardin, besides sev- 
eral others in different parts of the county. Mr. Mapel was engaged 
but three months in the civil war, being exempt at the expiration of that 
time, on account of his occupation being that of a miller. His wife died 
on the Oth day of June, 1869. On the 29th day of July, in the year 1874, 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 811 

Mr. Mapel was again married, this time to Miss Ellen Lane, his first lo\e, 
and the " girl he left behind" him when he came from old Kentucky. 
By a remarkable coincidence they were thrown together after so man}- 
years of separation, and by frequent meetings, and fond memories of the 
olden time, the spark so long dormant was again fanned into a flame, 
and thev became one in name, as in heart. Mr. M. has always followed 
milling, and is also an adept mill-wright. In either branch of the busi- 
nest he is the peer of any man in the state, and has, probably, done more 
in his line, for the advancement of Ray county, than any other man. He 
is a crood and v^aluable citizen. 

MOSES HENDERSON. 

This gentleman is a native of Kentucky, having been born in Mason 
county, that state, in the month of September, 1836. He came to Ray 
county, Missouri, in the winter of 1847, with his father, who bought a 
farm of some three hundred acres, about three miles west of Richmond. 
He was educated in the district schools of Missouri and his native state. 
He farmed for a number of years in Ray county, and then, in 1865, going 
to Nebraska, engaged in the business of a cattle trader, in Richardson 
county, for the space of two years. Mr. Henderson was married in the 
spring of 1866, to Miss Meriles Frazier, at Lexington, having returned to 
Missouri for that purpose. They became the parents of two children, Ida 
and Amy, both still living. After his marriage Mr. Henderson returned 
at once to Nebraska, where he continued in the cattle trading business 
for some time. But, at length, he came back to Ray county, Missouri, 
and bought the farm upon which he has since lived. This farm, com- 
prising one hundred and sixty acres of most excellent land, is one of the 
most desirable and most valuable of its size in the county. Mr. Hender- 
son is a practical, successful farmer, and highl}- regarded as a neighbor, 
and a citizen of Crooked River township. 

NILES ESREY. 

Was born in the year 1835, in Edgar county, Illinois. His father immi- 
grated to Missouri in 1840, and settled in Ray county, purchasing the 
farm upon which Mr. Esrey now resides. Here he was educated in the 
district schools, and grew up, working on the farm, in which vocation he 
has ever since continued, and is to-day a thrifty farmer, and owns one of 
the best and most valuable farms in Crooked River township. His mar- 
riage to Miss Missouri Stratton, of Ray county, took place in the year 
1857. She has borne him seven children, who still are living. Their 
names are as follows: Jesse D., John T., Niles A., Missouri A., Mary, 
Elizabeth, and Minnie. Mr. Esrey's highly improved and fertile farm, 
comprising four hundred and sevent}^ acres of land, lies two miles north- 



812 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

east of Hardin, on the prairie. Mr. E. is one of the oldest settlers in his 
section of the country, a good neighbor, and an industrious, progressive 
man, and a valuable aid to the advancement of the agricultural interests 
of his county. In November, 1878, Mr. Esrey was elected by the people 
to the responsible position of judge of the Ray county court. The duties 
of which office he discharged faithfully, and to the full satisfaction of his 
constituency. 

SEPTER P. ESREY. 

Is a native of Illinois and was born in Edgar county, in the year 1838. 
His father immigrated to Ray county, Missouri, in 184U, and the son, 
Septer, was educated in the schools of the last named county. He chose 
and followed the occupation of his father, that of a farmer. His present 
farm is a portion of the one formerly owned by his father. He was first 
married in 1863, to Miss Mary Rosell, of Monroe county, Missouri. She 
became the mother of three children. Two of them, Sarah A. and Jona- 
than, are yet living. Mrs. Esrey died in 1868, and Mr. Esrey married a 
second time. The lady becoming his wife this time, was Miss Charlotte 
A.Jasper. She died in 1878, and subsequently, he again married. The 
last and present Mrs. Esrey was a widow lady, named Mrs. Mary F. Hill, 
of Ray county. Mr. Esrey owns a fine fertile farm comprising three hun- 
dred acres of the best land in Ray county, and has done much for that 
branch of industry in which he has spent his life. 

ABRAHAM GRANDSTAFF. 

Abraham Grandstaff is a native Missourian, having been born in Boone 
county, in the year 1838. There he received a district school education, 
and lived until 1859, when he removed to Frankstown, Douglass county, 
Colorado, thirty miles south of Denver, where he was engaged for a 
number of years in farming. He came back to Missouri in 1864, set- 
tling in Ray county, and shortly afterward purchased the farm he now 
owns and lives upon, and which is situated two miles east of Hardin, on 
the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific railroad. Mr. Grandstafi^" was married 
in 1864, to Miss Susan Dehart, a native of Indiana. This union was 
blessed with three children: Sarah, John, and Samuel, all still living. 
Mr. G. owns one of the finest farms in Crooked River township, in a fine 
state of cultivation and highly improved. He is a prominent and highly 
respected citizen of the section where he lives. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 813 

GEORGE FRAZIER. 

Is a Kenluckian. He was born in Anderson county, in the year 1812. 
He was educated and grew up to manhood in his native state. His father 
owned a large farm there, and early taught the son practical lessons in 
farming. In 1829 the family came to Missouri, and entering land a mile 
and a half east of Richmond, in Ray county, lived there some eight or 
ten years, when the mother of our subject died. He then removed to 
Crooked River township, and entered the grocery business, in which 
trade he continued about three years. He then moved near where he 
now lives, and again engaged in farming. Mr. Frazier was inarried 
about the year 1840, to Miss Almira J. Boiles, a native of Kentucky, 
though at that time living in Ray county, whom Mr. Frazier had known 
before leaving Kentuck3\ She became the mother of one son, who in 
after years, at the time of the civil war, entered the Confederate army, 
and died of disease in Texas, in the spring of 1864. The first Mrs. 
Frazier died in 1846, and in the autumn of 1847 Mr. Frazier was married 
again, his bride this time being Miss Marv E. Utterback, a native of 
Kentucky, but reared in Indiana, and at the time of her marriage living" 
in Ray county, Missouri. The result of this union was seven children: 
Laurinda, Alice, Lenora, Fannie, George A., Laura, and Hershel, all 
of whom are now living in Ray county. Mr. Frazier is one of the oldest 
citizens now living in Crooked River township. He owns a finely 
improved and valuable farm, some forty acres of which he has cleared 
out of woodland. His life has been characterized by enterprise and 
thrift, and he is a highly respected man, and one of Ray's substantial old 
pioneer citizens. 

HADEN S. TRIGG. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of Tennessee, having been born 
fourteen miles north of Murfreesboro, Wilson county, that state, in 
July, 1813. Here he received his education, and remained until manhood. 
He afterward spent some time in Jackson and Sumner counties, Tennes- 
see. He was married in the month of July, 1834, to Miss Elizabeth 
Wilson, of Gallatin, and in the following autumn removed to Booneville, Mo., 
at which place he taught school, and kept boarding house, during the suc- 
ceeding winter. In 1835 he went to Morgan county, Missouri, near the 
town of Tipton, and engaged in farming and teaching, until November 
1840, when he came to Ray county, settling two and a half miles west of 
Richmond, and continued the business of farming and teaching school. 
Two years later he moved to Millville, and commenced the business of 
milling with his farming. Going, in 1844, to Wakanda, in the same county, 
he settled a new place in the open, and, at that time, sparsely peopled 



,S14 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

prairie. His wife died October the ITth, 1857. She was the mother of nine 
children: Mary S., Stephen C, Juliet, Daniel W., John W., Geo. W., Haden 
S., Sallie and Joseph. Of these, only four, Mary S., Stephen C, Juliet and 
Geo. W. are yet alive. Mr. Trigfj was married the second time, in 1858, to 
Miss Mary S. Campbell. In 1861, at the beginning of the war between 
the states, he cast his lot with the fortunes of the south, joining Slack's 
division of the army under General Sterling Price, with whom he 
■engaged in the battles of Carthage, Wilson's Creek and Lexington, after 
which on account of protracted illness, he was unable to re-enter the 
army. The second Mrs. Trigg was taken sick, and died during his 
absence in the war. Leaving his family in Ray county, he went to Boone- 
ville, Missouri, and from there to Illinois, returning to Hardin, Ray county, 
in 1869. Here he has ever since remained, occupied in mercantile business. 
Mr. Trigg is one of the most highly respected and influential men in the 
county, and one of her most valuable citizens. 

B. FRANK DAVIS. 

B. Frank Davis was born May 15, 1834, in Hart county, Kentucky. 
He received his education in the private schools of the neighborhood 
in which he lived. While his literary training is not extensive, he has 
a good English education, which is greatly strengthened by strong, prac- 
tical common-sense, and improved by intercourse with men, close obser- 
vation, a faculty for learning from passing events, and a retentive mem- 
ory that stores whatever of useful knowledge is to be garnered from 
sources of general information. He was raised on a farm in his native 
county, in the cultivation and management of which, he, in common with 
his brother, T. J. Davis, assisted his father. He moved with his parents 
to Ray county, Missouri, in 1853, and on the 29th day of October of that 
year, settled in Ray county, near the present village of Morton, within 
one-fourth of a mile of where he now resides, conducting a farm, 
which, with the exception of a period of interruption from the begin- 
ning to the ending of the civil war, has been his life-long vocation. 
His father was an esteemed and honored citizen of Kentucky. He lost 
his life bv accident, about a year after his arrival in Ray county. He 
was at work at a carpenter's bench, at the end of which and supported by 
it, stood a loaded shot-gun. The continued jostling of the bench, finally 
caused the gun to slip backward and fall on the hammer, discharging it. 
The contents entered the calf of one of Mr. Davis' legs, severing an 
artery, and causing his death by hemorrhage — medical assistance arriving 
too late to save his life. June 20, 1801, in response to the call of Gov. 
Jackson, Mr. Davis enlisted in the Missouri state guards, and partici- 
patedin the engagements at Lexington, Carthage, Oak Hill, Elkhorn, and 
other places. When in Arkansas the troops were ordered east of the 



HTSTORY OF KAY COUNTY. 815 

Mississippi, to go thence to Memphis. But a company of sixty men, of 
which our subject was one, was placed in charge of the stock, equip- 
ments, and various munitions of war, and ordered to take them to 
Texas. Finding, however, a line country in the Choctaw nation, with an 
abundance of grass, grain and water, they remained three months near 
Doaksville, Indian Territory, and did not cross the Red river into Texas. 
They were then ordered by Governor Jackson to report to him at Fort 
Smith, Arkansas, but Governor Jackson dying, December 6, 1862, they 
reported to Colonel George. 

On the 20th of June following, exactly one year after he joined the 
Missouri state guards, Mr. Davis enlisted in the regular service of the 
Confederate states army, where he fought with uncomplaining bravery 
for principles he had cherished from childhood, till the close of the war. 
There was never a camp made, nor a single engagement, in which his 
company took part, but that he was present, like the true soldier that he 
was, ready and willing to share the dangers or hardships of his comrades. 
He was with his command in its every movement, from the day he 
enlisted' till the final surrender. Among others, he participated in the 
battles of Prairie Grove, December 7, 1862; Helena, Arkansas, July 4, 
1863, and Little Rock, in the fall of 1863. While charging on the enemy 
at the battle of Helena, a shell burst immediately over the company of 
which Mr. Davis had command, and wounded thirteen men. From Little 
Rock, Captain Davis and his comrades went to Camden, Arkansas, and 
there went into winter quarters; and the following spring fought General 
Banks, at Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, all the forces of the 
opposing commanders on either side, being concentrated. Turning north 
after these engagements, they found Steele at Camden, and pursued him 
to Jenkins* Ferry, Saline river, where a general engagement took place. 
Subsequent to this battle he took part in numerous skirmishes and engage- 
ments of minor importance, and finally, in June, 1865, surrendered at 
Alexandria, Louisiana, and returned to his home in Ray county, where he 
was cordially welcomed by his friends. B. Frank Davis was married, 
January 24, 1871, to Miss Mar}^ Bohannon, daughter of Colonel Louis C. 
Bohannon, of Ray county. She is a lady of intelligence and refinement, 
and by her amiable, aftectionate disposition contributes to the happiness of 
her husband. They have four promising children, as follows: James L., 
Clay, Elliott, and Tom Frank. Mr. Davis is a successful, a worthy citizen, 
and an obliging gentleman. 



816 HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

CHARLES W. DAWSON. 

Charles W. Dawson was born at Lawrenceburg, Anderson county, 
Kentucky, twelve miles east of Frankfort, on the 9th day of September, 
in the year 1855. He received his education in the schools of Lawrence- 
burg. His parents immigrated to Missouri in the spring of 1869, and pur- 
chasing a large farm one and a half miles north of Hardin, Ray county, 
settled there, and our subject was trained to the business of farming. In 
1875, Mr. Dawson engaged with Spurlock & Wood, millers, of Hardin, 
again with Burton & Hanna in the dry goods business at the same place. 
Afterwards, for the benefit of his failing health, he visited Colorado 
Springs and Leadville, Colorado. Returning to Ray county in the fall of 
1879, he again entered the dry goods trade, this time with Hughes & Son, 
where he still remains. Mr. Dawson was married on the 10th day of 
March, 1881, to Miss Maria S. Summerman, of Ray county. He is an 
enterprising, industrious young man, and highly regarded by his neigh- 
bors. 

JOHN D. REYBURN. 

Was born in Columbia, Boone county, Missouri, in 1825. He was edu- 
cated in the common schools. Came to Richmond, Ray county, in the 
year 1844, and worked at the business of a wool carder. In 1846 he 
enlisted for the war with Mexico, in Captam Henly's company. Was 
mustered into service at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, company G, of Colo- 
nel Willock's battalion. They were ordered to New Mexico for duty, and 
there at the battle of Moro, Captain Henly was killed. Captain Jacobs suc- 
ceeding to the command of the company to which Mr. Reyburn belonged. 
At the close of the war he was discharged at Fort Leavenworth, and 
returned to Ray county, Missouri. After a time he removed to Lafayette 
count}-, where he remained several years working at the carpentering 
trade. Again he came back to Ray count}^, locating at Hardin, where he 
yet lives. His marriage to Miss Margaret A. Thornton, of Boone county, 
Missouri, took place in the year 1849. They are the parents of five chil- 
dren: Alice, Ella, Lee, Florence and John I. Mr. Reyburn joined Gen- 
eral Joe Shelby's command of the Confederate army in the spring of 1861. 
He was in the battles of Lexington, Wilson's Creek, and several other 
minor engagements. When the war ended he returned to Ray county 
and resumed his work as a carpenter, at which business he has had an 
experience of nearly thirty years, having built the first house in the town 
of Hardin. Mr. Reyburn is an excellent carpenter, a substantial man, and 
a orood citizen. 



HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 817 

THOMAS J. DAVIS. 

Thomas J. Davis is a native of Hart county, Kentucky, and was born 
April 12, 1836. He was educated in the common schools, and lived in 
the county of his birth till the fall of 1853, when he accompanied his 
parents to Missouri, and with them settled in Crooked River township, 
Ray county, not far from his present residence. After leaving school, 
Mr. Davis engaged in farming, an occupation he has followed ever since. 
In June, 1861, responding to the call of Governor Claiborne F. Jackson, 
he enlisted in the Missouri state guards, and while in this service, under 
Captain Bohannon, he started south to join General Sterling Price, whom 
they met a few miles from Carthage, Missouri, on the morning of the 
engagement at that place. He then went south with his comrades in 
arms, and remained till his return to participate in the battle of Oak Hill, 
against General Lyon. He was also in the battle of Lexington. Thence 
went to Pineville, and afterward took part in the battle of Elkhorn. 
From Van Buren, Arkansas, the soldiers were ordered east of the Mis- 
sissippi, to go thence to Memphis. Mr. Davis, however, was one of a 
company of sixty, or dered to remain at Des Ark, Arkansas, in charge of 
the stock, equipments, and other munitions of war belonging to the com- 
mand, and to take the same, for protection, into the state of Texas. This, 
however, they did not do, as they found an excellent country, abounding 
in grass and water, near Doaksville, Indian Territory. After remaining 
in Doaksville three months, they were ordered by Governor Jackson to 
report to him at Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he expected to meet them. 
Governor Jackson died, however, at a farm house, on the Arkansas river, 
opposite Little Rock, before reaching Fort Smith, and Mr. Davis and his 
comrades, on reaching Fort Smith, reported to Colonel George. Novem- 
ber 28, 1862, he enlisted as a soldier in the regular Confederate army, and 
served gallantly till the close of the war. He was in all the engagements 
mentioned in the biographical sketch of his brother, B. Frank Davis. He 
was never absent at roll-call, and never shirked a duty, nor faltered in any 
undertaking, however hazardous. In October, 1863, he was on detached 
service in the Confederate laboratory at Marshall, Texas. He rejoined 
his command at Shreveport, Louisiana. He surrendered at Alexandria, 
that state, in June, 1865, and, with his brother, returned home to Ray 
county, after an absence of four years, fighting for principles which have 
passed into history as the "lost cause." May 7, 1874, Thomas J. Davis 
married Miss Nannie Bohannon, of Ray county, daughter of Colonel 
Louis C. Bohannon, whose biography may be found elsewhere in this 
work. She is an intelligent, attractive lady, and, with her husband, is the 
recipient of the respect and esteem of all who know them. 



SIS HISTORY OF RAY COUNTY. 

THOMAS McINTOSH. 
Born May the 10th, 1830, in Sullivan county, Indiana, is of Scotch 
descent, his grandfather coming from Scotland to America at a very early 
day. He was educated in the common schools of Indiana. Leaving 
school he chose blacksmithing for his calling, and served an apprentice- 
ship under one Hartley, at Lockport, Indiana. He then went into busi- 
ness for himself at Sullivan, in the same state remaining there until 1865. 
While there he was occupied in manufacturing buggies, wagons and agri- 
cultural implements. At competitive exhibitions, he many times carried 
off the premiums for the excellence of his work. In June, 1851, he was 
married to Miss Catherine Maxwell, of Sullivan county, Indiana, by 
whom he is the father of seven children, four of whom : Hiram M., Levy, 
William and Aaron W., yet survive. During the civil war Mr. Mcintosh 
served two years in the Union army. He was deput}' provost marshal 
under Richard W . Thompson, late secretary of the navy, under President 
Hayes' administration. He also held the commission of a second lieu- 
tenant in the 156th regiment of Indiana volunteers. Mr. Mcintosh immi- 
grated to Chillicothe, Missouri, in 1865, remaining about two years; 
thence he came to Ray county, locating at Hardin, where he has been 
for fourteen years the " village blacksmith," receiving a large custom,, 
and by his excellent workmanship and fair dealing, the good will of alL 
He also owns a good farm, one and a half miles east of Hardin, of which, 
place, he is a most substantial and useful resident. 

ROBERT R. SIMMERMAN. 

A native of Virginia, was born in May, 1830. His father removed in 
the year 1839, to Boone county, Missouri, and from there to Clinton 
county, in the same state, coming to Ray county in 1856, where our sub- 
ject has, ever since had his home. Robert R, Simmerman received his 
education in the common schools of Missouri. His occupation is farming, 
and he has spent all his life in that pursuit, excepting about four years in 
California, and the time he was in the army. He enlisted in the Confed- 
erate army, and went south with General Jo. Shelby. At the close of 
the war he was discharged at Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1865. He was 
married to Miss Elizabeth Snowdin, in January, 1858. Seven children, 
now living, bless their anion: Maria, Minnie, Robert, Estella, Mary M., 
Dora and Eliza. After his return from California, Mr. Simmerman pur- 
chased the fine farm, of five hundred acres, whereon he now lives happily, 
respected and honored by all who know him. 



